Morning journal and courier., 1886-04-19
THE STATE AND soR.

COmm1ss1Oner Arthur IT. Hadley 1s-
 cusses the Relation of the State
 to Labor in CarlI's Opera House-A
 Large Audience in Attendance.
 It was announced in the daily papers Sat- urday and Sunday that Commissioner Ar thur T. Hadley of the State bureau would speak in Loomis' Temple of Music on ssThe State and the Labor Question" on Sunday af- ternoon. At 2:30, the time named for the lecture to commence, there were about two hundred persons in the hall. It was then announced that MT. John Swinton, who was to speak in Carlls Opera House, had missed the train and would not arrive until evening and that the lecture by Commissioner Had ley would be given at the opera house in- stead. The company then wended their way to CarlPs, swelling the audience at that place to large proportions, at least two thou sand persons being in the building, among them being small sprinkling of ladies.
 At 3 o'clock MT. A. F. Hunie called the meeting to order and explained the cause of MT. Swinton's absence. He then announced a song by the Common Veal Glee club The club rendered selection very nicely, and be- ing encored responded with another song that was equally we'll received.
 MI. Hunie in a few appropriate words then introduced Commissioner Hadley, In his opening remarks the speaker spoke in substance follows: The labor problem like any other great movement has two sides to it, the labor side and the economic side. The former works by our individual power, tho latter by our votes. Probably there are not one hundred men in the United States who would say that in every respect our labor laws are what they should be. We need to concentrate our efforts on what is practical; not much as to what we ought to do, but as to what we can do. The question arises, what is the necessity of State actions At first thought we would say there is no ques- ton but what the State should step in and remedy the evils complained of, but this is not so; there are conditions beyond this, be- yond the State that we want to look to- While we have abandoned that idea that the duty of governments was only to make men happy because this principle was followed by evil, yet we have not abandoned the idea that we should meet the evils complained of What then is the evil? The responsibility should be put where it belongs. What is the re- sponsibility of the employer to-days He it is who regulate and protect his machin- cry so as preserve the employe in great measure from bodily injury and make large part of the mans life more safe and health full Yet the law is such that if 8 man is maimed for
 life there is in fact no responsibility This
 is one of the things that the State can reme- dy. Again, the payment of wages; the time when the employe shall be paid, whether once week, once 8 month, or once in six weeks is practically in the hands of the en- ployer to say where such payments shall be made, and here is another phase of the ques- tion when State action can come in and de- eide. There are cases when action to be effective must be universal. When the worst element sets the standard of prices and can by employing cheap labor drive others out of trade because they cannot compete with them, then we have another evil to be rem edied. There are also cases when common action the part of the State is for the common good and there are matters of common good that can only be secured by common action. These are lines on which practical attention can be first concentrated. The question then arises, why has not more been accomplished? While we are supposed to be ruled by maj ajorities, yet there often cases where this is not the case. We started out even with England so far as manufactur- ing laws are concerned, but to-day England's factory laws are more humane than those of any other nation on the globe. These laws and reforms have not been carried forward and brought out by politicians, however, but by men who saw the evils complained of and whose positions were not dependent on the popular vote. Massachusetts to-day comes nearer to England in salutary factory laws than any other State in the Union. Then there are laws passed with no idea that they will be enforced, laws so objectionable that communities will not sustain them, and they cannot be enforced.
 Take the matter of government railroads. The purchase and control of all railroads by the State seems an easy and plausible thing. yet in countries where it has been tried it has been leveling up instead of leveling down. lived long enough under Bismarck's government to know this.
 What is to be done? We see the necessity of certain line of State action. How shall we concentrate legislation so as to gain the end sought for2 I answer, by electing calm and sensible men, who will deliberate and legislate fairly. The most serious misfortune in any country is when the extremists get the better of moderate and thinking men.
 What then are we to do? We must con- centrate on the most practical line Of meas ures. On the necessity of increasing responsi- bility we all can agree. We can see that laws are not passed that cannot be enforced We can enlighten public opinion so that laws that are passed will be enforced. Pass laws that will secure sufficient public opinion to carry them through and you will then know where you stand.
 In closing Commissioner Hadley returned thanks for the attention given in the discus sion of the subject. The speaker was ire quently applauded during the delivery of his lecture as he was at it's close.
 A collection was taken at the close of the lecture, after which the glee club followed with song.
 Mr. Hunie then stated to the audience that if any present desired to ask the speaker any questions relating to the subject matter of the lecture they could do so. No one re- sponded and the audience was then dismiss ed,