The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-08-12

nor the individual who dawdles away
his time without devoting his energies
or his wealth TO any useful purpose
or serious undertaking
Many Of our great inventors, many
Of Gus successful promoters OF great
enterprises, many Of our great states
men have sprung from the ranks Of
labor. Our laws and our institutions
give a fair field and no favor-aIford
equal opportunities to all alike and
leave the success or failure in life
Of each individual to depend upon the
sum total Of his own qualities. More
than this no self-respecting individual
can be satisfied with.
Believes in Organization.
| believe in organized labor, for this
IS an age of organization. | believe
in organized labor because it tends to
keep up the scale Of wages; tends to
mnlntain the American standard of
living, thus benefting the state as a
whole. | believe in organized labor be-
cause organization on the part of cap
ital has rendered organization on the
part of labor necessary for its own
protection.
When | say organization on the
part of capital has made this necessa-
ry | would not be understood as crit
cising such organization. Capital, the
same as labor, has a perfect right 10
organize for any lawful purpose. In
deed without concentration of capital
this nation would not occupy the place
Many undertakings are too great for
Individual enterprise Vast aggrega-
tons Of capital have become necessa-
ry for carrying on the business and
the commerce of the country. With
out money from many sources being
directed into one channel under cor
pOrate agency and management many
of our railroads would not yet have
been built; many of our manufacture
ing plants would not yet have been es-
tablished; many of our enterprises
in the industrial world would not have
been inaugurated, and your natural re
sources would not have reached their
present stage of development.
| But while this is true, it is also
true, as | said a moment ago, that or
ganiZation on the part Of capital has
| rendered organization on the part Of
| labor necessary for it's own protection
If those at the head and having the
management Of the great corporations
or enterprises which employ armie:
of men were always unselfish; if they
were always satisfied with a fail
profit to them selves, or those they
represent; if they always were willing
to accord to labor its just share O
the product of the joint efforts of labo
and capital, then, perhaps, OrganiZa
ton on the quart Of labor would no
be necessary.
But to say this would be the same
as saying if human nature was othe1
| that it is certain things would not be
necessary. If labor was not in a pc
sition to resent injustice to it's indi
| Nluudl IL IL " ciS uoI dUlc ~
support it's demands for fair treat
ment by united action; if il was com
PEELED to trust entirely to the good viii
of capital what would be the result
If all of those having the management
Of great enterprises which emplOJ
thousands of men knew they could
treat Individual wage earners as they
saw flt;; knew they could fix the
number of hours and the rate of wages
per day without protest or interior
ence on the part of labor as whole
does any one imagine that the wage
earners would in all instances receive
a fair share Of the product of the
joint efforts Of themselves and Of cap
| ital?
Is Made Necessary.
The selfshness of any man, or O.
any set of men-nO matter whether
that selfshness is called by the name
of "enlightened self-interest" or any
other name-is not. never has beer
and never will be a sufficient protec
ton for others. 1t is for that rea
son | said and now repeat that or
ganizatiOn on the part Of capital has
rendered organization on the part O.
labor necessary for it's own protec
ton.
Organized labor is a powerful fac
tor in the industrial world, but il
should never seek or incite a contest
merely for the purpose of showing its