Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-12-04

49,
|puisory invest gation of such industrial
controversies as are Of sufficient mag
nitude and of sufficient concern to the
people of the country as d whole to-
warrant the federal government in
taking action. n y, sS9
The need for some provision for such
Investigation was forcibly illustrated
during the past summer. n a strike Of
TELEGRAPH operators seriously interrf ered
| with telegraphic com ina unicat ion, caus-s
ling great damage to business interests
and serious Inconvenience to the gen
eral public. Appeals were made to me
/ from many parts of the country, from
lefty councils, from boards of trade,
from chambers of commerce and from
/ labor mutations, urging that steps
4 be taken to terminate the strike. Ev-.
erything that could with any propriety
i be done by a representative of the gov
ernment was done without avail, and
4 for weeks the public stood by and suf-
4 fered without recourse of any kind.
Had the machinery existed and had
q there been authority for compulsory
A Investigation of the dispute the public
4 would have been placed in possession
]. lof the merits, of the controversy, and
q public opinion would probably have
a brought about a prompt adj ustment-
Each successive step creating ma
!. chinery for the adjustment of labor
/. difficulties must be taken with caution,
81 but we should endeavor to make prog
q ress In this direction.
!, The provisions of the act of 1895
/. creating the chairman of the interstate
!, commerce commission and the commits.
, sioner of labor a board Of mediation II
!, controversies between Interstate rail
) roads and their employees has for the
i first time been subjected to serious
+ tests within the past year, and the wis
i dom of the experiment has been fully
i demonstrated. The creation of a board
{ for compulsory investigation in case:
s where medi ton fails and arbitration
!. is rejected is the next logical step in {
E progressive programme. .ss.
g Capital and Labor. &S
Q 1T is certain that for some tine t,
= come there will be constant increas'
i absolutely and perhaps relatively o
those among our citizens who dwell i
= cities or towns of some size and VIII
! work for wages. This means tina
9 there viii be an ever increasing nee
= to consider the problems inseparabl
q from a great Industrial civilization
y Where an immense and complex bus
Y mess, especially in those branches n
le lating to manufacture and transports
2 ton, is transacted by large numbe
s of capitalists who employ yer
= much larger number of wage Garner
ae the former tend more and more
q combine into corporations and the la
y ter into unions The relations of tt
~ capitalist and wageworker to one al
2. other and of each to the general publ
y are not always easy to adjust, and 4
put them and keep them on a satisfa
y tory, basis is one of the most importal
Y Y and one of the most delicate tasks b
y fore, our whole civilization. Much
Y the work for the accomplishment
v this end must, be done by the indivi
= uals, concerned themselves. Wheth
y singly or in combination, and the Of
u fundamental fact that must never
ta lost track of is that the character
= the average man, whether he be ms
= Of means or a man who works wi
" his hands. is the most important ia
s, tor in solving the problem Alright. e
y it is almost equally important to l
~ IL member that without good laws it
= also impossible to reach the proper S
~ luton. 1T is idle to hold that witho
g good laws evils such as child labor,
ne the oyerWorking of women, as the ia
~ ure to protect employees from loss
~ life or limb can be effectively reach
g any more than the evils of rebates al
$ stock watering can be reached witho
= good laws. To fail to stop these pre-
- tees by legislation means to force he
- est men into them, because otherwi
the dishonest who surely will take q
y vantage of them will have everythi
!. their own way. If the states will c.
= rect these evils, well and good, but t
nation must stand ready to aid then
at z3s....
i CHILD and WOMAN LABOI