The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-05

= NhoVSe 10 TAKE possession, ne t1C
that trades union restrictions on IN
individuals work and output NOR
than offset the advantages OF the nom
inal lower wages In Great Britain ha
at last been discovered by American
competitors, with the result that Eng
lish manufacturers have already SUI
fered heavily, even in the home trade
The situation has induced the Time
to send an expert investigator to tn
United States, and his reports ma,
well alarm Great Britain more thar
any political dangers which portend
They lead the Times itself to commen
on the situation in remarkable lead
er, which may well arouse Eughshmei
from their self-complacency. Here ar,
a few pregnant sentences;
These articles may at least open IN,
eyes of some people to the fact tha
there is a great lead which IL behooye.
them TO understand. and may stimu,
late them to look for themselves int
the very grave problems that lie before
English manufacturers, even in those
departments where their supremacy
was once most undisputed. II is not
in war alone that the people Of this
country cling to the comfortable be-
lief that we shall muddle through
somehow
'On the contrary, the phrase is as
thoroughly characteristic OF the men,
tai altitude Of the Briton as is the
tomorrow Of the Spaniard. AS a ma
tion, We really believe in muddling
through, and are rather proud Of our
selves for believing in H. There is a
deep-seated feeling that it is un-Eng-
lish to attempt anything more. and
that our dignity requires us TO eschew
that eagerness in organizing our force /,
and utilizing our opportunities which
other nations do not blush to display.
As matter Of fact, this feeling is
not nearly so respectable as we fondly
imagine. 1t is the product of intel
lectual laziness and false pride. Mud
ding is thing TO be ahamed OF, and
a thing which proper pride makes a
man ashamed of, however successful
he may be in II.
But even if muddling through were
the noblest form OF human effort and
the only one worthy Of gentleman. the
fact remains that It is becoming
every day more unsuited to the actual
condition Of the world. We are not
winning any great triumph by mud
ding through; and with every decade
that passes our triumphs will become
more difficult to discover unless we
condescend to bring a scientific meth
Cd to bear on our conduct OF public
and private affairs. The United States
has immense advantages in the abun-
dance Of raw material, the ease with
which ii is mined and the cheapness
of transit by waterways. These are
reasons why We should omit nothing
that may place US in the possession
Of other advantages depending on
brains and enterprise. Yet we are far
behind in scientific organization, in
economy Of effort, in the use Of ma
chinery aud in training workmen.
1t might be expected that the
trades union system would be far more
troublesome in the United States than
here, but the contrary is the case
1t would probably be found, on in
quiry, that the phenomenon is not un-
connected with the difference in indus
trial organization. The Americans are
never content while anything is done
by manual labor which can possibly
De done by machinery. Their demand
is accordingly for wOrkmen with
brains, and the development Of brains
means the development Of Individual
ity which declines to sink in the monot-
ory Of mediocrity, encouraged by the
English trade union. ~.
The difference between English and
American workmen Is the difference
between the mechanical discipline Of
our soldiers and the reliance on in
dividual training and intelligence
which is now recognized as necessary
in other armies. The English work
men who 90 to America frequently
find themselves very uncomfortable.
They are required to show a mental
alertness 10 which they are quite un-
used, and they find It necessary 10 do /
their best instead Of conforming to the /
restrictive rules Of the trade union,
which require them to do no better
than the average Of competency.
In fact, our wOrkmen are too much
like their masters in thinking what
has been done in the past will do in
the future. and that the chief mean
ing Of progress is to enable them to
get along with even less effort than
before" 4
These are admissions which English
men would scorn to have made even /
a few months ago; but the facts more
than justify them. and they are facts
of which America win undoubtedly
faxe the frllesf advapfaoa