The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-24
ELIOT ON LABOR UNIONS.
HARVARD PRESIDENT MODlFIES
HIS RECENT VIEWS.

Sees Evils in Both Organized Capital
and LabOr-work of the Labor Unions
Must be Counted Among the Efforts
90 Make the Lot of Mankind More
Satisfying aud Happier r-COmbInatinn
of Labor u Wholesome Check Upon
the OIiGarehy of Capital.
Cambridge. Mass, Nov. 2S.-In an ad-
dress Saturday evening at private
meeting of the Colonial club of this city
a report of which was given out to-
night, President Eliot made compre-
hensive statement Of his views on la
Dor unions. He said that the work of
the labor unions must be counted
among the efforts to make the lot of
mankind more satisfying and happier,
and that their strength lay in their be-
lief in this work as their mission. He
then enumerated the conditions which
he designated as humane conditions of
employment-those to which working
men may rightfully aspire. First
was a rising wage based on increased
experience, attainments and age; Sec
ond, steady employment after adequate
probation; third, the opportunity for
the working man to establish a perma-
nent home; fourth, conditions which
enable him, to give his employer gen.
erous service and to take pride in it;
he .;rrI,+ 10 IicoI
ity, which gives throughout life, relief
from one great anxiety and that pub
lie consideration which goes with a
steady job and self respecting,
though humble or unobserved career.
These five conditions of humane en-
ployment, President Eliot said, were
realized to-day in Harvard university.
Plainly they were not realized in the
great American industries employing
unskilled labor, where the term of SER
vice were often those of instant dis
missal." Another serious difficulty with
American employment was that it was
spasmodic. Complaints from employees
were often made the ground for dis
nissal.
The present antagonism of the en-
ployers and the unions was the fault
of both parties, but on the whole the
former were more to blame because
their situation was more comfortable
and their education superior The in
dustrial community was under many
obligations to unions for the evils they
have mitigated such as poor sanitary
conditions in factories, an unreasonable
number of hours of work, child labor
and the company store. The oligarchy
Of capital had combined effectively and
the corresponding combinati ion of labor
4 ing men was wholesome check upon
that oligarchy. There was no question
but that the labor union had come to
stay. On the other hand It's cause was
injured by certain evils which were
subversive of fundamental American
doctrines of liberty. One of these evils
was the limit placed on the number of
apprentices, whereas in the learned
professions every encouragement was
given to the training of novices. Other
evils were the limitation of output
which destroys the self respect Of the
efficient workman and the uniform
wage which has cruel reaction on the
less Capable WOrhifldll peCduSe Will d
uniform wage, he loses his job at ev-
cry slack in business whereas if he
were paid according to his earning
capacity his employer could afford to
keep him the year around. A fourth
evil was the violence which was an in
evitable feature Of every strike in in
dustries employing unskilled labor. The
unskilled laborer on strike had no
other weapon unless it were the boy
colt which was a cruel, cowardly in
reference with the rights Of all the
: people.
President Eliot declared that he saw
grounds for hoping that the relations
of capital and labor would be greatly
improved, in spite of their present un-
intelligent antagonism, partly by frank
public discussion of abuses, partly by
pre-arranged agreements for concilia-
tion or arbitration, and partly by the
service which labor unions would rem
der to capital through their constant
command of the labor resources of
which capital comes in need.