Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-16

hold our own. | would like 10 sec our
workmen have such q system OF dues
as would create fund sufficient TO en-
able them TO engage in strike AT
any time without fear. The employer
who knows his workmen can success
fully fight will not Impose unfair ex-
actions upon them
WAGES NOT TOO HIGH
But Mr. Gompers, are not wages
too high I'm many branches OF indus
uv?"
NO" was the replv "The higher
they are the better for the country and
the ueonle. II YOU will look over the
world YOU viii see that the most pros
uerous nations and those who do most
I'm the manufacturing and commerce
Of the world are those IN which the
highest wages are paid. Take the
United states first, then England, and
after that Germany. All are lands OF
high wages and short hours, ana all
are more PROSPEROUS than their brother
nations
Put what should govern in fixing
wages-the cost OF an article?'
Not NJ all. The wages necessary TO
make the article under comfortable
conditions should be that which fixes
the price Of the article. ana not the
price the wages
EIGHT HOURS AND LESS.
The conversation here turned tn the
number Of working hours, and | asked
Mr.. Gumpcrs whether the workingmen
would be satisfied II the whole United
states were run on an eiRht-h0ur basis,
or whether they would not demand
still shorter days He replied:
Il think the time will come when the
working days will be less than eight
hours My idea Is that the working
day will continually grow shorter,
while wages will continually go up. |
want tomorrow to be always better
than today. Labor conditions are far
better now than they were three or
four decades ago. and in the future
they will be Just as much better In pro-
portion. by combinations Ot capital,
by new inventions and better or
ganizatiOn of material forces, We shall,
age by age, and year by year, reduce
the amount OF manual labor required
to the minimum, and at the same time
advance the reward therefor to the
maximum. That is what We want, the
least work and the most pay, a mini
mum Of work and maximum Of
wages giving US the leisure to develop
and cultivate our better natures
CAN THE YOUNG WORGlNGMAN
RISE?
How about the unions as helping
the ambitious workingman, Mr.. Com
pers? Has the young man Of today
chance to succeed as he had In the
past?"
Il don't think he has as good a
chance replied Mr. Gompers. But
that is not the fault of the union. New
inventions and great combinations OF
capital have destroyed the opportuni.
ties Of the Individual man. A genera.
ton or so ago one man, or AZ best two
or three, could make completed prod.
uct. II did not require much capital
or many men TO start factory. Now
work Is So divided by improved ma
chInery that the single workman Is but
one Of the cogs OF very large wheel,
and II he slips out another can be very
easily fitted in. A half century ago
one man made whole shoe; today IS
men have their part In making a shoe,
and each OF them does but one thing
all the day long. One man cuts the
sole, another the upper, another fin
ishes one part and another another,
and 80 on, the whole 6S making the
shoe. In the past each one Of these
6S workmen could have started shop
OF his own. Now they are only pieces
Of machines, and as such can be re-
placed by others.
II Is modern invention which has de-
stroyed individuality, and It Is only by
combination IN the union that the in
dividual can act as a whole and protect
himself. Under the old method one