The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-24
Interviews
Parry on Labor Problem
He Declares for the
Open Shop and Says
Industrial Freedom
Cannot be Had With
out Ii ~ ~ II II II

When he got through / paid him what he
asked. but a few Gays later the Walking
cannot divide more than you nave 10 W
vide, and any one with a thimoleiul Vi
brains can see that cutting down the pro-
ductiOn is not the way TO make the peo-
pie rich In times Ike this II is the MASSES
who suffer most. The capitalist can snG'
down his business and still have enough tor
his personal wants. The laborer has only
his work. and he who is poorest sui1els
most and longest.
But you 90 not deny labor the IlShl
TO strike do your
NO I do not. They have that right as
individuals or collectively, but they nave
no right TO interfere with the business Ga
their employers or with the men nrcd 10
take their places. Many or the aemanoS
OF strikers are so unreasonable that they
cannot be granted and the business go OIL
The labor organizations 90 not colsiutf
that. They act though labor had no M
terest whatever in the business ana Ia
opposed they try TO attack their employer
through the consumers OF his goooS, ana
by boycott dog him from one end OF the
country to the other. They prevent others
from doing the work they will not do them
selves and if they succeed in destroying
him, as they sometimes do, chorus OF
glee goes up from the labor agitators d ana
try They think they have won great
victory. when they have actually killed
the goose whi ., mas pT ,a oS ths man Who
tried to improve his personal appearance Dy
cutting off his own nose.
AGAINST THE EIGHT-HOUR DAY.
How about the working day. Mr.. Parry?
| Can the United States be run an eight
hour basis?"
II think not. The majority of men work
| ten hours. and that Is an indication that
| 1t REQUIRES ten-hour day to produce
| enough to satisfy the needs of humanity.
| II YOU cut the working DAY to eight hours,
you cut off one-ffth of the total produc-
| ton, and this means that the people Will
! have tn be satisfied with four-ffths of the
commodities that they now get. Organized
labor does not look upon 1t In that way.
1t insists upon more OF the necessities and
comforts of life for its own peculiar class,
and therefore demands that 1t shall have
| ten hours pay for eight hours work. This
! is practically a Is per cent. increase OF
| wages, and IL granted II must come out OIL
| the consumers. SO. you see, organized La
| Dor is bound TO have good bargain even
| If that bargain is rather hard on the rest
| But: Mr. Parry, John Mitchell and Sam
uel Gompers say that a man can do as
| much in eight hours a he can in ten
! Yes, 1 know that; but upon the same
| logic he can do as much in six hours as he
| can in eight, and much in four as he
can in six. Indeed, you might go on and
| prove that man can do as much by not
working at all as he can by working ten
| hours which is ridiculous. I especial
| ly opposed TO granting the eight-hour day
! as to government work. L see no reason
| why the government should give ten hours
| pay for eight hours labor any more than
! an individual should be compelled 10 do so,
and think that those who favor that law
are in favor of robbing the public treas
ury."
LABOR AS CAPITALS PARTNER.
But Mr.. Parry. speaking of wages, is
not labor capitals partner? And II So.
does it get its share of the profits?'
I NJ Do,
land far more proportionately than the
capitalist. What are the average dividends
of our big industrial organizations? Those
which do a safe, steady business do not
pay more than per cent. That is, per
| cent on every dollar. That's the profit Of
the capitalist The balance OF the earnings
are spent for raw materials. rent and la
Dor AS time goes on and capital accumu-
lates it comes into competition with other
capital. and its profits decrease, while at
the same time the real wages-that is, the
| amount that a man can purchase from q
! days work-tend TO rise. Labor gets more
! and more and capital less ana less every
What do you think of giving the work
| ingman share in the business?
Il don't believe in it. He will never be-
! lieve that he is fairly treated, and If money
is lost he will not be willing to take his
share of the losses. He looks upon II as
| a matter OF Charity, anu IL II d pou tihH6
| all around. We had a manufacturer a. In
| dianapolis who called his men together a
year or so ago and told them that his profits
| had been such during the past twelve
months that he could afford to make them
present OF per cent of his earnings IN
addition to their wages and at the end of
the speech each man was given an envel-
Ope containing his share. After the en-
ployer had left the men held meeting ana
one of them got UP and said
How do we know the old man Is telling
the truth. and that we are getting our full
5 per cent. / think ought to have a
committee appointed to go and look at his
books
This was done. and committee called
on the employer and asked for the books.
The employer looked up In surprise, say
ing: I don't understand?
- Well replied the committee, you say
| we are partners and that you have given
us per cent. of the profits of the business.
! How do we know that we got our full
per cent. We should like TO see the books
This almost paralyzed the employer"
continued Mr. Parry. He waited mo-
ment and then said Why, men, that
money was a present from me. You are
not entitled TO any more than your wages,
and | need not have given you cent He
thereupon dismissed them, and that was
the last time he took his men into part
nership. FRANK q. CARPENTER.
Copyright, 1904
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