San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-10-10
COMPULSORY ARBITRATION.
Freely Discussed at the Union League
BY CARROLL WRIGHT, UNITED
STATES COMMISSIONER.
Shall a Man Have the Right to do
What ne Will With HIS Own.

! ure of the Union League Club
meeting was the opening speech of
CARROLL Wright, United States la
Dor commissioner, on the subject
of arbitration of disputes between
employe and employer. In SUBJ
stance Mr.. Wright spoke as fol-
lows:
81 must limit myself to compul-
sorry arbitration as applied to pro-
ductive industry. The first great
question is 'Shall a man have
right to do what he will with his
own?" We say now he may not if
he wishes to do with it what is like
ly to injure the property or health
of his neighbor. A man must sub
NIT to the wishes of the commun.
ity in regard to his own property.
A third Limitation is likely to be
added to the answer Of today. The
| answer W. soon bess"no; not you
iniure the standard of living Of
your neighber." How then shall
this last answer be met when it
comes also that industry shall not
be killed by Its consequences. No
way has yet been devised to pre-
vent strikes. The most that can be
done is to reduce the number and
severity. Arbitration cannot pre-
vent them. Voluntary arbitration
seems a logical answer. 81 pass
the compulsory arbitration. The
advocates of this say that the first
party to a dispute must be
compelled to come into court
and that, second, when the court
issues its decree it must be en-
forced as any other decree would
be enforced. Let us see how 1T will
work. A is manufacturer who
paws his men on an average OF w,
per day. Owing to some cause he
finds he cannot pay this any long
er, and reduces wages to Sl.SO.
The man opposes this. They say
thew cannot live on less than ~.
The employer says he cannot pay
more. The matter is taken up by
| compulsory court of arbitration.
Suppose the court says the men
must take the $3.50. How can this
be enforced? Say there are 5000
employees, who can make them
work? The constable, the sheriff,
the posse comitatus, the military
forces may all be called out, but
none of them can make the
| men work. The decree
| is dead from the beginning.
"Suppose the court says the
manufacturer must pay 81. But If
he really cannot afford to do so,
what must happen. The employer
must do one of two things. Either
he must adulterate his goods to
make up the difference, or he must
combine with other employers in a
trust to keep mp prices. The law
will have to compel one OF the
things. "There is also an economic
question to be considered. If the
state says the employers must pay
a fixed price for work, it has prac-
tically fixed the price Of the COM
midty. The law can fix the price
but it cannot compel the consum-
ers to buy at that price" Gap
plause.) "Then let the law fix the
prices Of everything directly. 1t
would be cheaper to those directly
than through the cumbersOn ma
chinery of compulsory arbitration.
The workman would be slave I'M
der compulsory arbitration. He
has little freedom Of contract now.
He must submit to the ruling
prices. But compulsory arbitra-
ton will destroy what little he has
left. 1t will establish the prices at
which he can sell the only COM
modify he possess, his labor. He
must accept $3.50 or not work at
all. il the court tells him TO do So,
even il the actual cost of living is
ST.. On whatever side we look COM
pulsory arbitration means the
era mped industry and enslaved
labor. There may be some change
in the future developments but L
do not know it now. There should
be a protest by the community
against it. A new labor organiza-
ton endorses it. A few scholars
and thinkers are the only ones who
really endorse it. The only resu t
will be to go back to the ages from
which we have been divorced. 1t
would be to go back to a worse bar
barism than we ever had on this
continent. There would be no life
no survival Of industry under it,