The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-07-12

and the party In power is kept more or
less on its good behavior by the party
which is out. but which wants to get IN.
We cannot get along without rolitical
parties But while they are necessary
much evil grows out of them Apart
from what Bishop Doane has said, 1t is
the political Organization, the party
workers. who are always on the alert,
and who frequently capture the govern
ment. especially in local politics, against
Tho wishes Of the people at large, for the
simple reason that the party workers
attend to business always (and politics
is their business), while the people at
large are too often Indifferent on cleo
ton day.
Again. IT is the party organization
which is responsible for class legislation.
for enactments of all Kinds which are
fol the benefit Of the few at the expense
| OF the many.
| But we started out to speak particularly
! OF organizations other than political and
| the evils which grow out of them. This
| is an age Of cooperation, and organi2a-
| tons are as necessary In the business
world as in the political world. 1t would
be quite impossible to carry on the great
enterprises Of this age of steam and cleo
tricity without corporations. No one man
would be able to put UP the money nee
essary. and even II he were able he
would not care to take the risk singly
and alone Of building and operating rail-
roads and steamships and other great en-
terprises Of this character.
But while these corpora lions have their
uses. they have their abuses also. They
tend to destroy competition, to run the
small man out of business. and worse
than all they show disposition to con-
troll legislation. They have vast means
at their command. and If they do not
have their own representatives In Con-
grcss and the Legislature, they endeavor
to keep on good terms with members of
such bodies and are generally ready to
''pay the freight" Herein is the greatest
danger of the corporations. II through
any means they control the legislative
bodies of the nation and the individual
States, they will become a menace indeed
tGtsociety.
AS natural consequence of these cor
porations the men who work for them
have organized labor unions for their
own protection. and they cannot be
blamed for doing SO. The laborng man
single handed is utterly unable to cope
with the giant corporation for which he
works. But 1t is different matter when
the corporation has to deal With well
organized body of workingmen, who prac-
tically control the labor Of their craft.
There is no doubt that the condition OF
the workmen Of the United States mas
been improved, and that wages nave peen
advanced by reason Of labor organiza-
tions. The labor unions have made serl-
Gus blunders, just as the corporations
nave made serious plumbers. but alto
cether they have been Of benefit to the |
workmen, and we are not surprised at
the devotion and loyalty which such men
show to the union.
But there Is one great danger in
these organizations, in the corpora
tons as we'll as In the labor unions,
to which we would direct special at
tertion. for we believe ii to be
one of the greatest dangers of the
organ 10 uSStiOJ AhS''
sron sibility. What else does the eX-
preston, Corporations have no souls
mean? When In business an Individual
undertakes to do a given thing he
makes himself responsible. and he is
held to his responsibility In law.
But when a corporation undertakes
the same thing 1t is hard to FIX
the responsibility upon any individual
and SO far as the pecuniary liability goes
each stakeholder is only responsible to
the amount Of his unpaid stock. In this
way corporations do many things which
individuals on their own account would
not dare to do, and too frequently stock
holders and directors assent to what IS
wrong because they feel that they can
shift the responsibility from their own
shoulders to that of the organization.
Something of the same danger exists
in the labor unions. When an individual
works on his own account he knows that
he must discharge the duties of his posi-
ton or quit, and that keeps him always
spurred up to his duty. There is noth- |
Ing like individual responsibility to goad
man in all departments of life But
when a man belongs to labor union |
there is q tendency, whether consciously !
or not, to shift the responsibility more
or less from himself to the shoulders of
the union. His membership In the union
gives him a certain security and immu-
nifty, and makes him feel that he can
take liberties which he would not take 4
working on his own account. We do not
mean that this Is turn in all cases. for
a conscientious workman will do his work
conscientiously whether he belongs to the
union or not. But there Is undoubtedly
a tendency to shift the responsibility from
tho man to the combine, and this GER
tainly does not tend to promote ndivid-
ualisrn and develop character.
More than that. some workmen seem
to think that their first duty is to the
labor union, the next to country, If that
idea becomes prevalent among laborng
mep who are the backbone OF the coun-