Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-26
ADVANCED THEORIES
DINERS AT CIVIC FEDERATION
BANQUET IN NEW YORK.
Talked on Questions of Political Econ
ony and Industrial Ethics Com
pers' Aggressive Remarks.

Fortified by a dollar dinner and inspired
by lavish flow of red lemonade, the Civic
Federation, in New York last night, dis
cussed broad questions of political economy
and industrial ethics. To speak accurately,
II was not the Civic Federation proper, but
the industrial economical department of
the federation that held the meeting.
August Belmont, the recently elected
president of the Civic Federation presided,
and the regularly appointed speakers of
the evening were President Eliot of Har-
ward University, Samuel Gompers, president
of the American Federation of Labor; Prof.
E r. A. Seligman of Columbia University;
Francis L. Robbins, president of the Pitts
burg Coal Company; Louis D. Brartleis.
lawyer, and Frank X. Foster. a member of
the Typographical Union from Boston.
Mr.. Belmont, before introducing President
Eliot as the first speaker of the evening.
made a brief address in which he announced
that the subject set down for the discussion
was, How Far Does Associated Effort in
| Industry Involve the Curtailment of Indus
trial Liberty"
Gompers an Aggressive Speaker.
All the speakers named had prepared
addresses more or less In line with this
text, and all were present in person save
Mr.. Robbins, who sent on his paper, which
originally planned that after the set
speeches there should be running discus
sion by volunteer orators, but by the time
all the papers had been read it was so late
that Mr.. Belmont's call for volunteers did
nos meet with single response
Mr.. GomperS was the most aggressive of
the speakers Aof the evening. He referred
with much sarcasm to President Eliot S
plea for industrial peace with liberty. He
criticised the Supreme Court of the United
States respectfully but firmly, for its re-
cent decision that the ten-hour law as an
piled to the baker unconstitutional and
demanded with much emphasis of the Civic
Federation what 1t was going to do with
the bakers who are so short of sleep from
long hours that they lie down on their
dough and rise with it.
President Elliot began his ad dress by
laying down the proposition that the real
foundation of American progress ana pros
perity was the efficiency of The Ameri-
perity was the efficiency of the Ameri-
Eliot attributed largely to American free
dom OF the individual, the freedom which
feeds hope and ambition. Continuing he
said
The Principle of Liberty.
"Now. In the industries Of our country
this principle of liberty for the Individual
ought to be the chief promoter Of good will
and content in labor and therefore of eff
cheney. What prevents this natural felicity?
The opposing interests of workmen and en-
ployerJ and the consequent organization of
| labor on one hand and of capital on the
other for attack and defense. Whenever
large bodies of men organize 10 fight, in
dvidual liberty goes to the wall.
"These fighting unions and associations
all dislike and try to prevent competition
Unions and associations alike seek 10 cstab-
lish and maintain controlling monopolies
and some of them succeed. Thus they strike
another blow at Industrial liberty by de-
Stroying free competition.
Industrial liberty is not to be lost: 1t IS
only impaired temporarily. Trades unions
ard associations of employers or capitalists
are natural and useful products OF demo-
cratic society, and any nation which har-
bors one of these forms of industrial COM
bnations must harbor the other also. They
will! endure, but they will create great dis
tul Dances and do much harm until they
give over the pursuit of monopoly, recog
nize that competition Is Indispensable TO
| industrial and social progress and see in
liberty for the Individual the handspring Of
Efficiency"
Conceptions of Liberty Changed.
Mr. Gcmpers. when callel upon, referred
at the opening of his remarks to the COM