The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-08-14

We suppose there are few people
who any longer doubt the honesty of
Senator Hanna's interest in the labor
question. He has been brutally carl
catured and denounced as the Cypress
or and enslaver of the workingman.
and this in spite of the fact that he
was known to have lived on the friend
lest terms with the men who worked
for him. But gradually men have
come to see him in his true character,
and it is now known that, whatever
his faults, hostility to labor is not
one of them. No one therefore will
be surprised at his speech before a
Chauts lqua assembly in Ohio, Gu the
question of Labor and its Relation
to Capital" No new theories were
advanced, and probably it might be
shown that the speech contains little
that is helpful in directly practical
way. But the spirit of it is altogeth-
er admirable. And one point at least
is made that should interest the an.
thracite operators.
Senator Hanna declared that the
question was not political, and indeed
that it was not solely economic, but
that it was moral as well. He insist
ed that ''the best way to reach men S
minds and mems hearts is TO appeal
first to the heart and then with the
mind" This is not the method OF
the Pennsylvania operators. They
pay no attention either to heart or
mind, and refuse to reason at all.
Their method is brute force and moth
ing else. But Senator Hanna holds
other views. Naturally he had some
thing to say of the national civil fed
Grafton and its works. He said:
.'In every instance but one In ten
months life we have settled every
lduOI uiiuCuity ObdO hco SOihO W uo'
This one instance where the organiza-
ton failed was the anthracite coal
strike. l admit that the civil fedora
ton has failed in its efforts there. 1t
is hard to conciliate, it is hard to
arbitrate question when only one
side Will consider it,
OF course, there could be no concili-
alton or arbitration in Pennsylvania,
for the employers declared that there
was nothing to arbitrate, that the
men must surrender: that the strike
must be crushed. AS Senator Hanna
says, sit is hard to arbitrate queS-
tiOn when only one side will consider
it, AS the speaker said, the fault is
not with the civil federation. but with
the mine operators.
But the senator went further and
showed how comparatively easy 1t is
to get along with labor unions if there
is only an honest effort TO do so. There
is no trouble now with the bituminOuS
coal miners. Employers and employees
seem to find little difficulty in agree
ing on wage scale. Four years ago
an interstate association was formed,
composed of both operator and opera
tives, and a scale of wages was agreed
on ''flexible enough to adapt itself to
different physical conditions. A con
tract was made. and it has been faith
fully kept by both parties to 1t. The
miners delivered the coal, as they had
agreed to, and the operators sold it at
the price determined upon. The con-
tract has been renewed each year
since, and as Senator Hanna says
peace and harmony, good and sue
cessful business operations have sue
ceeded that policy" 1t was objected
that the miners union would not
keep its contract. But it has done so,
and the senator reminded his hearers
that it had recently refused to violate
its contract, although the temptation
to do so was great.
News.