New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-24
ELIOT ON LABOR UNIONS,
HARvARD's PRESIDENT TELLS OF
THEIR MISSIoN-PRAISES SOME
GOOD POINTS.

Cambridge. Mass, Nov. 23.-1n address on
Saturday evening at a private meeting OF the Co
IonaI Club Of this city, report Of which was given
out tonight President Eliot Of Harvard made
comprehensive statement Of his views on labor
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 belief in this work
their mission. He then enumerated the conditions
which he designated as humane conditions of
ployment. those TO which Iahoring men may rightly
aspire.
First was a rising wa ge based on increased K
rer1ence, attachments and age; second. steady
employment after adequate probation third. the
opportunity for the workingman to establish
permanent home; fourth. conditions which enable
him TO give his employer generous service and to
take pride in II; fifth. the right to a pension
disability. which gives throughout life relief from
great anxiety, and that public consideration
which goes with a steady job and a self-respect-
ing. though humble unobserved. career.
These five conditions OF humane employment
President Eliot said, were realized to-day in Har-
ward University. Plainly they were not realized
IN the great American industries employing I'M
skilled labor, where the terms of service were
often those OF instant dismissal" Another serf-
Gus difficulty with American employment
that II was spasmodic. Complaints from en-
ployes were often made the ground for dismissal
The present antagonism of employers and the
unions was the fault Of both parties. but on the
whole the former were more TO blame because their
SlbOSt4oH WIS more comfortable and their educa-
ton superior The industrial community was under
many obligations to unions for the evils they have
nitigated such SIS poor sanitary conditions in fac
tories an unreasonable number Of hours of work
child labor and the company store. The oligarchy
Of capital had combined effectively and the CORE
spending combination OF laboring men was whole
some check upon that oligarchy. There was no
question but that the labor union had come to stay
On the other hand its was injured by certain
evils which subversive Of fundamental Auneri-
can doctrines of liberty One of these evils was the
limit placed on the number Of apprentices whereas
IN the learned professions every
gwen 10 the training Of uovices. Other evils were
INC ATnltalion OF output which destroys
wage which has cruel reaction on the less ma HE
workman because with q Uniform wage he loses his
jon al every slack in business whereas if he UCere
paid according his earning capac his EMPLOYER
could afford to keep him the year round A fourth
eNll was the violence which inevftab BILE fea
gre q every strike in industries EMPLOYING nm
skilled labor. The unskilled laborer on strike hsd
no other weapon unless IL was the bovcott which
was cruel cowardly interference with the rights
OF all the people -e'
President Eliot declared that he saw grounds for
hoping that the relations Of capital and labor would
De improved In spite Of their present unintelEent
aIataeoflsra. partly by frank public discussion OF
ABUSES partly by pre-arranged agreements for con
cllauon or arbitration and partly by the servlce
winch labor unions would render capital thc,-gh
their constant command Of the labor resources ~
which capital comes in need