Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-01-29
A GAIN FOR LABOR.
SUCH is HENRY GEORGES OPINION
OF THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

To the man who has followed the
progress of the industrial movement
for the past few years the first ex-
traordinary feature of the labor and
capital conference in New York was
the meeting on terms of at least out
ward cordiality and equality of men
holding commanding ranks in the trades
union world with men who are called
captains of industry" but who up to
comparatively recently were openly
hostile to organized labor and would
in no way treat with it. Here these
two clements met in a kind of public
love feast, making speeches flowing
with milk and honey and protesting
mutual respect and confidence, and all
this in open assemblage, with large
numbers of representative men of 9th
er walks of life present and newspa-
per press reporting the proceedings
down to the least utterances. The mo-
nopoly magnates meeting in friendly
discourse with the leaders of the great
est of the trades unions with view to
effecting a board of examination into
future industrial disagreements in the
larger fields of labor was dramatic ii
not sensational. What could 1t mean!
was the natural question. The great
employers" have hitherto not been an
mated by eXtravagant love for labor
unionism. Could this be intended for
trap, Il scheme to snare the more I'M
portant leaders and hold them as hos
tages for the good conduct of their fol-
lowers? Or, since United States Sena-
tor Hanna, the leader of the Republic
an national party organization, was
made the chairman of the permanent
body of arbitration-the committee of
thirty-sX, as it is also called-could it
be that the main purpose of this get
ting together of the representatives OF
labor and capitaP' was nothing more
than political move under mask?
Mems motives are usually complex.
A subtle mingling of reasons precedes
most important actions. But in this
conference | am persuaded that the
leading motive that influenced "capi-
tal," so called, was not the hope OF
taking advantage of labor, but the de-
sire to raise labor organizations as a
defense against any aggressiveness Of
the body of the people against special
privileges. These great employers
are truly great employers, but they are
more than that. They are in possession
of very valuable privileges of one kind
or another. The public mind is now
opening to an inquiry into all forms OF
privilege and particularly those forms
which have the name of trust and
which bear with such obvious burden
upon the masses of the community.
Legislation. some recent decisions OF
the courts and the contents of Il large
part of the press and the periodicals
indicate increasing interest of the gen
eral public in this subject and dispo-
sition to abolish privileges or, if allow
ing them continued life, to subject
them to a substantial burden. 1t is
said that there is nothing so timid as
money, and if we take privilege as one
of the forms of riches we may surely
say that it is the most timid of all tim
id things. 1t knows of danger by in
Sllltl, anu Ill lilt DIcStht oItttt'Icii INV
great trust forms of privilege have bet
ter proofs than instinct can supply or
real menace to their exclusive institu-
tions if anything like an industrial war
should break out, for that must,
through the wide extension OF the
trades union organization, involve not
a few but a vast number of workers,
In, nNnptinu a SvmnDt thptlp
influence over a large and increasing
proportion Of the people.
Does this not explain the present at
titude of President Schwab of the
United States Steel and Iron corpora
ton, who in years past was an outspo-
ken advocate of the Carnegie compa-
ny's policy of undying hostility to or
ganizations of workingmen-a Labor
crusher," in other words? Does this
not reveal sufficient motive for his
participating in n kind of love feast
with distinguished heads of the trades
unions and helping to form perna-
nent love feast committee, with him
self as one of its members?
But" interpose some, "this does not
look much like what Senator Hanna is
reported to have said about the chief
function of the court of arbitration, or
committee of thirty-siX."
What was it that Senator Hanna
said? This: 81 consider the conference
the greatest step ever taken for the
speedy settlement of disputes arising
between labor and capital. The organi-
zation of capital, which has come to
stay, was an evolution which was pre-
ceded by an organization of labor,
which also has come to stay, and the
concentration of the interest of the
two sides, which should be friendly,
not hostile, into the hands of a COM
paratively few individuals will be for
the best interests of both"
More was said, but this is the essen
tial part And what does it signify!
At first glance it might seem like an
attempt of the monopoly leaders to
draw the large bodies of labor into a
kind of trust, to be Influenced through
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