The representative., 1901-06-20
Coneress. Gpits1, Labor and
A1Elt2lion.


NNVWJ AXMN 4UVksI \ r
The cousolidafloA cGithe leading indua-
trial interests Of mf1s rOuntry Is rapidly
creating complex eeenoDnic conditions AZ
fecting the welfarp1 p1and3bappiness Of, It may
be said. the wA0lsd Deeole. Under the old
system. which fa.SxadsAlly passing away.
dom Of action. Great i.manufActuring es-
tablishments engased In tho same line of
production IN different states dealt with
their own employees. and their employees
with them, on separate and distinct basis.
A contention respecting wages, hours Of
work and the numerous other disagree
ments that arose was. ~ 1 rule, settled
within the state where the business was in
operation. It b true that In great convul-
sfons. where fundamental principles were
supposed to be involved. there were SYM
pathetic strikes on one. hand and -l0ckouts
on the other, which swept over geographical
lines as II they had no existence and
paralized industry In expanses of territory
larger than many Of the old world nations
The distress and suffering thereby entailed
ON both sides were deplorable. Capital
suffered. Labor starved. At last the weaker
had to submit to the stronger as the price
OF peace.
What will be the effect OF the gigantic
Industrial consolidation which the. new
century has ushered In is q problem that
tfme alone can solve. The situation in
every great department Of business under
separate corporate management was not
satisfactory It is not an exaggeration to
say that 1t was one of destructive war hap
PLY broken by truces that unfortunately
were not as long as could be desired in the
interests of all. II the new order shall
prove to be better one. as every friend Of
labor will fervently pray 1t may be- It will
be one OF the greatest Of all events In the
Industrial history of the world. Strife be-
tween capital and labor is unnatural. The
interests of both are Joint. not separate.
And the Cif1aor fhp hot hn
stronger they become In order to create
and cement this union no effort should be
spared on either side. w0rkingman should
give his best service to his employer and
the employer, on the other hand. should
take an interest In those who labor for him
second only to that which he feels In his
own family. Between the great corpora
tions and their employees the same moral
obligations exist, and II they were full
filled as they should be, the better it would
be for all: War would give place to peace
and injustice to Justice. II there is not q
golden rule in business there ought to be
one.
Let not the great trusts now springing
into existence delude themselves with the
idea that. because of their colossal capital
and command Of almost inexhaustible ma
tural resources, they can become q law unto
themselves and override the public inter-
est. Thus far they have had everything
practically their own way, the legal re-
stralnts imposed by the states, with a few
radical exceptions. being weak and inef-
fectual. That is condition which cannot
last The spirit of the Seventeenth CEN
tury cannot be revived and infused into the
Twentieth Should the states separately
prove unequal to the task of controlling
their own creatures, appeal can and will and
must be made to the sppreme federal au-
thority. If necessary the constitution can
be amended SO that the power of control,
II it does not already exist, can be created
TO suppose that state can bring into ex-
istence an institution which may set itself
above all the states, Individually, and the
federal government in addition, is a propo-
sition that falls 6f its own ,absurdity. In
deed. 1t is not improbable that the trust
companies which have, brought under one
central management Industrial enterprises
operating in diffenent states have not there
by placed themselves within the purview Of
the regulation Of commerce clause of the
federal constitution. IT. Is a self-evident
fact that the control of the production of
any given article in two, or more states In
wolves the controlSof the commerce in that
article between the states, which control is
one of the functions of United States SOW
ereignty. That deposit of power can rest
nowhere but In the hands where the con-
stftution has placed it. AS an incident Of
the power to regulate commerce, cong7 ess
may not in the distant future see It's way
clear to pass a compulsory arbitration law
which the trusts will be compelled to obey
on short order.