The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-10-11
Oh EMPLOYER
AND EMPLOYED.
Commissioner Wright Against
Compulsory Arbi-
tration.
WORKMAN WOULD
BE MADE A. SLAVE.
WOULD BE GOING BACK TO THE
DARK AGES.
Death of Industry-Worse Barbarism
Than We Have Ever Had on This
Life, No Survival of Industry I'm
der Such a State of Affairs.

Chicago, Oct. 10.-The feature of the
dinner OF the Union League club last
night was the speech Of Carol D.
Wright, United States labor commits
sioner, on the subject of arbitration of
disputes of employers and employees.
In substance Mr.. Wright spoke as fol-
lows:
st must limit myself to compulsory
arbitration as applied to productive in
dustry. The first great question is,
Shall a man have right to do what
he will with his own
1--WE say now, No, he may not, if
what he wishes to do with it is likely
to injure the property or health of his
neighbour
"a man must submit to the wishes
of the community in regard to his own
property.
"A third limitation is likely to be
added to the answer of today. The
answer will soon be, No. not if you in
jure the standard of living of your
answer be met when it comes, so that
industry shall not be killed by it's con-
sequences?
mo way has yet been devised to
prevent strikes. The most that can be
done is to reduce them in number and
severity. Arbitration cannot prevent
them. Voluntary arbitration seems g.
logical answer.
81 pass to compulsory arbitration.
The advocates of this say that, first,
both parties to a. dispute must be COM
PEELED to come into court; and that,
second, when the court issues it's de-
10
decree would be enforced. Let us see
how this will work A is a manufac-
turer who pays his men on an average
81 a day. Owing to some cause he finds
he cannot pay this any longer, and
reduces wages to $3.50. The men OPP
pose this. They say they cannot live
on less than 50. The employer says he
cannot pay more. The matter is taken
before a compulsory board of arbitra-
ton. Suppose the court says the men
must take the $780, How can this be
enforced? Say there are 800 employees.
Who can make them work? The con-
stable, the sheriff, the posse commuta-
tus, the military forces may be called
out. But none can make them work.
The decree is dead from the begin
ming
Suppose the court says the manu-
facturer must pay the %. But If he
really cannot afford to. what must
help him? The employer must do one
of the two things; Either he must adul-
terate his goods to make up the diff
ference, or he must combine with other
! employers in a trust to keep up the
prices The law viii have compelled
one of these things.
''There is also an economic question
to be considered. If the state says the
employer must pay fixed price for
work, it has practically fixed a ~rice
for the commodity. The law can fix the
prices, but it cannot compel the con-
sumers to buy at that price.
1.-The next logical step is to make it
a penal offense not TO buy at the price.
Then why not let the law fix the prices
of everything directly? 1t would be
cheaper to do this directly than
through the cumbersome machinery of
compulsory arbitration. The workman
would be slave under compulsory
arbitration. He has little freedom of
contract now. He must submit to the
ruling powers. But compulsory arbftra-
ton will destroy what little he has
left tt will establish the prices al
which he can sell the only commodity
he possesses-that is his labor. He
must accept $3.50 or not work at all
if the court tells him to do So even If
Tie dthhdl COSl VI iiNliiNS IL o.. WI VIA
ever side we look at it, compulsory ar
bitration means death of industry and
the enslavement of labor.
''There may be some modification OF
the general principle developed in the
future, but I do not know it now
There should he a protest by the com
munity against it. Few labor oreaniza-
tons endorse it. A few scholars and
thinkers are almost the only ones who
really endorse If. To adopt it would be
to go back to the ages from which we
have been divorced. IT would be goina
back to a worse barbarism than We
have ever had on this continent There
would be no life, no survival of indus
try under it,