New-York tribune., 1905-12-18
SAN PARKS, BENEFACT0R.' y
DEBATE ON STRIKES.
Labor Man Compares Union Meth
ods scith High Finance.

In debate yesterday before the Peopie
Forum at New-Rochelle Herbert N Casson. III
defending the right of labor unions to use STRIKES
and bovcotts to benefit their condition said they
were only following the example OF Fresioen.
Roosevelt The wage earners. he SAID couia
make themselves felt only by organizing unions
.na their only weapons with which TO, enforce
seuaanss were the strike and the boycott Al any
one could produce better weapons ne ss40@ i0
them forward
NY. cassop then attacked the argument tna'
The open shop policy gave opportunities l0f IN
6,yidusI effort and enabled workingrnen 70 III
n-ove their condition by demonstrating en-
cheney over their fellow iaborers Nha' Oehe1-
n. ssked had Il been to worlkingmen as class
that certain smart individuals among them mao
been able TO climb TO the top and become ex-
ronents OF high finance? These men. he SAID
ssneraIly kicked the ladder down after them So
that none OF their fellow workers could get up
.-They are the class of men," he continued
-uno when their wives get old trade them on
eor actresses and build magnificent palaces IN
.stversiae Drive snd equip their empty headed
80. with automobiles II is not fair to Judge
the opportunities OF the average work1ng1nan
sY the successes OF a few.
s-The trade unions have no ANDY hainlilohs
ts look out for their interests at Albany. AheS
have no Houses Of Mirth.' They 90 not own
Senators They have no railroad passes 10 siVe
snIt to legislators; they can't let their nleIoS
ia on the ground floor Of financial schemes "neh
tho house. is about to collapse. The only rem
.av they have Is the strike. and when men strike
tbey grasp a blade without handle WHICH
cats themselves well as their opponents. Inc
.t-,ss ia serior,s business No labor union strikes
sust for fun
MI. Casson defended the boycott. saying that
u zyss an American institution. having been USED
by the founders Of the Republic The 6osuon
1es Party. he SAID was big strike and boy
rott combined. He said the methods OF LABOR
Unions were far more to be commended than
those OF the men engaged in high finance ne
admitted that Sam Parks took brtoes ouI ne
saio he was benefactor TO his followers be-
cause he got their wages raised and their hours
made shorter.
IN This respect Parks he said. much bet
s.r than men like Mccall and Mccurdy. who'
when they rose pushed down the men who mao
Selped them. the policyholders.
CT have no doubt" said he. that the big three
"a life insurance. since the recent disclosures
,zould give up millions IL they only had repu-
sations which would compare with the big three
OF the labor world, Gompers. Mitchell and Dun
can"
Opposed TO Mr.. Casson and defending the con-
servatIve side OF the labor problem was James
a Emery. Of California, secretary of the Ciu-
gems Industrial Association of America, ma
fionei organization Of employers. Mr.. Emery
proved himself to be q master at debate, ana
wss frequently applauded. even Though his op-
ponent seemed TO have the popular side of the
question
Mr.. Emery said no sane man would deny the
Yssht OF workingmen to strike, provided they
violated no contract The right to work or not
20 work he said was & privilege given to man
by God. What employers do protest against, he
said was the action of that class of who.
after having given Up their Jobs. resort to law
less methods to prevent other men from taking
their places.
Mr. Emery spoke of the work Of the Roosevelt
commission. which visited the coal regions, say
ing that It had been the greatest moral tribunal
ever created In the United States Mr. Emery
said II was as unfair TO the business world to
compare Mccall and McCurdy with the employ
ers of labor generally as IL would be to call Sam
Parks the prototype OF labor. In the house
smiths strike he said New-York City now
reaping the teachings Of Parks that the unions
had the right to violate their contracts when
they chose.