The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-11
UNIONS SHOULD De lNcORPO.
RATED.

Whatever may b tie nnal result OF
the contest between the coal miners and
the owners and operators Of the Penn
syfvania mines. contest which has BE-
come burdensoms berond endurance to
thousands OF people who ere n TO d.
rect way interested in either. side. there
has certainly already resulted bet.oF
understanding q the troubles existing
between labor aud capital The coafsr-
ence invited by President Roosevelt at
least accomplished something in furnish
ing the public with the true inwardness
OF the controversy. Tho people know
more about the grievances OF the miners
and moro about the troubles OF the
operators than has ever before been
known. The people generally know some
thing or the weakness OF both sides They
know wherein the miners arc VIZ onE and
just where the operators are at fault and
in some sort OF way the public will
finally aroltrate the differences, whether
the parties to the contest want ar5it.a-
ton or not.
The great weakness Of the United Aiue
Workers' Union is the same as nearly all
the other unions. Legally it Is an ir-
responsible body or organization, not be-.
ing incorporated under the laws OF the
land. Why these unions do not seek to
be incorporated and thus give themselves
caste We do not know. but It Is SO plain
that Incorporation would be a sour5ee Of
strength as we'll as responsibility one is
almost forced to the conclusion that ,e-
sponsibility il the one thing that tho
union wishes to shirk.
Mayor Seth Low, OF New York, recsnt-
~ made speech in which he incidental
~ touched upon the present ten l.nciss
toward combination in all lines Of pro-
ductive Industry. and after asserting the
right OF a laboring man to sell ms labor
through union he said,
IF the men claim the right Of collective
bargaining, and claim it under conditions
that involve others besides themselves
in heavy loss. have they right to seek
this power while Sinking the rasponsl-
blllty that goes with power? All hist. ~
shows that power without responsibility
is dangerous to the welfare Of so :lety.
SHOULD not the unions that seek to con
troll conditions Of labor all over this land.
as has been uggested. frankly accept
the responsible ty that ought to so with
power, and become Incorporated If tol-
lective bargaining is to take the place
OF individual bargaining, as il prohalls,
should, in these days. in many cases, IN
the matter OF labor as we'll as In the mat
ter of comm ODDITIES, must not society in
slst that all representatives Of such tar
gaming shall DO amenable to lav?'
The wisdom and the fairness OF that
pI. position carnot be questioned.
In this connection the following from
the Chicago Record Herald is interesting:
1.-The agreement reached betwean the
wholesale Grocery Employees onion and
tie wholesale srocers of this city relre-
ser.ts notable advance in the direction
OF an easier ana more an1icable ADJUST
nent of the differences that Sr';e Le-
tween employer and employees. 1T also
MARI the acceptance by a ira ie3 LLfcn
of a principle which many ca, nest
friends of labor believe must ha hni-
versally accepted before unionism can
have the legal status and protection ac-
corded to other industrial combines. This
IS the principle of Incorporation.
while the idea Of Incorporating traces
unions is not new, it is believed that the
Wholesale Grocery Employees Union is
the first union on record which agreed
to become incorporated for the purpose
OF making an agreement with employers.
After Incorporation under State law this
union will acquire a legal status equal to
that of the corporations and firms with
which 1t seeks to make an agreement,
and Its responsibility as a corporate body
win be just as great
The miners union and all the other
unions may be sure that the events Of
the past few weeks have brought the
people generally face to face with these
organizations in way that they were
never brought before. and investigation
once commenced Will go on and public
opinion will ere long settle the status of
labor un1onisn- The public will have
very little patience with any organiza-
ton that essays to exercise far-reacning
power and assumes no responsibility
whatever. The unions. we think, Will
find that the extent of their power for
good. If not their very existence. de.
ponds upon legal Incorporation.
AFINE ECTRiC@ SYSTEM.