The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-02
The Government Must Be Stronger
than All Trades Unions and Cap
italistic Organizations.
THE RIGHT OF MEN TO WORK
THAT SHOULD BE EMBODIED In AN
ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT.
Hopeful view Taken vi Situation by
DIR. Abbott After Twenty-Five
Years Earnest study.


and editor. delivered an able address before
the Irvington Athenaeum last evening on
the subject, "Our Modern Industrial
Problem" DIR. Abbott was formerly a
resident of Indiana. but now resides in
New York city. He is one of the foremost
thinkers of the country and his articles
industrial, economical and sociological
questions have been read by nearly every
man and woman who reads the standard
magazines. He has devoted years of study
to the question of solving the industrial
problem and last evening he gave in a
concise, interesting manner his thoughts
and convictions on that great problem.
DIR. Abbott said he is now a great deal
more hopeful and less apprehensive than
he was twenty-five years ago. when he
first began writing essays on that topic.
He said he believes in combination of
capital and organized labor as the world
could not exist or progress without either,
but that their power should be limited by
honest legislation. He told of the indus
trial progress of the world and the condi-
tions that arose whereby capital was COM
bined and labor organized. He de-
fined monopoies and how they should be
| governed and declared that the industrial
problem will be solved by carrying out
| ethical principles in practical life.
: DIR. ABBOTT's ADDRESS.
Every seat in the hall used by the
Athenaeum was taken, IT being the largest
crowd that had ever gathered to hear
speaker brought to this city by the Irving
| ton society Dr. Abbott spoke over an
| hour.
You will take notice, 1 trust, that the
subject of my address is the industrial
| problem and not it's solution" said DR..
Abbott, as an Introductory to his remarks
| 81 have come here not to offer a solution
| to the problem, as there are enough quack
remedies on the market now. The problem
is to be solved not by one man but by
| many. All must give their best thoughts
to the Industrial problem, and to find it's
solution. 1t is easier for a man to solve
| the question with pen and paper than to
carry his convictions into practical work.
| ing. 1t will be solved really by the carrying
| out of ethical principles in practical life''
| DR.. Abbott said he had been engaged in
| studying this subject for twenty-five years
| When he was writing his first essay on
trials she was having with her servant
| girl He told her not to bother him about
| the servant girl question as he was pre-
pairing an essay on how to solve the indus
| trial problem of the world. My wife told
| me that if L would solve the servant girl
| question she would solve the Industrial
| problem of the universe.
II am a great deal more hopeful and less
| apprehensive than l was twenty-five years
ago. At that time there was a great gulf
a between cap capital Lane and labor, and they have
| them are shaking hands. Employers and
| labor leaders are now trying to accomplish
| the result of solving the problem. They
| must understand one another"
SOCIETY IN FIRST AGES.
/, DR.. Abbott said in the first ages of So
ciety there was absolute individualism and
the principle of society is that man is his
own master. He told how man would
build his own hut. his canoe and do his own
hunting. Later he met other men and grad
ually they began to exchange things. The
process continued until industry became
diversified and trade created. Industries
were organized and discoveries and inven-
tions followed. When machinery was in
vented and steam discovered it was not
| possible for one man to build a factory: il
required many men, and that was the first
step i'm the combination of capital. Then
came the combination of labor.
| organized labor is necessary a fruit
of civilization as organized capital is a
necessary fruit of civilization" continued
DIR. Abbott. The big industries can't get
on without organized labor CAPITAL must
be combined and labor organized. The es-
sential and the real question is, How shall
labor be organized and whether the la
borer shall have a voice in determining the
hours. wages and conditions under which
he is to work. We never can go back tn
individualism. We might as well try to go
back to the garden of Eden. We would
have to forget civilization and go back to
barbarsm, and that is impossible We
can't put back the oak into the acorn; the
bird into the egg, or man into baby s
clothes. or advanced civilization to bar
barism.
"Organized capital and labor will con-
tinue and we must learn how to organize
labor and capital. The organization must
be democratic. Labor must have some
voice in determining what labor shall be-
The root of labor questions is the question
Shall laborers have voice in what their
organization shall be?' The world has tried
autocratic industry and il never worked
well. II must be governed by democratic
DR. Abbott said organizations are by no
means perfect, and the worst labor condi-
tions in the world to-day are found in the
sweat shops in New York. He said there
must be combination to accomplish good
results. He said trades unions are some
times very inconvenient. but they are in
dispensable factors In modern industry
DANGER IS PRESENT
"You might ask IL there is no danger In
these great organizations of labor and cap
ital. There is, and we must learn how tc
handle them. We must learn how to con.
troll them and make them administer to
public service. They must be brought un-
der government control. If citizen is
stronger than the state he Is the sovereign
and the state the subject. In New York
recently man was turned out of union
because he went with his company of trs
National Guard to quell riot IL that Is
| the case the union Is the sovereign. We
New Workers just now would like to know
whether Governor Odell or the president oi
the Painters Union Is boss. The govern.
must control all orgapiza tions In fh1