Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-20

have resulted in the disruption or the
| commission Itself The commission hns
| seen 4 great light in this direction ana
| Is now combining its work to the concciio,
| Of facts and the collection of facts should
be preliminary to any important reform
work. no matter what direction thar work
| should take. The commission now under.
stands this feature But here is the pun.
to which | referred Yesterday. Whui can
| these bureaus do. without perhaps any
intention OF doing IL. u assist this com
mission, or If not the commission Itself
| To assist somebody in solving some Of
| The diiicultics-nut all OF them-which
| surround the trust question" You can
| do this: one of the most imp6rtan; oIr.
mcnts Of fact upon which the commissions
or anybody else. must work IN fDrmulat-
ing legislation relative 10 the trust uues
ton. lies in the conditions Of each INDUS
try involving amy trust prior % tho or
ganiZatiOn OF Tie trust ana Substqucn.
! thereto; whether tlr trusts have lad any
| effect upon thr s-aD..t, OF labor or TIM
| rates nf wages, or the prices ~ commnl
| tiles Nobody cares much about tn.
trusts. The people care nothing abau.
| them unless the trusts in their method
| of operation injuriUuslN affect them.
| Now are prices reduced or raised? Are
wages increased or lowered Is there =
| greater employ mcnt Of labor or less
| These ale simple facts which can be de
| termincu ouiy by Investigation Of thu
| conditions which exist in each ludustr,
| cumpre hcudcd hv tEat trust prior To In.
| organization thereof. and Whdt The con
ditiun is since its organization Atc ther,
more people employed in the iron and
| steel business NOW aS compared with tn
| number before the trust? AT" IN, wage
paid greater or less? Are the prices uf
| commodities affected? These are the Nh
| tai matters which affect tile people
| large They are not interested pdrtlcE
| llrlN In the regulation NJ trusts. That II
| governmental affair. lui when the "I
| ganiZation Of great industries under
| fruSt form affects jhc individual "pnSurf
| r.. men ii becomes something 81 lntercS;
| to him.
Now the indus rial commission mus
| depend for these facts upon The rcpor.-
| which You have made in The past ai''
| those which viii he made IN IN" Iutuf.
| relative 10 ;he conditions ~ inc N'rF II
duStri,s themselves that are CpEccrued J.
| a irust organization. They may ma
some method. under The provisions of IN
constitution relating u commerce anon
| the states, whereby they can bring th"s'
trusts into the same position ihjL ihr
| Interstate commerce COMMISSION h.'-
brought the railroads with respect 70 W.,
uniformity If rates. Inc reports VIII
Mace the responsibility SOM where, i
| that the people ut large may know I'M
facts which surround THESE orgaaiZt tihnS.
This Is tie governmental slar p Y
COMPARED To that Of me consumer.
that the commission. = l. + wise. may
be able 10 formulate some line nl !"ElS.a
ton which Will assist, first in undeT1t@n"
ing what the trust is really dong, an
secondly. f il Knows how, to !"EutHic D..
There are various other features when
the commission VIII take Up. 81 C'ur-'
but to my own mind tho iwo mos Vits.-
of the work of the commission relate
first IL the phYsir"loE cal value NJ 'ht
statistical matter. We gcntic,Hcu ur"
with the facts. We are not much in -,
hanit OF considering The forces whica
make the facts. VIC are not much con
ccrned with the mental Attitude whicl
lies underneath the facts which we SOL
l"ct. IL III 4 difficult lining 10 Apply :
statistical method to motives. We can
apply the statistical me, hnd q the results
OF motive. 10 the acts 81 men. % business
transactions. ana all that class of infor-
nation. Rut when We undertake 20 ap
ply it physicologically to the motive sid
which leads tn statistical Development.
we find the method either fails or is So
difficult to apply that We are Obliged a
let ii alone. Now The industrial commits
sion has 4 broader field than tha. given
to us. The commission docs not under
take. as ! have minated. 10 cover work
we are covering. Ii IS in no s'nS" 3ntoS
nniStic to our work. Il Is supplemental
70 it. Its duty il Y lonk beneath n,
great body Of facts which come IL ID ana
ascertain, if possible The social. tho e2n-
| nomical the industrial conditions that
lead 10 the facts which were reported Z"
il. They 40 it occasionally. They ~ /.
when called upon. They would be glad
Ia do it more. But We are not organiZrd
for the purpose q philosophical discus
| sion. Tho commission j. organized rs
much for that rs anything else.
| So there must De value in the work
! of this commission. Eut IN" greatest
work after all. or the greatest value com
| ing from il must bc considered as nc@I-
| tive. When people who have solutions 10
| recommend. legislation to urge which
| they think viii straiGhtcn out all the in
| cnnsruities of society and bring happ-
| ness To mankind. they may ind, after
| two or three years of StudiouS inNcS'iSi.-
| ton by this commission. and with IN op-
| portunity To each man Of presenting hi5
| solution. or his panacca for the ills which
brsct us. that they cannot be carried into
| execution: but the clearing Of the air by
! the statistics Of the commission il homes
/ " made ana impartiallN given to the pun
| lie will be its greatest but its negative
| value. the negative value Of its work.
| | believe the members thoroughly under
stand this, and that each ana every mah
| is honestly cndeavorinG to find some wSs
| by which the commission can be OF tha
greatest possible value 10 the community
| at large. 1t will fail here and there. 1t
| will fail generally. gentlemen. But il I
! succeed in any one thing, if Ii succeed in
| alaying the suspicious attitude which cX-
| lists between the wage receivers on the
| one hand and the wage payers on The
| other, the value of its work cannot II
| estimated in dollars and cents. We al
| know that the chief cause Of the difficult
| ties which come between the employer
| and the emploEe IS that OF suspicion.
| Each suspects the other Of some motive
| reaching 10 some action which VIII ~
detrimental to its own interest. Now The
| work of The commission can do much Ia
| remove this suspicious attitude. or ratner
|
! if il can convince both employer and en-
| ploye that each has a pe!fect right II
| know the conditions of the industry II
| which they are Interested. that the man
who receives two dollars a day has just
| as good a right to want two dollars ana
| a half day as the man VINO is getting
| fifty thousand dollars income has right
| to want scNenty-five thC.ISand-tG you can
| once get that principle instilied irto the
minds of employers and employees, yoh
will reduce the number of strikes and in
! crease the prosperity Of all concerned
| That is the fair. honest business atutuGc
which many manufacturers ana many
| working men are taking at The present.
| time. and if the statistics OF the commis
! sion can bring this feature to the attca-
ton Of the people, not through legislation
perhaps. but through Information, II Will
! have accomplished n great work and be
worth thousands of dollars more than i
, has cost.
We know how strikes originate. SoE,c
! Of you have read David liarem. o'G
| David said, you know. thai the god" =
rule of The horse trader is 70 DO unto the
other fellow as you think he Is gong Ia
do unto you. and do il first. Man
strikes are the result of the practical ap
plication of that rule. Lochouts are otte1
ordered to get ahead OF the strike