The Newtown bee., 1904-05-13
EDITORIAL. INK DROPS.

That was grand speech made the other night in Hartford by President Mellen of the Consolidated road before a company of workingmen. He point ed out that men in these high positions of corporation control are not all in- considerate or thoughtless of the harsh features of modern industrial develop ment, and furthermore that they may often be quite as much the unwilling as the willing agents of these tenden- cies which sometimes seem to crush more than they upbuild He said: "If our employees could only know the struggle it has been the past few months to keep so many of them at work at all they would feel our officials have had their interests in mind much more than they are willing to admit. No man is more worried over the ten
 dency of modern business development than myself. I regret the passing of the small proprietor, the banker, the merchant, the small manufacturer,th the man who worked in his shop with his own hands and whose employees were as welcome at his own table as the best in the world. I believe the progress of our country, it's prominence in the worlds affairs has been largely due to him. It is with apprehension see him disappear and become part of the modern industrial machinery, but shall struggle against the inevitable or adjust myself to the new conditions and, perhaps, shape and influence them for the better?" It is the con- siderate man of sympathetic nature who here speaks, as well as the wise, the practicable and far-seeingCcorpor- ate manager. There are other en- ployers like him, but it is to be wished there were more. The union as such, or very nearly as such, is here to stay for awhile; and is it not better, then, that the union should include the sob- CT and conservative employe with a family at stake, as well all "the floater, the anarchist, the man who has noth- ing at stake in the world, who works with his mouth more than with his hands?" MT Mellen thinks the union would be easier to deal with, would be more tolerant, ,reasonableIand law-abid- ing, by as much as it is made to include that class of employees who are more interested in the regularity of employ ment and. who live under the imme- diate and sobering influences of.family and other social responsibilities. Hence his expressed wish "that our men generally should join the unions, " evidently recognizing that those now outside of the unions could not cer- tainly make the unions worse or more intolerant and unreasonable and in- considerate than they frequently are now, while they might make them much better. If the leveling princi- pie of the union is not thereby modi- fled somewhat, the general attitude or conduct of the union in dealings with the employer at least might be greatly improved. This seems to be where the wise, practical employer speaks. It is case of making the best, not neces- sarily of bad situation, but of what must be dealt with whether good or bad. MT Mellen nevertheless stands for the "open-shop" principle. He can not undertake to force into tn union employees who do not want to go there, or to discriminate against them in any way, but he is so far from antagoniz- ing the unions as to express a wish that all employees would join. Can the union fairly ask for more than this from the employer? This speech has been widely read and commented on and is hOund tO do a lot Of pOOd