The Dickinson press., 1894-06-23
A View OF CAPITAL and Labor.

Not long ago Master Mechanic j..
L. Phelan was asked to speak at the
Congregational church in Fargo on
the subject of "Capital and Labor III
Railroading." The sermon which he
delivered created a pleasant and ia.
vorable impression, and has been gen.
orally commented upon by the press
of the state. We give below a few
extracts of Mr.. Phelan's sermon, and
would gladly reproduce it all if space
permitted:
The conflict in the railroad field be.
tween capital and labor so-called, are
more often the friction of opposing
ideas of the different degrees Of EN-.
ployes than of opposing interests of
capital and labor.
The development of railroad inter.
ests spans but little over half a cen.
fury; the expansion of these interests
have been marvellous in the last quar-.
ter of a century and with this devel-
Opment have come new conditions,
new classes and remarkable forces.
l am not of the kind foretelling
calamity. 1 fail to mark any signs of
blood on the noon. 1 have faith in
| the good sense of my fellow men and
respect the shaping power and force
of public opinion in this land of ours.
The employee who happens to be
dubbed with a title and acting as
monitor over the actions of his fell
lows, with power to infict pain by
curtailment or privation of wages, on
account of the friction of ideas or
the want Of a mutual understanding
of the right methods in practice,
should stop the onslaught of his own
impulses long enough to realize the
feelings of the other man; to think
how the mans family may be sit.
uated and what consequences may be
entailed by the privation.
The wrong must be a %grievous one
to warrant a grievous punishment.
Time was in this western country
when men moved from position to
position and from place to place for
the novelty of it.
AS competition increases and posi-.
tions grow scarce all action must be
measured by the consequences to
men and their dependents. The ele.
ments of goodwill and mutual for.
bearance, with a constant pulling for
the right, is the best investment that
can be returned in the railroad field
for both capital and labor. Last
week l enjoyed a visit from the
Keystone Chemical Co. of Philadel.
phia. The service is in need of a
product of science to neutralize the
incrustation, caused by impure wat.
er, IN boiler plates and tubes. He
came with tri sodium phosphate.
Enquiring its merits, he asked for q
sample of water; and we gave him
one.half pint bottle of the water
from the Red River. He dropped il
a grain of his compound and chemi
cal action was apparent within a few
minutes. It riled and then settled
and as the elements of the water il
form of lime and salt and soda o.
other mineral substances, come il
contact with the action of the chem
ical, all foreign substances settled tt
the bottom to be at peace until rilet
again. l thought to myself, what al
organizer of forces this chemica
is-a Debs among its kind.
} How like the forces of society il
turbulence and instruction until tn
; right chemical compound in menta
and physical form is found to neu
tralize and subdue.
; When dead capital or sequest
cred property gets together, com
bines. consolidates and monopolizes
herein is the condensed power o
, fruitful motion SO long as a yield O
interest rewards the action.
, With lack OF harvest in interes
! comes lack of action.
There should be less speed in thi
: industrial movement-the evil lie
: in the Over.reaching and want of pru
!, dent speed in maintaining the mo
!. tion. In this direction the trust
and combinations of capital ar
treading in the right direction.
The trusts and brotherhoods an
unions of the laborers and workmel
. are equally opportune and timely AM
I as much in place as the orbit Q
Earth.
He is a man of narrow mind VIII
will deny the wholesome elements o
. the Golden Rule. 1t is the power o
public opinion that controls all OF
CARNATIONS, and it is the duty of TIL
! public at large to modify the dia
. tortions, tame the tyrannies, rein
0 the harshness, and send floating dow
the stream of time a fragrance of on
age worthy of a noble ace of fire
men.