The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-03-06
FRANK X. FOSTER
IN A NEW ROLE
Trades unionism From the Standpoint
81 the Citizens Alliance A
Pointed ana Witty
Speech.

Frank K. Foster Of Boston, ia ain I'D
dress recently delivered under the ans.
pieces of tiis Central Labor union of
Brocktoa, assumed the role of mean
Ter of the Citizens Alliance. He said
I'd part,
apprehcnd THAT you have come here
this evening expecting to listen ID d
repetition of those stale and superficial
arguments by which 30 many worhmen
have been deluded Into the support OF
trades unIonism. | have some slight dc.
qialntanee with the speaker who was
TO have addressed you, Mr.. Foster of
Boston, aud BY mutual agreement VIE
have exchanged places for the evening,
lie going to address meeting on tile
Citizens Alliance III Worcester and /,
who was to have spoken there, doing
myself the honor to visit your union
afflicted manufacturing city III may Be
that you win not agree With much that
have TO say. but | trust that you will
henr me with judicial spirit aud par
don tile subterfNge by which hare
gained your ear,
II is possibly needless 70 inform you
that we Of the Citizens Alliance view
your organizations OF labor with pro
found distrust. In the words of the
president Of the Boston branch IN the
alliance, who ID also the president DIT
the National Bottlers association. the
union must he stamped OUT II we
are to have industrial peace Id the
country. VIII tell you why this
should be done.
Associations Of labor are fundamen.
tally unsound and inlmicnl to the best
interests Of the country. There Is b
tremendous power Id associated Elk
fort, and when this power is Hsed with
the prudence and wisdom exercised hy
business and professional men I'd The
conduct Of their affairs the community
profits thereby. The great promoters Of
the organizations Of capital, men like
Hartman and Morgan and that truly
good philanthropist. John u. Ruckefel-
Ter, have rendered great public sery.
tee. They have eliminated unwise and
unnecessary competition, correlated
the antagonistic elements Ia an indus.
try and brought order out az chaos.
The people rise UP and call them
blessed.
But how different IL all this when
you come to consider the organizations
OF labor Here you have ignorant and
unthinking men. whose bnsest passions
are appealed 10 by INSCRIPTIONS lead
ers actuated by no moral impulse, but
stimulated by ambition for power and
greed, for high salaried and luxurious
official positions, What destructive
doctrines are taught IN your union
meetings! What Migrant violations
OF law and order are practieed In your
union methodist What lessons Of social
discomfort are taught by your public
gpeakerai
But possibly you will say that with
out social discomfort there Is ne social
progress. 1t Is true that conditions do
not change OF themselves. But here
again ii Is proper that we should rely
on the thoughts or the wise and the
nets Of the great, Let Moses lead,
Galllei and Newton discover, a Colum-
bus explore, a Webster crate, Roose.
veit dictate, but let the shoemaker
stick to his last and the wage Garner
listen to the Injunction OF St Paul,
Servants. obey your masters"
shall not assume that the trade TN
ion has not procured substantial
wage Increase for IT, membership. II
\ did this the facts would he against
me. and desire to present facts only.
At reasonable estimate / suppose
thnt the union people OF America ARE
receiving hundreds OF millions Of dol.
lars annually more than they would he
getting we're It not for the existence of
their unions. But this. after all, Is d
small matter. 4 be love of money is
Che root Of all evil" and the honest
wage Garner should find bis most sat.
isfaetory recompense In the Joy Of
work rather than In dollars and cents
Aud II Is an open question, after all, as
TO whether high wages benefit the Ia
borer. Is It not altogether possible.
for instance. that the 10 per cent IN
crease which has recently been added
to the muniacent wages Of the factory
operatives would be much more wisely
expended If retained IN the hands OF
the judicIousiy educated people who
draw dividends from the mill stocks9
There are great missionary works need
ed to be performed Ia foreign lands,
there are gentle FIliplnos to be edu-
Gated. Hottentofs to be clothed aud
universities to be endowed, and these
funds, which the mill operatives will
probably expend In riotous living,
gaudy finery, automobiles and some
possibly for beer might 60 far If re-
taincd by the people who know best
how to use it. There are immense pos.
sibllitles here when we think OF the
great increases Ia wages which the
miners. the railway employees. steel
and Standard oil workmen and many
other classes Of wage earners have re.
ceived and which we of the Citizens
Alliance think they will not spend IT,
aIciously.
Again. you claim that trades union
ism has reduced the hours of labor and
given more leisure TO Its membership,
| freely grant this. but deny the be-
neheence Of the result, shall not say
anything about the impairment of our
economic efficiency caused by the re-
duction. Theoretical rot and nonsense
on one side You know as well as that
q man cannot do az much work II eight
% nine hours As In ten or twelve houra.