Mexico Missouri message., 1902-12-04
THE LABOR PROBLEM.
Unlonism Contains Much That Is Good
and Some Bad.

How to secure fair treatment alike for
labor and for capital, how to hold in
check the INSCRIPTIONS man, whether
employer or employe, without weakening
individual initiative. without hamperng
and cramping the Industrial development
OF the country, Is a problem fraught with
great difficulties and one which ii Is of
the highest Importance to solve on lines
of sanity and far-sighted common sense
as well rs of devotion to the right. This
Is an era of federation and combination
Exactly as business men find they must
often work through corporations and as
III lS a constant tendency of these cor
porattons to grow larger, so It Is often
necessary for laboring men to work in
fedora tons. and these have become i'm
portant factors OF modern Industrial life
Both kinds Of federation, capitalistic and
labor, can do much good. and as a nee
Opposition to each kind of organization
should take the form of opposition to
whatever is bad in the conduct of any
given corporation or union-not OF at
taCks upon corporations as such nor upon
unions as such: for some of the most
iar-rcaChnE benciiccnt work for our peo-
pie has been accomplished through both
corporations ana unions. Each must re-
train from arbitrary or tyrannous inter-
terence wan the rights of others. Or
ganiZcd capital and organized Tabor alike
should remember that in the long run
the Interest of each must be brought
into harmony with the interest of the
general public; and the conduct of each
must conform to the fundamental rules
of obedience To the law. Of individual
toward all Each should remember that
In addition To power 1t must strive after
the realization of healthy. lofty and gem
crous ideals. Every employer, every
wage worker, must be guaranteed his
liberty and his right to do as he likes
with his property or his labor 50 long
as he does not infringe upon the rights
of others. 1t is of the highest impor-
lance that employer and cmploye alike
should endeavor to appreciate each the
viewpoint of the other and the sure dis
aSter that VIII come upon both in the
long run If either grows to take as habit
ual an attitude Of sour hostility and dis
trust toward the other. Few people de-
serve better OF the country than those
representatives both of capital and labor
continually to bring about a good under
standing of this kind, based upon wisdom
and upon broad and kindly sympathy be-
tween employers and employed. Above
ALL we need to remember that any kind
of class animosty in the political world
more destructive to national welfare.
than sectional, race or religious animoS-
ity. We can get good government only
upon condition that we keep true to the
principles upon which this nation was
founded, and judge each man not as a
part of class, bNt upon his individual
merits. All that we have a right to ask
of any man, rich or poor. whatever his
creed his occupation, his birthplace or
his residence, Is that he shall act we'll
his country. We are neither for the rich
man as such nor for the poor man as
such; we are for the upright man. rich
or moor So far as the constitutional
powers of the national government touch
these matters Of general and vital mo-
mcnt to the nation, they should be exer-
ciScd in conformity with the principles
above set forth.