The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-07
TENDENCY TO SOCIALISM.


The tendency of things in America.
taking the United States as being
synonymous with America, is strongly
towards socialism. The inequality of
economic conditions has had, perhaps,
the most to do with bringing this ten
dency about. This tendency to So
cialism has shown itself most in the
attempted adjustment of questions
arising out Of the relations existing
between employers and employees.
Trades unions have developed into
great labor organizations, such as the
knights of Labor. that are distinctly
of socialistic nature. Such legisla-
ton as the eight-hour law is more or
less socialistic. simply because it is
the undertaking on the part OF the
state to regulate and control men in
that in which they have heretofore
been free to act as they chose. The
Granger legislation of fifteen years ago
was socialistic legislation pure and
simple. The authors of it hated to
acknowledge this, in fact they denied
it. but the fact remained nevertheless.
National legislation that takes the
form of protection to various industries
is of socialistic nature also.
The recent meeting of the American
Economic association emphasized this
tendency of legislation towards social
ism. Professor H. C. Adams Of the
University of Michigan, who is one of
our most advanced political and econ
4I,s II ~
association, discussed the relations be-
tween employers and employees. He
devoted much attention to the labor
contract. On this subject he said:
Employers still assert their purpose
to bargain with individual employees,
and the employees still show a timid-
ity, amounting at times even to cow
ardice, in the presence of definitely eX-
pressed responsibilities. Each party
appears to think its liberty consists
in being a law unto itself rather than
in the discovery and measurement of
their respective rights in view of the
new industrial conditions under which
they are obliged to. live. Neither APP
pears to recognize that the sociology
of the industrial process has rendered
collective bargaining imperative in or
der that due regard may be paid to the
both are impelled.
The one thing needed is a true analy
sis of the situation and a satisfactory
exposition of the advantages that
would accrue from the labor con-
tract. This service is the high privi
lege of economy but it must be an
economy that rests on history, that is
motived by a passion for liberty. and
that is directed and limited by
knowledge of JURISPRUDENCE.
Of the labor contract itself little can
be said with confidence. 1t is likely
that it will provide for determining pay
for the work after the work is done;
that it will secure to each worker an
Industrial home; that it will provide for
a board of arbitration in each indus
try. This, indeed, in all probability,
viii be its most significant clause, and
it is likely that the bylaws of this
court of arbitration and the decision
which it renders upon such questions
as are presented to it will, through a
process of natural selection, eventually
come to be common law of labor
rights.
l cannot refrain from suggesting in
this connection, though it be foreign
to my present purpose. that arbitration
thus established would result in a val
ued possession or privilege of the
worker, and on this account he would
become q responsible party in the
world of industrial association. He
would be the proprietor of the rights
which the board of arbitration defined.
State socialism is here represented
by the board of arbitration. From a
board of arbitration it would soon de-
velop into a board Of control and man
date. But the advanced thoughts of
the day in this country is all in this
direction and it is swaying all our
legislative bodies, from the town coun-
ell to the national congress. 1t does
not augur well for free institutions,
when the people begin to look to the
state and not to themselves to solve |
the problems that arise to vex- them.