The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-01-15
SOUND ADVICE

we have Time ana again e1pI0SSeu
the opinion in these columns that the
best thing that labor organizations
could do for their advancement would
be to make Themselves thoroughly
responsible in law as we'll as in fact
for the fnlfllment of contracts and
agreements, and for all their acts.
We are interested to see that Mr..
Carroll D. Wright, United States
commissioner Of Labor, takes the.
same view and elaborates it in an artl-
Gle printed in the January number Of
the North American Review. 6 Il
must be conceded, 9, says he; that the
long contest between laborers and capi-
talists, for there is no contest between
labor and capital, il. seeking specific
Legislation, has proved inadequate;
so the lessons Of this period, which is.
peculiarly period Of legislation,
need to be well rememb bered by- y-employ-
.ers and employees: Hostile, reyeng=
ful. retaliatory Legislation; Injuries.
every interest, benefits nobody, and
cannot long beaenforced g
That is true saying, and we'll may
employers and employees take ito
heart. Those who advocate compul
soy arbitration and kind dIeds meas
ures for The settlement Of difficulties
between employers and employ
dreamers, and are not to be taken:
seriously. Il That sort: Of thing may Do
for New Zealand, althoughsit has not
been any too % successful there, but #.
VII mot do tor Il shis ! fair land Of free
dom. Ia this country enp1o oyers and
employees must settle stheicsd iffculties
in their own way. :. s. s S,sssz.
right proceeds, !. is
+ it not wise Ito fully recognize labor
organizations BY Law, to admit their
necessiit ty as tabor guides and protect
ors,. to conserve ttheiir usefu1ness, to.
increase their response inty and to
prevent their foIies and eaggressions
By conferring upon them privileges en-
joyed BY corpora ions, with Ike re-
strictions and regnlatio ions2'';
We have no doubt thatsuch a course
would prove to be Of great benefit to
the theslaboc,rrssorganizaaaons and there Is
nothing to prevent all such organize.
tons from having themselves incorporz
ated, with the power 70 sue and be.
sued, and to put themselves practical
" on the. same footing with all other
corporations Of whatever character.
When labor CARNATIONS take this
step they will find less difficulty in
making agreements and terms with
corporations which employ labor. 1t
is a one-sided business when the legal
obligations Of contract are on one
party to the contract only. When .
corporation makes an agreementswithH
labor organization it is compelled
under law to discharge all the ob1iga-
tions thereof, and can very properly be
sued for any breach of contract:
But there is no such obligation IN law
upon labor Organizations. When the
contest was on last summer between.
the Amalgamated Association of Steel
and Iron Workers and the United
States Steel Corporation, President
shaffer took The ground that the by
laws Of his organization overrode any
agreement that any constituent organ
ization had made with any company
embraced in the United States Steel
Corporation, and in some instances
local organizations were compelled to
fly their agreement and strike. In
that view Of the case it is not surpris-
ing that the United States SteeI Cor.
poration was indisposed to enter into
another agreement with President
Shafer.
IL loOo1
incorporate themselves and make
themselves as responsible in law as.
other corporations for the fnlfllment4
Of their agreements, other corpora
tions would be very much more dis
posed to deal with labor organizations
as a body.
Mr.. Wright is the true friend Of la
Dor organizations and he~has given
the leaders something to think about.
Richmond Times.
--.s-.~>-1-
He Kept His Leg.
Twelve years ago j. w. Sullivan, of
Hartford, Conn, stratched his leg with a
rusty wire. Inflammation and blood
poisoning set IN. For two years he suffer
ed intensely Then the best doctors urged
amputation, ssb1t." he writes, II used one
bottle Of Electric B1tters and l 1-2 boxes
of Bucklen's Arnica Salve and my leg was
sonnd and veil as ever For Ernptlons,