The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-14
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY Il, 1904.
President Eliot's Philosophy.

ltsft5 6IeSlOCIlL EIllOl AAAASSSFHAJ'
#i5 Several days ago President Eliot, Of
4 Harvard University, made al ADDRESS
u, before the Central Labor Union OF Bos-
ton. and talked to the men in q free ana
friendly sort Of way about their inter-
csts and about tho labor question gen
85ferally. It is one OF the most sensiole
addresses on this subject that We nave,
read, and bears every mark OF sincerely.
After the address, President Eliot Of
8Ifered TO answer any questions that
might be asked, and this part OF the
!, meeting was moro interesting than the
other. Several very pertinent questions
were asked by the men, and President
Elliot answered them with perfect frank
mess
The central point in his address was
the tendency of labor unions to hamper
invidividual liberty This tendency, he
said, existed in the joint agreement as
well as in any other regulations Of the
labor union: for instance, III allowing only
Il SO many apprentices in q certain factory.
and SO 1nany helpers to n certain work
3cr; and the entire restriction ideu he
antagonized as tending to prevent the
@.full force of mans work and also Its
full production.
L He told his hearers that he thought
8it was mistake for the unions to en-
5ldeavor to secure the same wages for
@;;ll workingmen in a given trade lie
thought it inexpedient, and, on the
whole. an unkind effort. "A minimum
wage is fixed at what the average man
can perhaps earn" he went on, but
Sithis the weak man cannot earn. What
8sis the result? The weak man Is not en-
ipoyed except a small portion Of the
tune He might be employed all the time
X 1T wages which he really earned. The
n union prevents him from being so en-
~ ployed"
This is a phase of the labor question
that the general public does not under
i stand, but it is well understood in es-
Establishments which employ union labor.
When the union fixes minimum wage,
the employer can afford to give employ
rlent only to men who can earn that
wage. If he must pay SIS a week for
work, he must have an SIS man. If he
lidS III SluploJ ~ Aa'A W ~
can earn only SIG a week, he is COM
PEELED to dismiss him and put a better
man In his place. He would be willing
to retain this man at a wage of SIG
but as the union viii not allow the mar
10 work for less 1lan sis, he cannot work
ut all, and must give place to a better
workman. Therefore. the weak man Is
,ot{ r,,ec coronalla1 n wit h1rawr from
the union in order to get q job
@'I venture to say" President ElIot
concluded, "that this policy of the unions
is unjust and undesirable and frequent
lily cruel to the weaker brethren. An6
low is the strong man to benefit? How
is the man who can do twice as nucl
TO benefit? lie has the right to do 1t Il
he wants to, and should be able to carr
twice as much, and that is only Demo
cratic liberty"
President Elliot was then asked IL III
y krew Of any labor organization which
~ denied the right of the man to earn NOR,
than the minimum scale Of wages.
"Of course lie answered. II do no
know any such union, but have oh
served that the general tendency In unol
shops is to a uniform wage scale, an
I have read that penalties have been i'm
posed by certain unions on men who &C
copied more than the uniform wage; an
~ have also read that n great man
Unions object TO any member doing NOR
than certain number of pieces In da
when the work is by the piece. hay
also noticed a general objection TO piece
work They don't seem to want u ma
tc earn double wage by doing twice a
many pieces as his neighhor,"
Again. he was asked If he believed i
open competition In the labor world: and Il
replied that ones observation of anotl
ers experience was relatively impcrfec
u have been taught by my own exper
ence." said he, "on this point, and
vii. testify what that has been My b,
III liei Is that the occupation In which
II have passed my life is the most agre,
able, satisfactory and serviceabe one
Tho world That is the testimony wal
Ito give, and II Is an occupation in whic
there is absolutely free competition. 81
~ must qualify what have saiu in OF
respect, II you are all looking simp
8atc means Of getting the largest poss
wages ! should be prepared 10 adm
THAT free competition might sometim
block your way. Is that the right obje
N for ali American mechanicf The IN
# ir my business, almost all of theni l.
leVe that IN other occupations til
M could earn more than in the position tn
fiji. believe 1t myself. They belle
that seeking only the highest possii
Wages is not the best way to live a
III is not the principle on which a
great combination of men Ia our count
Sg5cught 10 work. =
This Introduces another and my
broader question. The laborer Is ",
rhy OF his hire. and every man natur
ly desires to receive as much ccmpeni
ton as possible for the work which
u does But no man who has pro-