The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-04-14
COMMISSION
Asks For and Receives the Advice
Of Ex-Congressman Hewitt.
uE OPPOSES LABOR LEGISLATION,

ub UPPOSbS LABUh IhGlSLAIlUh,
Thinks Individual interests Are Rest
safeguarded by Compelling the Par
ties Concerned to settle Their own
Dinerences--Incrcas OF Population.
Washington, April 14--W. c. Pearce,
1 miner Of 25 years experience, now
secretary and treasurer OF the United
Mine Workers association, was the
only witness before the Industrial com
mission yesterday. Ten years expert
ence as an official of the association,
he said. enabled him to declare that
the organization never attempted To
force men to strike. They influenced
miners only through missionary
work. Mr.. Pearce criticized the use of
screens in mining as causing consider
able friction between men and Oper-
ators. His organization favored con
ciliation and arbitration wherever pos
sible, and denounced the injunction as
a breeder of violence nd strike Com
pany stores and company shoes, he
said, tended to prevent strikes, because
they helped to make the miners de-
pendent upon the company. The ten
dency of wages was down, and this
decline was checked only partially by
the efforts of labor organizations. He
thought there should be strenuous
laws against the employment of child
labor in mines The eight hour labor
law was a great boon to the miners.
The industrial commission recently
requested ex-Mayor Abram s. Hewitt,
of New York, to appear before it and
give his views on industrial questions.
In letter OF response Mr.. Hewitt says
in part:
81 am an old man, practically re-
tired from public affairs and striving
to close up such private interests as
still require attention. The condition
of my health does not admit of alb
sence from home.
you refer in your letter to the tes-
timony which was taken by a con
gressional committee in 1873, Of which
| was the chairman. You doubtless are
aware that no report was ever made
by the committee The failure to make
report was due to the conclusion
reached by all the members of the com
mittee that no report of any value
could possibly be made from the testi-
committee. This testimony disclosed
conclusively the fact that the witness
es, when cross examined, invariably
contradicted themselves, leaving the
testimony which they had given as
that of men who had no clear convic-
tions upon the subject. No human
being could possibly evolve from this
mass of contradictory evidence any
definite conclusions whatever as to
| legislation in reference to the rela
tions of capital and labor, except pos
| sibly the one conclusion that legisla-
ton could do no good and would prob
ably be mischievous.
Corporations have continued to
| grow, and at the present moment they
threaten to absorb the entire industrial
| business of the country which is ca
| pable of being administered by cen
tralized management. This is pre-
cisely the direction which | antici-
pated. My own view is that when in
| dustry has been sufficiently central.
| ized, and the ownership widely diff
fused through the distribution o
shares, the workmen will gradually
acquire these shares and control tn,
property which they represent. Ii
| fact, l cannot see any other outcome fol
the present movement towards the
consolidation of industrial enterprises
than the transfer of the control tC
those who are actually engaged in the
work of operation.
Gas a general proposition l regard
legislative interference with capita
and labor as perniciOus. Women ant
children may properly be protectet
from abuse, but l think individual in
terests are best safeguarded by com
| pelling the parties concerned to settlj
their own differences and decide upoI
their own interests. The corporal,
movement, however, seems to me tC
be altogether advantageous to society
"There is one question, however, witt
which society will probably have tC
deal, and that is the increase of pop
ulation. In France the standard o.
comfort has been raised by the con
troll which the people seem voluntaril!
to have exercised in regard to the in
crease of population. Whether the
moral standard in France has been de
graded by this or any other cause ] dC
not pretend to Judge This is a ques
ton for moralists, and it may become
! question for Legislators"