New-York tribune., 1903-07-29
GRATING WIDESPREAD.
rswC6N7T REACH UNIONS.
Ny. Jerome Declares That Public
and Pirate Life Is .Sodden.

-, extended statement covering the present
a. .;on District Attorney Jerome yester-
.,a-ad that he did not believe there was
.-+icplar hope OF obtaining any results
General inquiry concerning the action OF
so,s in taxing employers for waiting time
and hack pay, as the law seemed TO permit
-. ne said that he regarded the existing evils
-. result Of economic conditions, and TO be
=. only by economic, and not criminal, meth
- He further declared that he regarded the
,bor scandals as fresh evidences Of the general
5ebaucbed condition Of private life IN this coun-
~ which reflected itself in public life. Mr.
Jerome said;
There has been great deal Of mistaken belief
an the part OF the public that the law with re-
gard TO the demands upon employers for back
Day. fines and waiting time made such collec-
tons illegal
money had been collected by the officers Of the
r5riou we could convict those officers of extor-
Ton Now, as a matter Of fact that is wholly
untrue There are two cases in the Court of
AppeaIs which bear on this situation-that Of
Curran VS.. Gaylin and the Cummings case. In
the former the decision rendered practically
amounted TO making all the acts OF levylng
fines and collecting back pay from employers
punishable Now the Cummings case, in which
Judge Alton B. Parker wrote the opinion, and
there were two dissenting judges, practically
amounted 10 q reversal
with this in mind, there is no use in taking
IF Aues and back pay. The whole question
hinges on how and for what purposes the Off
GERS Of the union demanded the money. In
the case OF q labor leader named Barondess
this same point brought out. The whole
thing hinged on whether he had said TO the en-
rl0yers Give me the money give il TO for
The union" That IS the first point. Now in
the second place # the labor leaders ask for the
money for their unions and then take it them
selves. why, that becomes merely case Of lar
ceny.
SAYS THE FINE Is LEGAL.
The theory Of the law as it is thus inter
preted seems to me sound one. Take, for in
stance, the right 10 demand back pay or fine in
a case where union men quit a job because
their employer hires non-uniOn man. The law
would seem in this respect to protect the mans
freedom Of contract If I were skilled iron
worker I should hate to be working on a frame
ten stories high with an unskilled, unframed
laborer at my side. ! wouldn't hesitate TO quit
the job. and then when the employer came to me
and asked me 10 go back, make him pay for the
time ! of. The law, Of course, assumes
the highest possible case.
Now when il comes TO the case of a man like
Murphy who stole this money collected that is
not a labor question. 1t Is merely question
of individual conduct. When the facts become
known the public promptly jump at the con-
cusion that the system IS wrong and that the
remedy Hes in criminal proceeding. I personally
believe that the condition confronting US in the
labor world to-day marks a stage in the de-
yeOpmeut Of trade unions l don't believe il
is the system that is at fault. Some time ago
I made q statement in the Central Federated
Union for which was pounded severely said
Al that time that there were great many labor
leaders who could be bought boots and breeches
and I think the developments Of the last two
months have justified my assertion, and num-
her Of labor men have told me subsequently that
they agree with me.
We are confronted to-day in all local and
civil government with the fact that the grafters
get hold Of the executive machinery We are in
theory democracy, but does anybody think the
viii Of the people is potent in q nominating con-
Vention? Now exactly the same condition may
he applied TO the housesmiths' union, where
Parks and his colleagues keep meeting going
until the honest men who have to work the
next day go home, and then put up any job
they may choose.
EMPLOYERS MUST ORGANIZE.
II is an economic condition founded upon
economic principles. and the organization of the
iaboring men VIII have 10 be met by the organ
ization of the employers. The employer is try
ing 10 sell at the highest price, TO buy his Ia Dor
at the lowest price. The laboring man is trying
10 get the most money and the shortest hours
Of labor possible
The Steel Trust employs a superintendent be-
cause be can get more work out Of the men
than any other can, and when he is no
longer able 20 do so the trust slIpplants him
with a superintendent who will be still more
grinding. This is economic condition 7
have said before. and have been criticised from
the pulpit for saying II, that brotherly love
never fixed the rate Of wages in the labor mar
ket. Now, OF course. the laboring men NAV by
unreasonable demand get industries into so bad
condltlon that they VIII move away from here.
but while I believe violence should be suppressed
with severity everywhere, I regard the diff
Guilty as an economic one both sides and
not 10 be solved by criminal methods
Every body who has thought at all about pub-
lie life in this country has been appalled, by the
soddenness which IS the general rule in federal
State and local officials. All legislative bodies
are viewed by the public with susoicion oT
grating There are exceptional men but there
is a feeling in the community that tbera ia
EIaftlng all along the line and therefore fhe
cook IS desirous Of getting the best of the grocer
and the latter is striving TO get the best of +ba
wholesale dealer. and the grocer has TO charge
double price 10 give the cook a rakeoT This
iaelng OF the community has developed into the
apprehension that in State. federal or local as
semhes men are Influenced not bv the hi6bee+
coEsideration.
When l asked myself why public life was thus
dehauched came TO the conclusion that II wa 6
only the reflection of private life and feel fba
these present labor difficulties are the hest de-
rnoustration Of the soundness Of this y,,av,
Witness the grating laborer and the grating
employer, as exposed to-day.
COULD MAKE TIN CANS. But NOT BRIRE
Let me give you an example Nv attention
was called recently 10 the case Of a large con
Germ manufacturing tin goods. They ulIt in c
their superintendent a man OF T,rofaee1o-,eI
training and education who had met reyercae ~
other business. He built up the business and
made money for the concern, which ba5 ha-
organized by his friends for his benefit hu+ ora
oaT he came TO them and. 10 their s,,rDrjsa
salC- You viii either have 10 20 out Of brsf
ness or get q new superintendent When tbs,,
asked llT1 Tor his reasons, he said: ''I can MAKO
Tin Csns in any quantity and operate vour ~.
successfully, but TO do il have got TO briha +bo
superintendent Of every canning factory in tbe
country. and ] cannot stand for Il. l was bra5
& gentleman. and the whole thing is repugnsnf
70 ne Then the concern was sold out to the
canning trust. '+
%ow that isn't single instance. A large
manufacturer Of oil told me he would undertaL Le
10 provide lubricants for any railroad svster7 in
q II