Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-09-22
a PUZZLED COMMITTEE.

Thus far the testimony before the Blair
Senate Committee on Labor and Education
has been of novel character. The COM
mittee has opened its doors to every conner,
and all hands have had full opportunity TO
air their grievances. In one respect this
action was wise, because it is about all that
the majority of cur crank reformers-
with patent reform, self-acting systems OF
restoring Paradise on earth-ask. They are
as a rule content with airing their schemes
in the papers. Mr.. George seems to be the
only one of the lot who is not satisfied
with newspaper fame. The appearance of
his name in print seems to have no charm
for him. But, then, Mr.. George is an old
newspaper man, and the edge has worn off
of that kind of notoriety for such as he is
We note that the burden of the songs of
all the score of witnesses who have testi.
fed before the committee are keyed alike,
and this is the note" Let me manage
social, political and economic matters, and
things will once be made right" Thus,
the capital insist before the committee
that if La will be content to trust all to
them it OF it's full reward, and that
reward will be measured by capital accord
ing to standards that its knows to be Just.
On the other hand, labor comes before the
committee with the proposition that it
should be given the sole control
of affairs, with the assurance that
if that is done all the ills of life
will end. This is, seriously, the sum and
substance of all testimony. No one class
is willing to trust another. Even among
the representatives of laboring interests,
there is more distrust of each other than
there is distrust of those they rank as op-
posed to them. Thus the representatives
of the carpenters desire legislation that
shall give them the practical control of the
whole subject of building, while the build.
ers seriously declare that unless they
are given unlimited power over the carpen-
ters, the country will go to the dogs. One
class of reformers appeared and soberly
proposed that to the workers in every trade
shall be awarded the sole and legal right to
prescribe for those Who conduct the trade
industries, just how they shall be carried
on. That is to say, the men who work for
the undertaken shall prescribe the system
upon which undertaking shall be conduct
ed the operatives in wooden mill shall
be empowered to say to the capital sup
porting the industry just what its reward
shall be, and just how it shall conduct
the affairs of the mill, so far as they affect
the workmen therein. The representatives
Of the unskilled lsborers come before the
body and protest against Trades Unions
being permitted to exist because they dis
criminate against unskilled labor while the
Trades Union men complain to the
committee that employers discriminate
against those organizations in favor
of uuskilled workmen. To go through the
list of impracticable, not to say insane
ideas and plans advanced, would tire the
patience. 1t ia perfectly evident that the
work of the committee will amount to
nothing whatever. If it is wise, it will re.
port that the differences of opinion are SO
wide and varied in this country as to what
will soonest bring about the millennial era,
that there can be no reconciliation, and
that Government had better leave to the
evolution of civilization and the processes
Of nature the whole matter of making this
world better than it is. Certainly the COM
mittee must, by this time, be convinced
that it can recommend no one of the pat
ent plans for doing the work of ages in an
hour,