The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-07
SERIOUS DRAWBACK TO THE
PROGRESS OF THE COUNTRY
General Harrison Gray Otis
Gives /. His. Views oil the
Labor Situation
LABOR own WORST Or s j /. ENEMY 4 EN- I
Union, He Says, Is Bittercst
Foe Of Labor and aSMenacc
to the Country

copyright, 1904, by Frank G. Carpenter)
WASHINGTON. y. c., February g.
My interview to. day Is with an indepcnd-
eiit employer who has been successfully
fighting organized labor for more than
a. decade, Hnd who has radical views az
TO labor and capital. rrefer to Major
General Harrison Gray Otis. the editor
and chief owner Of the Los Angeles
Times, ono OF the grea newspaper prop
critics OF tho far west. General Otis
has edited tho Times for more than. d
quarter Of a. century. he has employed
all sorts OF labor. and in 1890 Ills Office
was filled with union men. They made
certain demands which Otis refused to
grant. They struck and Otis, whose
education III lighting began with four
years In our civil war. fought back. He
filled his Office with non.unon men. He
was boycotted, but he continued to fight.
and has been fighting ever since. taking
4 only one vacation, during which hc1was a
y brigadier general In the Philippines and
4 on the firing line at tho time of our
Spanish war. Is FL 55S
LABOR IN CALIFORNIA.
Isl Ny first question was as to labor con-
ditiona on tho Pacific slope. General
Otis replied: \. n
'In southern California, where i live,
we have to q large extent industrial free
4 dom. We are comparatively free from
strikes. and MS a result perhaps. we are
growing more than any other part OF the
State. We arc building railroads, pump.
ing oil, getting out minerals and becoming
y rich. It is different In San Francisco.
The labor situation there Is bad . q and
serious disturbances have been going on
/ for N long time. The effect has been
ITO paralyze industrial activity, cripple
commerce and restrict manufactures.
a The losses amounted into the millions
and the greatest losses have been felt
by labor itself because least able to
stand them. There have been strikes.
boycotts and frequent acts OF Industrial
Z violence. owing 10 the domination OF the
unions. and men have been prosecuted.
beaten, manned and murdered for re-
4 fusng to do their bidding
THE TRADES UNIONS.
What do you thing Of tho growth Of
4 the unions? VIII they ever control the
labor Of the country z? III
II think not. They constitute only a
small percentage OF all the tollers. and
the law-abIdlng majority will never sur
render to the too often lawess minority.
II cannot do 50 in the very nature OF
the case. Industrial freedom is as sa cred
as personal freedom. political freedom or
religious freedom My position Is that
every citizen has the lawful right to
4 pursue undist,Irbed and unhampcred any
lawful occupation In q lawful way. and
10 be protected In that right by the whole
power OF the government II need be. Ell
This is warranted by the Constitution
and the Law. and nothing less than this
will serve AS to the, growth OF he
trades 8 unions. tina t would not be 4
menace to the country II their tendencies
were not SO unreasonable and monopolis-
tic as many OF them have been In. recent
years. I have never opposed unions as
such. but only their tendency toward
lawlessness. AS they are o-day. their
domination would paralyze industry and
he an aintolerable despotism. The right
not to Join unions Is as sacred as the
right to Join them. and It is not Tor
one class OF citizens to say what another
i class shall or shall not do In this re-
gard"
I4ABoRs WORST ENEMY.
Give me your idea OF the labor stu
alton. General Otis
1T Is abnormal. threatening. bad!'
was the reply. is serious draw
back to the progress OF the country
Tho remedy lies In the enforcement OF
the laws as they stand. We don't need
new legislation, but we must enforce the
existing laws. The fundamental right
of independent labor must be preserved
and the liberty OF all &workmen be pro-
tccted. II 1t is not. all will suffer to-
What labor needs Is to be protected from
itself"
what do you mean by that, general s.
Il asked. l8 r
Il mean that organized labor has so
far drifted from the right lines ina ~
is now the most bitter foe Of Its natural
brother. unorganized labor. which It IS
wIckedly attempting to crush. Capital
is not the natural foe OF labor, orga nized
or i,norganized:$ but. organized labor IS
fighting mott only the employers, upon
whom II must depend for wages, but also
ali other classes OF labor which 1t can
never dominate It Is the greatest en-
envy that labor has. and It ts at the
same time d menace to the country
a HOW IT FEELS TO BE BOYcOTTED.
3..Glve me some OF your own expert :
enccs In labor matters. How does "
feel to be boycotted? r. s55s ..Gi
at is not pleasant replied General
Otis, "but one would feel worse as a
slaye + will not deny that We were
annoyed by the boycott. but believe we
made money by tt,5and. above all,Awe re-,
tained our own Aelf,respect as men and
as Americans. The story OF our trouble
began thirteen years ago, when we were
confronted f,by q senseless strike IN the
Los Angeles Times Office The men ~
our composing rooms then walked out
without any adequate cause or provo
cation, Ihey crlpPleu 4tEe Ot1lSe tcAtLiP'o
rarlly but We refused to yield and STOOD
fast against the boycott which was at
once Instituted. Our business was In IN:
1lred somewhat for the first few months,
and might say for the first year.
Nevertheless, the. earnings Of the paper
slowly but steadily Increased and after
the first year they Increased rapidly,
NO refused to restore the strikers we
deded the boycott and spurned the boy e;,
cotters The peoPle appFeoiatea ou Nv
action and the prosperity Of the paper
has been confessedly great, AS 1T Is
now. we pay the highest wages to our
skilled and faithful workmen. and we
have disbursed more than million ana
e half gold dollars for labor since the
day we defeated that senseless and W'ck-
ed strike. +
# EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES.
What, in a nutshell, are the rules
which should govern in tho relations OF
employers and employes?' | asked,
Sin IA nutshell" replied General Otis,
"they ara Iaithfulness fidelity and dey!oo-
ton to duty on the one hand good will
fair wages reasonable hours and good