The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-18
on LABoR TRouBLEs.


The captains of industry and labor
leaders are making strenuous efforts to
get together. They seem to realize that
very little good comes from strikes
and lockouts. Sometimes the strikers
win a victory, though at a very great
cost, but more often the employers
come out on top.
II does seem as If a way could be
found for settling labor disputes be-
fore the point Of hostilities was reach
ed. The difficulty seems to be that
neither employers nor labor leaders
are willing to be absolutely fair. Each
is always trying to gain an advantage
over the other. The employer is never
satisfied with the amount and kind of
labor he gets for his money, and the
employee aims to get all the money he
can and do as little as possible for it.
Leading representatives of, capital
and labor met in New York city on
Monday under the auspices of the Ma
tional Civic Federation, and discussed
the situation in a way that gives
promise of an understanding of some
sort for the settlement of labor trou-
bles. 1t is probable that these leaders
of labor and capital understand each
other better now than ever before.
Some of the labor leaders admitted
shat they had been acting under a mis-
apprehension as to the position of
number of the leading capitalists of
the country-especially Senator Hanna,
who, at this conference, said that he
had always been a friend of labor and
of labor unions.
AS far as reported Mr.. Charles
Schwab. the president of the United
States Steel Corporation, made
the most sensible talk of the
conference. He said that he was
not opposed to labor unions per
Sc, but was opposed to them
as at present constituted, their
aim being to shut out competition. La
Dor unions have now become trusts,
and, in his opinion, neither labor
trusts nor trusts formed by combining
capital could be successful. Both
sought to limit production, which
meant the putting up of prices by arti-
fcial means. That, in his opinion,
has the effect of blocking the wheels of
commerce. Mr.. Schwab said that the
labor unions of England were destroy
ing the commerce of that coun,
try, and the inference from what he
said was that they would have sim
liar effect in this country If not wise
ly controlled. He wished it understood
that trusts would bring about the
same deplorable state of affairs.
His idea seems to be that as their in
terests are practically identical the
employed and the employers ought to
get together and settle their differ
ences without resort to coercive meas
ures. The difficulty is to find a trib-
unal in which both laborer and en-
ployer have confidence. Mr.. Schwafb
appears to think tribunal of than
kind could be easily found.
If ne will open the way for the peace
full settlement of labor disputes he will
solve a greater problem than any he
has heretofore attempted to solve.
/ Even the stockholders Of the billion
/ dollar corporation of which he Is pres,
| ident would rejoice if he should sue
! cessfully solve that problem
There is no doubt that the confer
ence in New York between the lead
ers of industries and the leaders of la
Dor will be productive of good. They
understand each other better than be-
fore they talked over the labor situa~
! ton together.