The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-03
GR0WT OF TRUSTS AND TRADE UNIONS our GREATEST PROBLEM

BY any arnicahls method that WIN pes.
serve tho rights Of both parties. W.
TI1D CIVIC FnDERATroN. gB
Perhaps the most powerful force now
organized for this prevention OF lahor II
troubles IL tho National Civic Federation.
This Is composed Of prominent employers &
OF labor. the heads Of the great labor d
Unions, and a number Of leading think
ers, representing the public. These men "
meet together In conventions At cartainI
fixed periods to discuss the differences
Of labor and capltaL and how they may
be amtcably settled. They have an exso,i- N
1.-Two committee. which tries to bring tbs
employers and employees together wher-
ever there II trouble. and this has al
ready settled many strikes and prevented
others. In 1902 the CIVIC Federation
averted strike Of $1,000 workmeo In
thirty paper mills. and Il had settled
eleven coal strikes before the troubles
in the anthracite fields began. III Nom. h
bers did what they could In tho anthra- y
cite strike. but were unable to sucoasd.
During the present year their work hAs II
bsen much greater, embracing hbor dim
oultss OF many kinds, report Of which. IS
4 am told, viii soon be given 10 the
public, sasi }5 2
REPRESENTATIVE MEN yROaG Il
DvnRYWHERM ny {S
Tho Civic Federation embraces this
leading thinkers Of the United States
& lts executive COMMITTEES II divided into
three groups Of twelve eaah, one group
on the part of the employers, ano thor on
tho part Of tho wage earnar3. and q third
on tic part Of the public. 6
The representatives Of the public are b
such men as ex- President Cleveland Corr
Snellus N. Bliss. August Belmont. ct1rles
Francis Adams, Oscar 6trnus, Archbishop
John Irsnnd, Bishop Potter, President
Eliot Of Harvard. and John q. Milburn.
OF Buffalo. ~ III S;s .s z88 n
Tho employers are headed by Senator
Mark Hanna. and with him are men like
schwab. OF the steel trust, Underwood, Il
Of tho Erie Railroad; Nixon. OF the United
Marks, president Of the National Associa-S
ton OF Clothing Manufacturers; Charles K
H. Taylor. Jr president OF the News
paper Publishers Association; II, H. Al
Vreeland. Of the street railway, and
others. 8. NJ. s3 "; q, M 4aal455,
The labor leaders are equally strong,
They are headed by Samuel Gompers, OF {
men as John Mitchell, OF the United
Mine Workers; Theodore J. shatfor. pres
ident Of the }Amalganated Iron and Steel &
Associations; James O'Connell, OF the Is
American Machinists; Henry White, OF a
the Garment Workers, and John Tobin.
OF the Boot and Shoe Workers. Union:
The president OF the Civic Federation
IL Mark Hanna, The vice-presdents are II
Samuel Gompers and Oscar Straus, while
Ralph NJ. Easley Is the secretary.
TRUSTS AND LABOR AGA1NsT THE
PUBLIC 5 \
All these combinations are chiefly for
labor and capital Their differences are to \
be reconcied What the average man
wants to know Is where the public Is to J!
como In. How about the consumer tho \
pays the bills7 Bverybody's business lie 1
nohoy's business, and while the repre-
sentatives OF the public In the civic fed
Grafton are men Of great force they have
not the vita pocketbook interest OF en-
ployer and employe. The laborers want
high wages; the manufacturers can sat-
isfy them without personal loss By In
creasing prices. and the public carries
the burden.
Indeed. tho combinations OF capital as
to prices are now organized az never
before. Nearly every trade has Its assoc
citation. which meets together to stitle
Individual competition. There Is 9 whole
sale druggist combination which repre-
SCENTS ninety per cent. OF the jobbtnE trade
Of the United States. The members OF
this meet and decide Just how much We
shall pay for our pills, powders and Bit
ters, ana especially for our patent nedl-s
c!nes Of all kinds. The combination VIII
not permit the dealers to underseu one
another. 1t has spies on the road to watch
them. and the man who cuts the regular
list 10 furnished no moro goods, s5;$
Tho book sellers and book publishers
have recently combined to force the fe'52
failing Of books at nat prices. ana .he DOCS
stores which give discounts arc not 20 %
supplied. d 8 5a8 5a
Tho pIumbers' associations are now
nrovidinx that all sorts Of plumbers sup-#
Die, sh all be sold only to plumbers. ana
the handy Yankee will no more be able \
to stop a leak or put In washer or
splsot for himself. He can't set me
splEot without ordering It through ~
plumber. and II he does 30 the plumber
viii vet his percentage out OF the price,
indeed, 1t is not possible for the ordinary
man to buy section OF gas pipe n rnAny
Of our cities. -. I'd i1 Sll
IN this way the consumer 10 at the
mercy OF the dealer and the Workman
combined. Such combinations are he!ns
extended to all branches OF trade. In.
many OF the cities the bakers dare not R
deYver their own bread but must send
It to the grocery stores. It must hs mado
by union hands or It will not be accepted
The New York confectioner who cuts tho
association price OF candy f. fined sa0.
and tho New York milk dealer p In -
combination which fixes the amount PAID
70 tho farmers. Indeed. the farmers
themselves are talking Of pools, and one
of them recently proposed national
organization to raise the price Of corn
to q dollar husheA Such demand y
no more ridiculous than eIS the actions
Of many OF the lndustrtel pools Of to-day
FRANK q, CARPENTI 1ls.