The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-24

these principles throughout Its service
That is, no large American industry recog.
nized all Of them. or even majority of
them and yet all these u nane conditions
Of employnent are founded on perfectly
well-known and moral qualities. PHYSICAL
habits normal desires of mankind.
To-day the large services In which these
principles are adopted are few In number in
our country remember hearing an
eminent railroad president say ten years
ago that there was only one rule on which
railroad service could be conducted and
that was the rule Of inst ant dismissal.
"Instan, dismissal characterizes many
employments to-day. There Is very
common form Of service known TO US all.
In which, though dismissal il not instant I.
there may be mutual dismissal at week :
notice That Is the tenure in domestic
service all over our country. Now. that
condition of employment seems TO me
inhumail. and believe that domestic serv-
ice will never I've we'll organized among us
Democrats until that fundamental con-
ditiou of the sar,icc j. chauGed
Another serious difficulty with American
employment Is that il is spasmodic. I'm al
most all the large services II IL not steady
hut spasmodic, first rush and then an
absolute stoppase. Again, in most American
industries not all, ] am happy TO say, COM
plants are not listened to or, II listened TO,
they are made ground for dismissal. mat
is profoundly Unreasonable AZ a method
bitterness and discontent. Also, there are
no pensions except in few fine services
which are beginning to illustrate In our
country the proper conditions oil employ
ment.
Moreover wages are fuctuating. Now
s,eadiress of wages is AZ immense object
10 all wage Gamers. or course. steadiness
of wages cannot be secured 30 long as
American legislation continues 10 cause
periodic industrial and financial chiils
and fevers.
Under such circumstances, then, there
have grown up among US, copied III goou
measure, from Europe, labor unions. They
have grown. have taken on new forms, nave
become more and more aggressive, ana
are likely 10 extend constantly their helGe
Of operation Against them ara arrayed
most Of the employers, and sometimes
non-union men.
Whose fault is this condition Of in
dustriil strife? II IL clearly the fault OF
both part les. Bur II seems 10 me that the
employers may justly be held more ac-
countable than the employed. On the
whole, the situation Of the employers Il
generally more comfortable their educa-
ton superior, their Intelligence greater.
Perhaps. our recent experiences shou Id
lead me TO qualify thst last remark. Under
these difficulties and with those justifoa-
lions labor unions have been organized,
and have struggled with more and more
success toward their remote goal.
Before take up the points at which l
find labor unions TO be i'll advised let me
admit, as all persons must who have studled
their history that the industr rial community
as whole is under many Obligations TO
he unions. They have. as matter OF
fact, mitigated many evils. They have
reduced what used TO be the unreasonable
number of hours in days work. They
have improved health conditions in fac
tories and mines. and have procured the
legislation which has enforced better health
cond lions.
They have prevented young children
fr, m wiling in factories ard they ave
mancipate emplC yees In many indus'ri
from he company store. Moreover, tho
hold 4 check coinl ined capt al, and com.
lined capita l., from d 'mocratic point OF
Vi w, a fr. liable oiigarchy, and one
uhich the A nerican community Is dis,
tinctlv afraid Z. The labor unions hold
that oligarChv In check.
The argument commonly used in justi-
fcation of the organization Of laborers III
unions IL a sound one. Capital is efec-
lively combined in certain Industries ana
therefore laborers must eff. ctively COM
bine in these indust ries. That argument
in una nsw era bic. The great con binatiors
OF capital are very formidable 20 unskiled
laborers, much more formidable than TO
the ayera ge man in the community at large,
and they are sufficiently formidable to
us all. u 49,.
labor union In going to last The facili-
ties for uniting multitudes of men IN one
organization for communicating on the
instant with all branches Of the organi-
zation and for bringing masses OF men to-
gether for a common purpose have IN
creased wonderfully even within the last
ten years.
These facilities the labor leaders know
how to use Just as well as the fnanciers do;
and We NAV be quite sure that the labor
union with these new facilities. is going TO
manifest more and more activity in fush
tines: in dull times u - tsides.
The telephone provides Invaluable "a
cility for these great combinations OF
me- Indeed, l. has become the iavorlt"
tool OF ward politicians, spectators and
walking delegates. for 1t has the great con
veuience that 1t leaves no record. In view
Of this situation il l. manifcs'ly impOrtan
TO discuss frankly and publicly any labor
union d ,ctrines or practices which seem
dangerous 10 society and hur;ful to the
men who adopt them.
Another pernicious doctrine held by
many VI ions il the doctrine of limitini
the output or days product Of the iudi
,iiual laborer The claim Of the union l.
that the limitation Of output has generous
motive-the motive Of permitting thos'
that would othervt'e be UNEMPLOYED, t.
share the fixed demand | need not poin
OH that IN" theory oil nNeu ueindhu II Ia NJ
| highest degree improbable,
4 object to the limited output for thu
| individual, because 1t fights against thu
| best interests Of the best laborer, II also
Of course. diminishes the productivenee,
| Of the ent ire community and tends 10 max,
the whole community indifferent and in
| effective.
a third doctrine Of labor union which
seems to me to fight against the true de
| velopmeut IN human nature is the doctrine
| Il uniform wage, This Uniform wag'
works In two WAYS. In the first place, il
prevents the capable laborer from earuinl
! as much as he might which Is not only {
misfortune to him but misfortune Il
society; and. secondly, it is cruel to thu
| inferior workman.
THE labor union establishes a uniform
wage at as high level a. IL can and il
every trade there will be many workmer
| Sho really are incapable OF earning thai
| wage that is, they cannot satisfy the EN-
poyer in the unonized shop. He fnd'
| that he is paying some OF his men wage
| that they can earn and others wage tha
| they cannot earn.
How does he protect himself? He get
| rid. whenever he can, Of the laborer tina
cannot earn the wag- fixed by the union
This is one Of the greatest cruelties o
| labor unions The inferior workmen, /