Evening star., 1899-04-14
Further Testimony Given Before the
Commission.
COMPANY STORES PREVENT STRIKES
Letter From Mr.. S. Hewitt Upor
the Growth of Corporations.
GENERALIZATION A BENEFIT

the United Wire Workers of America, con-
tinued his testimony before the industrial
commission until late yesterday afternoon.
After The Stars report was closed he said
that company stores and tenements tend
to prevent strikes because they helped TO
make the miners dependent upon the COM
pany. He cited the case of several mines in
West Virginia, Ohio and, Illinois during the
strike of 1897, while miners were evicted
because they had Joined the strike. The
tendency of wages was down and this de-
cline was only partially checked 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. In the four states, Illinois, In
diana Ohio and Pennsylvania, where II has
been in force for a year, neither the opera
tors nor the miners desired to return to the
longer hours of labor. He did not think the
immigration of English, French. Germans
and the northern races of Europe generally
was Injurious. They believed in maintain
ing a high standard of living and morals.
The immigration of Slays, Poles, Hun
garians. Italians and the southern races
generally was detrimental. They were of a
lower caliber mentally and morally, and did
not assimlate readily. Colored miners re-
ceived as much consideration as white men.
The main difficulty about colored miners
was that they were used, through their ig-
norance, he thought, to break strikes. Edu-
cation would do more for the laborers of
this country than trades unions.
A Letter From Mr.. A. 3. Hewitt.
The commission has received letter from
ex-Mayor Abram s. Hewitt of New York
in reply to an invitation to give testimony
on industrial questions.
Il am an old man." said Mr.. Hewitt,
practically retired from public affairs, and
striving to close up such private interests
-cfin ha N
my health does not admit OF absence from
home
You refer in your letter to the testimony
which was taken by g. congressional com
mittee in 1873 of which 1 was the chair
n an. You doubtless are aware that no re-
port was ever made by the committee. The
failure to make such a report was due to
the conclusion reached by all the members
of the committee that no report of any
value could possibly be made from the tes-
timony which was given before the COM
| mittee. This testimony disclosed conciu-
sively the fact that the witnesses, when
cross examined, invariably contradicted
themselves, leaving the testimony which
they had given as that OF men who had no
clear convictions upon the subject. No hu-
man being could possibly evolve from this
mass of contradictory evidence any definite
conclusions whatever as to legislation in
reference to the relations OF capital and Ia
bor, except possibly the one conclusion that
legislation could do no good, and would
probably be miSchievouS.
Corporations Continue to Grow.
Corporations have continued to grow,
and at the present moment they threaten
to absorb the entire Industrial business of
the country which is capable of being ad-
ministered by centralized management.
This is precisely the direction which l an
ticipated, and seems to me to be In ac-
cordance with the evolution which has
taken place within the last half century,
and which may be in accordance with
natural law. If there be natural laws in
yolved in the progress of modern civiliza-
tion. Ny own view is that when industry
has been sufficiently centralized, and the
ownership widely diffused through the dis
tribution of shares, the workman VIII
gradually acquire these shares and control
the property which they represent In
fact, / cannot see any other outcome for
the present movement toward the con-
solidation of industrial enterprises than the
transfer OF the control to those who are
actually engaged in the work Of operation.
How far legislation can be made to pro-
mote this desirable end / am unable either
to predict or suggest. AS general propo-
sition / regard legislative interference with
capital and labor as pernicious. Women
and children may properly be protected
from abuse but l think individual Interests
are best safeguarded by compelling the
parties concerned to settle their own diff
ferences and decide upon their own inter-
ests The corporate movement, however,
seems to me to be altogether advantageous
to society / do not doubt that with time
spread of knowledge through technical
education and the general Improvement in
the intelligence of men, who, under our
modern conditions of industrial life, have
ceased to be machines and have become
operators of machinery, the standard of
self-respect. of comfort and of happiness
will be permanently raised.
There is one question, however. with
which society will probably have to deal,
and that is the increase of population. l
fDrbear to discuss this question for obvious
reasons. but l am quite evident that in the
future the world will experience more dam
ger from redundant population than from
any other cause. The time, however. is
far distant when this question will become
of any practical importance, although in
some countries in the world IT presses for
solution today. In France the standard of
comfort has been raised by the control
which the people seem voluntarily to have
exercised in regard to the increase of popu-
lation. Whether the moral standard in
France has been degraded by this or any
other cause 1 do not pretend to judge.
This is a question for moralists, and IL
may become a question for Legislators"