The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1906-12-07

Gus objection to IT. Indeed. so rar as
Il is In our power, 1t should be our aim
steadily to reduce the number OF hours
OF labor, with as goal the general In
PRODUCTION Of an eight hour day. There
are Industries In which 1t is not pos
sible that the hours of labor should
be reduced, just as there are communi-
ties not far enough advanced for such
a movement to be for their good. or. IL
In the tropics. so situated that there Is
no analogy between their needs and
ours In this matter. On the -isthmus
Of Panama, for instance. the condi-
tions are in every way so different
from what they are here that an eight
hour day would be absurd. just as 1t
Is absurd, so far as the isthmus Is con-
cerned. where white labor cannot be
employed, to bother as to whether the
necessary work Is done by alien black
men or by alien yellow men. But the
wageworkers Of the United States are
of SO high a grade that alike from the
merely Industrial standpoint and from
the civic standpoint 1t should be our
object to do what we can In the direc-
ton Of securing the general observance
Of an eight hour day.
Let me again urge that the congress
provide for a thorough investigation
OF the conditions Of child labor and OF
the labor of women In the United
States. The horrors incident to the
employment of young children In fac
tories or at work anywhere are blot
on our civilization.
In spite of all precautions exercised
by employers there are unavoidable ac-
cidents and even deaths involved In
nearly every line Of business connect
ed with the mechanic arts. It Ii q
great social injustice to compel the en-
ployee, or, rather. the family Of the
killed or disabled victim, to bear the
entire burden Of such an inevitable
sacrifice. In other words. society shirks
its duty by laying the whole cost on
| the victim, whereas the injury comes
from what may be called the legiti-
mate risks OF the trade. Compensation
| for accidents or deaths due in any line
| of industry to the actual conditions un
der which that industry is carried on
should be paid by that portion OF the
community for the benefit OF which
the industry is carried on-that Is, by
those who profit by the industry. II
the entire trade risk Is placed upon the
employer, be will promptly and prop
erly add 1t to the legitimate cost OF pro
duction and assess 1t proportionateiy
upon the consumers Of his commodity
/ It Is therefore clear to my mind tha'
the law should place this entire "risl
Of trade" upon the employer.
Capital and Labor Disputes.
Records show that during the TWEEN
| ty years from Jan. I. 1881. to Dec. 81
1900, there were strikes affecting III.
500 establishments. aud CLOS. .694 EN-
ployees wera thrown out Of employ
ment. During the same period Their
were 1905 lockouts. involving nearl,
10000 establishments. throwing owe
100000 people out Of employment
These strikes and lockouts involved aI
estimated loss to employees of $301.
O00. 900 and to employers Of S14S.O0O'
600, q total Of s450. 900. 900. The publi
suffered directly and indirectly prob
ably as great additional loss.
Many OF these strikes and lockout
would not have occurred had the par
ties to the dispute been required I
appear before an unprejudiced bod,
representing the nation and. face I
face, state the reasons for their con
tention. The exercise Of judicia
spirit by a disInterested body repre-
senting the federal government. sue
as would be provided by commissio
on conciliation and arbitration. woul
tend to create an atmosphere Of FRIEND
illness and conciliation between cor
I tending parties.
Control Of Corporations.
It cannot too often be repeated tha
experience has conclusively shown th
impossibility Of securing by the action
or nearly half q hundred different stat
legislatures anything but inenectiy
chaos In the way Of dealing with th
great corporations which do net opel
ate exclusively within the limits .
any one state. In some method, whetl
: q BY Z national license law or In oths
fashion, we must exercise. and that
m early date. far more comples
control than at present over these gres
corpora ations-a control that win, amop
other things. prevent the evils Of 9,
cessive overcapitalixation and that WI
compel the disclosure by each big co
poration Of It's stockholders and OF u
! properties and business. whether owl
= "a directly or through subsidiary