The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-12-05
President Eliot
on LaborApnions i
CONCLUDED from Page Al

TConcluded from Page Al
thousand laborers should not satisfy that
demand, but it should work slowly-say at
two-thirds their natural speed, 50 that
The fifty thousand may y,, have chance to to
union is that the limitation OF output has
u generous motive-the motive of permit
ting those that would otherwise be unem-
plOyed to share the fixed demand.
/ need not point out that the theory or
fixed demand is in the highest degree
improbable: at any rate, it cannot be
sumption that it is impossible to prove.
But, on the other hand. it is obvious that
the effect on the individual laborer of
habitually working at Il rate below his
natural capacity must be Thoroughly per-
nicious. What alert, ambitious man but
desires to make his daily OUTPUT as large
as possible no matter what his calling?
What must be the effect on the individual
laborer of endeavoring. day after day
and year after year. to do less than he
gradually undermine his own capacity
for production? Will he not become year
by |year, a feeble and less useful mano
The proper ambition for the laborer in
any calling is to produce as much as pos
and no other purpose wifi foster the de-.
yelopment of the best workmen or the
best men.
| object. therefore. utterly, to the linn
tied output for the individual, because
IT fights against the best instincts of the
best laborers. 1t also, of course. dimin-
iShes the productivenesS of the entire
community, and tends to make the whole
community Indifferent and ineffective.
But. you may say. 1t Is not the. labor
crs only that endeavor to limit the out
put. Very true; the employers are equal
sinners in this respect. They, too, UNDER
take to limit the output. for no reason
fortunately, heen, taught in this country
that a high level of prices is always an
advantage. Sometimes it Is and some
times it is not. ! suppose that there never
was a falser economic doctrine preached
than that low prices make cheap men.
Cheap neccssaries of life are invariably
the limiting of output by the EMPLOYERS.
of course, diminishes the total wealth Of
the people and has ne justification what
Cruelty of the Uniform Wage.
\ third doctrine of labor unions which
seems 10 me to fight against the true de-
Nelopng principles in human nature is
the doctrine of the uniform wage. This
uniform wage works in TWO ways: in the
first place: it prevents the capable laborcr
from earning as much AS he might which
is not only misfortune to him but II
misfortune to society: and secondly, it is
union establishes uniform wage at us
high level as 1t can. and in every trade
there will be many workmcn who really
nre incapable of earning that wage that
Is. they cannot satisfy the employer in
the unionized shop. He finds that he is
paying some of his men n wage that they
can earn, and others Il wage that they
cannot earn. How does he protect him
self? He gets rid, whenever he can, of
the laborer that cannot earn the wage
named by the union, and in the spasmodic
condition of American industries he has
many opportunities of getting rid of the
inferior workman, The consequence is
IN year any adequate wage, since he is
often unemployed. This Is one Of the
greatest crueties Of labor unions. The
inferior workman, il permitted to work
rloyed. They cannot be steadily en-
. ployed when "A wage must be paid to
them which they cannot earn.
There is, of course, another aspect of
the uniform wage, In times of pressure,
which occur frequently in all American
industries. many men are taken on at the
union wage who cannot earn it, and the
employer suffers very serious loss in the
process This, however, is totally dif-
The uniform wage, in short, works badly
In all directions, 1t is n discouragement
to the capable workman. 1t Is u cruelty
time it inacts great injury on the en-
ployer
Dangerous Doctrine of Violence.
Il come now TO a fourth objection, to
the labor union, it's teaching In regard to
the use of violence during strike. This
is doctrine which, Is not always
-
| objections to the public utterances of Ia
bor leaders is that they endeaVor to con-
ceal the violence which is actually re-
sorted to. They even deny i'm guarded lam
euage that there is violence. In their de-
NAL they use the phrase covert act" for
instance, meaning thereby public crime,
what is the fact with regard to the use
Iof violence when, unskilled laborers
etrlke? say nskilled laborers because
he unions of highly skilled laborers have
another means of resistance, They can
here is no large supply of laborers skilled
PDliged TO resort to violence. or, at least |
NAT Is not at all true of the union of un- |
nave no other weapon but violence, |
they all know 1t, and their leaders |
W IL. They resort invariably to vio- |
within q few hours, and every con !
BILE strike in our country for five |
past-yes, for ten years past-has |
accompanied by violence. Tho rea- |
br this lamentable fact is that vio- |
Is inevitable. Such strikers have |
her weapon; / suppose most of MS |
seen this with oul own eyes When |
ke occurs on street railway for |
there are always hundreds of |
want TO take the places of the |
have struck. There IL but one |
preventing them from doing So
~ Violently making Il too dan