The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-22

tion much disputed, but absolutely trtie,
Unless the doctrines OF evolution are alb.
to to AVE- the proof--tine and space forbid.
In the meantime trusts are cornering
certain valuable properties. especially coal
Is distinctly one q Of, their VSe evils Wis
THr BENEFITS or LABOR UNIONS.
we pass now to the Dement'S Of labor
some Of them haze g deySeloP9 ps,,t e
principle IN one form or an,ot,hef,: I III.
iy not ono Of tho essential features OF
l no}hins sI q Tie f Kid. many ~
Their prinordlql prrpose, the s rSlhasGbn
ness Of employers, chiefly Of trusts, That
YIN readily admt 6 rat trq bt T gsS
ishncss with them will cease to eXy ks!
anywhere III the noar future non none but
me dreamer VII contend, nner nnnsei
more. for labor unions are but IN their
Infancy, and instead Of dissolution we
may expect ORGANIZATION on wi ,l. sea ae
federation faH Of those Until ali labor
%ay 3 ~ ,sn, % gsS5siiy
cause most labor unions do not yet know NV
their rights, or II they know them, they
refuse to keep within their limits and 40
SHOULD recognize that their success along
this line Will be but temporary-soon or
lato organization YIN be perfected ana mo
been misspert energy. In the meantime
what employers should do Is to find out
Just wherein labor unions overstep their
Ing these oscillations from the true line,
the Legitimate line Of the labor move
ment. In such efforts they will have the
syHah and aae WI 1uppn1 ee Ct H DuIa
SUCCESS.
rHD =: nrf Ezg5z AR S2i %S9. : q
wrongs ron 80 Of labor unions. the things they
which they have the ght 70 do and
right to dot But bef.re dong TINS we
must determine what shall be our, stand
ard Of RICH. and wrong-what shall DO
Most people will reply. conscience"
and they would be rlgnt in n.ne,v.-n.ne
cases out of a hundred. but all students
Which Conscience furnishes no guide or
hat has EVOLUTION To- say on O. this sub
qulred by experience, not by the expert
enco Of the individual himself. but by
his own experience and the experiences.
of time. In short conscience is the die
tates of acquired and Inherited expert
ence.
/ for it, its ultimate goal the greatest happl-
Z ness, both general and special. !, at
There are several questions concerning
trusts and labor unions which are IRE. new new;
no or but little experience. and concern
Ing which conscience Is silent, or at least
doubtful, for we find men, good men,
omists. philosophers, judges, arfaigned
on both sides thereof. These cannot be
settled without the aid OF reason. Let
n US look at some Of these.
i. Have laborers the right to combine
and strike Tor higher wages?
Tho, earlier decisions in both England
and this country held that they had not.
that such combinations were indtctable
/ conspiracies. The trend Of modern decl-
say. that it is now settled law, both here
and in England, that they have.
Suppose that day labor. is worth dollar
for long time. the current wage. Now
and that the farm laborers ali over the
country combine and strike for Ave dol
lars a. day? Would not the universal
Most assursd and t1aY hs sen iT udg
Of scientific ethics. 5s.stf5
no The be ebt g Is has a6orerT have
1 any wage oyer and above the real value
Of their work. twas this truth, vaguely
esegd Sa 81 peoPs hGh de-
likewise the recognition Of the converse
/ Of the proposition. !. e.. that whenever
wages are below their real value, laborers
higher wages. whioh,made the anthracite
| strike partially successful sgt-
2 Have laborers the right to combine
! ana st lhIa; to prevent the employment
aboSers This is a'lu dIfleut. i bot most
interesting and important question. l
II an act be right II done by. one. It
fore. reduce the question: to- i yet simpler
form. Has one man the right to quit
work, or threaten to quit work: in order
simply for the reason that the other does
not belong to his union?s Let me gain
repeat that am here speaking Of moral
right, not OF legal right-there are many
things morally wrong and yet within
legal rights-the law does not take no.
tice OF all wrongs. '3,
Spencer divides acts from a moral
standpoint. into acts Of Justice and lnjus-
ticient. and beneflcent acts he divides into
acts of positive and negative benehconce
According to him. justice embraces the
whole field of morals with which the law
do With acts merely benefcent or non
beneAcent. :,
The formula for Justice he expresses
thus: every man Is free to do that
which he Wills. provided he infrnges not
the equal freedom of any other man.
Justice. p. 49,. It seems to me that this
IS an argument In a circle and In no way
helps us to understand the meaning Of
justice; Spencer himself seems to have
page he says; IA possible rnIsapprehen-
sion must be guarded against There are
acts Of aggression which the formula is
presumably intended to exclude, which.
apparently it does not exclude"
|. It SENS to me that n better formula
would be- Every man Is free to DO that
act Of direct aggression on any. other
man" The definition Of aggressive as
or act Of hostility the first act Of in-
jury" And It Is here used In this sense,
I think this would come nearer express-
Ing Spencer's real meaning, as gathered
from subsequent pages. than the formula
Certain kinds OF Indirect aggresslons
are permissible. but no direct aggression
avar ia