The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-18
AN UNFAIR SPIRIT
Prof. schaper Detects It in Prest.
Parry's Address on
Labor.
He Says Modern Tendencies Are To-
ward Recognition Of EN-
ployes Rights. Il

\ s'..Tlles Associate Of Manufacturers that
has been in session at New Orleans
doesn't represent all American manufac-
sturers,'' commented this morning Profess
sor w. A. Schaper of the university, Sec
retary of. the recent National Convention
of Employer and Ernploye Neither does
it represent many of the most important
manufacturers. The New Orleans body
stands simply for the manufacturers Of
extreme views-the radicals.
s THAT is evident from the whole tend
ency Of President Parrys address and of
the resolutions that the convention adopt
ed The spirit of the address and the
resolutions is simply this--that an en-
ployer has the absolute, unconditional
right to conduct his business exactly as
he pleases, without any regN'd to his en-
ployes, at least, without any regard to
the employe except as an Individual. The
employer can enter any sort of combina-
tion1with other employers. He can dele
gate his interests ito any officers, at
torney, or other agent. But the employe
has no such rights. Strictly speaking he
has no voice whatever as to the conduct
of the business At,,the most he can ex-
press himself as an individual and moth
ing more. ;~ftt
SNOW, this spirit is decidedly unfair
and 1T is contrary to the Judgment of en-
lightened employers the world over.
The resolutions seem to declare spe-
officially that the employe has no right to
indicate the conditions under which he
will be employed. Yet the trend Of in
dustrial progress has argued for years in
facor of such a right. Many of the larg-
est and most successful employers of
American labor have published their be-
lief in the right of the employe to be con-
suited as to the conditions of his employ
| ment That fact was made prominent at
the Philadelphia convention of American
Economists, where the matter was dis
cussed by well known manufacturers.
I'm strong contrast to President Parry's
address was the speech made at New Or
leans by Carroll D. Wright, United States
commissioner of labor. He stated the true
relations between capital and labor more
clearly and ,emphatically than the prob
lem has ever been expressed before, SO
far as I'm aware. If manufacturers and
employees would only follow the sugges-
| tions advanced by Mr.. Wright, the labor
question would no longer be a problem.
Secretary Rockwell Surprised.
| George l.. Rockwell, organizer OF the
Convention of Employer and Employe,
and former secretary of that body, said:
$50 far as understand it, the speech
| of President Parry was very one-sided.
| I'm astonished that a man of his pron1in-
| ence and connections would attempt to
| infer that there is any distinction be-
| tween organized capital and organized
| labor. It is true that organized capital
| can be held together and can be held
| welded silently, SO to speak, while labor
combines less harm oniously and with more
| publicity. q '@&Ss j1@
These considerable however, are bJ
no means reasons why the freedom of or
! ganization should be refused to labor
and granted to capital Since labor dis
cussions have begun, it has appeared that
many advocate on both sides are notably
unqualified for the positions they as
sumo. AZ New Orleans perhaps, we have
another illustration of that fact"