The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-05-01
OUR SOCIAL CONDITION
Bishop spalding Points ou.
Many Perils of Americans.
ALL BASED ON MONEY MAKING.


Our Greatest Industries IRE Cap
italixed at Four and Five r:,aca
Their Real value-This Country
Most Extravasant ON Earth nnd
Socialism Not Desired, He Says.
In a recent interview in the New
York Herald Bishop Spalding Of PEG.
ria, a member of the anthracite GOA
strike commission, said:
Here, to my mind, have been the
great results Of the work Of the com
mission not only in the anthracite re-
9ions in particular, but in solne de-
| gree all over the labor world in Amer
| lea:
Employer and employed have been
brought from the extremes Of social
conditions near enough together to see
| gether. On both sides concessions
have been made. The employer has
been shown some Of the hardships of
the employee. living in the squalid
shack. and the employee in turn has
seen some Of the slave driving exac-
tons which wealth imposes upon its
possessor. The drama of life and liv-
ing was shown not only to the 55S wit
nesses called on both sides, but to the
crowded halls day after day in Scran-
ton and Philadelphia, until the COM
mission finally went into secret ses-
sion in Washington, and there in eX-
ecutive session the striking fact of the
investigation was the almost unani-
o verdict of the commissioners
upon every point finally set at rest.
"As to the anthracite regions, both
parties to the long contest are the bet
ter for the arbitration. Irritations and
misunderstanding on both sides have
been swept away. In the conduct Of
the commissions investigations it's har-
monious movement throughout was
more marked than it could have been
in a court of law. Lawyers were more
considerate of witnesses. Technicali-
ties had less consideration. More eff
fort was made on both sides to p!acate
the commission than would have been
oAOWA VI q July SdloC vi IAC hIlIu III d
state or federal court"
"But this was voluntary arbitration"
suggested the Questioner. "Do you un-
derstand that an arbitration commit
tee, working under agreements of both
interested parties. would move with
less friction than a possible board of
compulsory arbitration"
YES" replied the bishop. New Zea-
land has compulsory arbitration and
has called it successful. But it must
not be forgotten that New Zealand still
is a primitive civilization. with no re-
alization of the intricacies of the in
dustrial system of the United States.
To consider arbitration in America. it
was Washington who said. In proper
ton as the structure Of a government
gives force to public opinion it is. es-
sential that public opinion should be
enlightened
Nov. compulsory arbitration. what
ever arguments may be advanced in
favor of it. is not practicable in Il
country like ours. The settling of Gis-
putes can be accomplished by boards
of Cancellation. to which employers and
employed voluntarily may refer mat
tiers in dispute. When this is found
impossible and the business affects
large interests in which the general
welfare is involved. then simple in
vestigation should be made compulsory
and laws to this effect should be en-
acted.
There is a marked difference be-
tween the principle and the effect of
compulsory investigation and compul-
sorry arbitration. This difference was
made plain in a remark which Samuel
Gompers once made to me when the
subject of the conversation was the de-
STABILITY of the Incorporation OF the
trades unions as something to make
them more responsible parties to agree
ments.
"'Trades unionism,' said he, lis just
as strong and I've stronger than pub
lie opinion, and just as soon as organ
lied labor has lost the backing that it
has in the public opinion it will fall to
pieces of ITSELF
THUS yousfsee, in the first place. a
law demanding a public investigation
into the merits of u labor controversy
becomes an appeal to public opinion;
second, it involves the laying open of
the details Of private business to the
world. something that is not relished
by any mar or any body of men.
Third, it would prove a costly proc
ess to both sides to it. Whatever the
finding Of such a board might be. the
application of the remedy would not be
in the hands of the board. empowered
by any authority to act. 1t would be a
finding addressed virtually to public
sentiment.
"We will have strikes and lOckouts
and perhaps violence in the future. The
fierce competitive system under which
Ua 1.-Two and which raSulfS in Oynroon nj.