Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-02-13
THE LABOR PROBLEM
sARRoLL-D. WRIGHT SAYS PEo-
PIE TAKE TOO NARROW A
VIEW OF SUBJECT
According to Recent Address in Dav-
export Former Commissioner Says
the Question Iivslves More Than
Strikes and Lock-outs.

The Labor Problem" probably
means to most people the laborer's
most or least Just and we'll or badly
managed. effort to get more wages.
better conditions, shorter hours and
a chance to enjoy more of the posi-
bilities of life. Carroll D. Wright, for
merly United States labor commits
sioner has had the best OPP
portunity to see the question in this
way, but this view, he says, is a very
narrow one. Wednesday night in
Davenport, this eminent apostle of the
labor question, delivered brilliant
eloquent, witty and interesting lee
ture on the subject, els There Solu-
ton to the Labor Problem?" says the
Davenport Times He handled his
subject on broad lines, dealing rather
with the general principles underly-
ing the strife than in innumerable
remedies proposed by individuals and
parties. 1t will be interesting to the
many laborers in Ottumwa and vicin-
ity who are affiliated with unions and
to innumerable other citizens of this
city to know Mr.. Wright's views. The
Times story of Mr.. Wright's lecture
follows:
Restessness the Problem.
"The conquest of the earth was the
. first commandant of God 1t cpl
tomizes the labor problem" said Mr..
Wright. 1.-THE eternal restlessness in
the soul of man, that continually
forces him on to better and higher
things-this is what makes labor
problem. And Mr. Wright proceed
ed to give an interesting summary of
the origin of the human family in the
heart of Asia, it's restless migrations
westward and ever westward until
the face of the earth had been covered
with people striving continually with
the EARTH the elements and each 9TH
err, for subsistence. This struggle"
he said, SIS the real labor problem
And | ask you, do we want to solve
it? For to solve it finally is to take
forever from the heart of man all that
restlessness, all that aspiration that
makes for higher things.
But if society cannot solve the la
Dor problem, it's duty is nevertheless
to do whatever seems necessary and
righteous. When society has made
the attempt, honestly and sincerely,
with the facts before 1t, society has
done its work. But what then isISto
be done?"
So he proceeded to discuss and COM
pare the remedies" that have been
proposed p1,ss q for fort the evils they are pre-
Mos, aMost ge nT}sgople," said Mr.. Wright,
capsns SLY WHO has a remedysssS,.
--yfahHsA.n "Bu But think get more knEs7s
edge from cranks than from any OTTER
class of people. A crank is man
who sees one thing clearly, but not in
Its relations. He can often be of the
greatest use to u.s."
Mr.. Wright gave a summary Of the
hundreds of years of labor legislation
that have passed, doing many things
for the good of workingmen, but yet
leaving the labor problem all unsolved.
Factory inspection acts, employers IL
ability acts, arbitration-all these, he
said, are very good. But they are at
the best palliatives Cancellation is
coming to be recognized as better
thing than arbitration, because 1t pre-.
vents, not ends strikes. And mutual
confidence and fairness, one with an.
other, is doing more to solve the diff
culties that arise between employer
and employee than all the defensive
and offensive measures either can take
Pretentious Remedies.
Coming down to the more preten
tious remedies, we have the single tax
state socialism and social democracy
I don't know that am single taxer
! certainly would be if | could believe
1t would Go for the people tenth OF
the things it's advocates say it will do
But |, myself, cannot see how it is go
tngto help the workingman. AS tc
state socialism, or nationalism, that is
no menace. There is nothing danger
GUS about that. 1t is a business prop
osition. If you want the nation to owr
the railroads, ETC., rather than indi
viduals, you must be sure that the new
management is going to be better thar
the old, that is all. There Is nothing
dangerous about such proposition.
Socialism comes as perhaps the
most important of the proposed rene
dies: Now socialists in this country
are of two kinds-state socialists ant
social democrats. The former / have
already spoken of, and they are the
majority of the socialists But the lat
ter, the social democrat, is an entirel.
different article. Many of the best ant
noblest men | have known many O
those who are foremost in the worl
of uplifting humanity, are socialists
We can recognize the value of thei
work without concurring wholly il
their analyses of existing institutions
For most of us think we can distin
guish certain fundamental errors il
socialist doctrine. Among there ar
the propositions to pay all men alike
regardless ofthe service they perform
and to take from each in accordance
with mis- ability and give to each in &C
cordance with his needs. Such a pol
icy would be found impractical.
Socialism a Criticism.
"a friend of mine, a Distinguish
socialist and a member of the Fabial
society," says that socialism is not
system, vt is criticism. This l think
points QUILTS greatest value as well a
indicates it's limitations. We can bene
fit greatly by that. criticism.
But collectivismS alone is not sui
ficient. Individualisnh, and collectivisr
must go hand in hand Let the stron
helm the weak and a11y work tOgethe