Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-08-22
JUDGE WEST.
lie Opens the Campaign
In a Speech at Bellefontaine, on
Thursday Night

Hc VpelS Jllc CNm pAlSn
In a Speech at Bellefontaine, on
Thursday Night.
Judge West, the Republican candi-
date for Governor of Ohio, opened
the campaign in speech at his home
at Bellefontaine, Thursday. 1t was
mainly directed to the labor question.
We submit below its salient points:
LABOR is THE SOURCE OF ALL pRopUC-
TON. ru=
Capital, with its increase, is the ex.
elusive product of its hand without
remuneration, which comes from the
product of labor alone. Capital must
perish from exhaustion without the
means and opportunity of employ
ment, which capital alone can furnish.
Labor must perish from inaction and
want. Whatever is destructive of
either is fatal to the other. Without
the co-operotion of each both must
languish and die. Since. then, the
interest and prosperity of each are
iNseperable from those of the other
is it not the part of wisdom to devise
and apply I u.r~ia ~
SOME METHOD OF INTERMANAGEMENT
which, without trenching upon the
separate rights of tho either, shall se-
cure the harmonious cooperation of
both, which, without disturbing their
existing relationship, shall repress an
tagonism and secure the common ef-
forts Of each in common protection of
the advancement of all? To this sug-
gestion there can be but one rational
answer, Yes. =.
Is such q method of interma mage
ment practicable or possible? Much
reflection and experience of others
tell me it is. The whole embarrass-
ment arises out of the question of
compensation. Capital prescribes a
fixed rate, changing it at pleasure !;
labor feels that it is insufficient: sense
of injury and injustice is begotten
whether it be real or imaginary. The
result is some dissatisfaction ripens
into open discomfort until the slum-
bering volcano bursts forth. Can
this be avoided without arms and the
shedding Of blood? am persuaded
it can. How?
Byadopting and applying in our
great industrial enterprises
A GRADUATED SCALE OF PRICES,
conditioned on the net earnings
Will this vest the labor with any pro-
prietary interest of property right in
the capital employed? Certainly it
cannot, any more than a fixed COM
pensation can vest it with such rights.
Shall it be brought about by compul-
sorry legislation? No. For either
capital or labor to invoke this would
be to place its head in the lions Jaws,
even if the Government had authori-
ty to assume jurisdiction Of the sub
Iject; but it has no such authority
Freedom to contract is the highest
liberty of the citizen. Subordinate
this liberty to legislative contract
and he at once becomes the slave of
unscrupulous power and political
corruption.
HOW, THEN, MAY 1T BE ACCOMPLISHED
u Let the capital prescribe reasona
BILE minimum rate of compensation te
be paid at all events, and in addition
thereto assume to distribute among
his laborers at the end of stated pc
D RODS, an agreed or specified
Fl PERCENTAGE OF HIS NET EARNINGS
Y for the same time. If his bushes
9 prosper the laborer from whose tot
it sprung would share his prosperity
if not he would acquicsce with con
Q tentment in receiving all that was il
J, the power ofthe considerate employ
! err to give.
. Methods of graduated compensa
: ton similar to those have been adopt
:, ed in Europe, in this country, and il
s our own State, and my information
: is that in no single instance have lock
outs or strikes occurred in any indus
trial establishment where adopted
e My Judgment, therefore, is that thei
y application in the management of on
4 railway and other great industrial
;, investments would be attended wit
- like satisfactory results.
IS These opinions are neither new 0
= hastily formed. Whether capital cal
n be persuaded to adopt them, the fu
ture will determine. ! have hereto
fore expressed my confidence in thei
correctness and practical efficacy, ant
: now report that if, as manager of
e lcolliery or railway line, l had power
to try the experiment, I would tes
the principle with a confident assn
rance cfa successful issue. The high
est consideration of interest or secu
: rity impel to its adoption by the man
k ayers of these great industries.
D THE ENpLoyE BEING INTERESTED
+ in any manner in the receipts, would
t have the strongest motive to proven
, whatever was calculated to defea
these results. Instead of being dis
conted striker he becomes q vigilan
guardian and loyal protector Of tn,
, interests and property confided to hi
r charge.
But does this concern the public
Most deeply. Industrial enterprise
, has converted tho value of cite
! which dot our state from the Ohio t
the Cuyahoga, into marts OF manu-
facture, dependent for their supplies
of fuel, upon the products of the mine
: and the facilities of railway trans
portation.
The revolt from Scranton to Law.
renee, being interrupted, these sup.
plies at central junction, even for a
brief period, and imagination fails to
fathom the suffering attendant upon
resulting coal famine. The intern
al commerce of the continent is dc.
pendent on our grand system of rail.
ways. On the muscles of railway la.
Dor the mighty products of the ma
tons industry are borne to market
Let this refuse burden, even for q
little while, and the country is paral.
. |yzed. A more efficient conservatory
of social order than armed police more
inexpensive and less dangerous pro
tector of public safety, than military
; force are
: COMMENTED EMPLOYMENT AND BREAD
Let these be secured by the applianc
es of peace, and the growing cloud o.
, peril, at first scarce larger than man!
: hand, rather than be permitted to de
velop into hurricane of destruction
may yet be dispellcd and the danger
r of military government and a stand
ing army be averted. 1t does con
ccrn the public deeply and profound
lily. 1t was because of this concern
that the Cleveland Convention tool
8 action on the subject and brought j
3 prominently forward for discussion
1t was unwilling that the public mind
aroused by the recent events to
sense of the magnitude and great i'm
portance of the question, should re
: lapse into a repose without recon
mending the creation of
n A TRIBUNAL
a commissioned to search out the caus
es of these events and suggest peace
full methods for their removal. II
i this end it recommended . Nationa
Q Bureau Of Industry, in order that Ia
!, Dor, whose interests are inseparabl,
y linked to the common welfare, ma,
be brought into closer and more sym
pathetic relations to the government
:, Hitherto the great interests of agri
b culture, manufacture and commerc
= have had their channels of access t
, the government and sympathy. 1t
Z now proposed that labor shall hav
4 I'M