The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-05-30
Robert Burton Bruce Does a Little
Talking to the Educator in
The Carpenter.
PLAIN WORDS AND PLAIN TRUTHS

they believe are being mcrcilesslv
tiodden upon by the tyranny OF
sordid capital.
Before one of this class of un
fortunate humanity, the writer of
thls article stands an ideal rcDra.
sentative of the lamcntable division
of simulated Observation-Disclosures r
Day, chancellor of the university
at Syracuse, N. ". and as the
gentleman speaks in the first per
son, so now will I. Plain words
are my preference, plain truths
my support, facts my reliance and
honor, honesty and candor my APP
peals for appreciative attention.
lmprimis. am tempted to move
the high court of public opinion to
appoint lunacy board to inquire
into the sanity of the gentleman
who by his ill conceived or inhu
enced utterances has brought him
self before the bar of the court,
basing my application not SO much
upon his attacks upon the laboring
man and labor unions and their
members as upon his assertions that
college presidents care all conscious
of the depraved conditions and the
scenes Of debauchery in many of
the univerSities;'' that "while
heads of colleges seem Jealous in
guiding the student along lines of
study, few place morals tirst,' and
that elf college presidents would
unite along common line of
thought and action, dissipation
among students would be wiped
out in thirty days.
On, God, if these things be true,
i'll Thy mercy send home our sons
and daughters, whom we know
were undefiled when they left US,
lest the blot fall upon their I'M
sullied souls, and the "unwritten
law' prevail.
Ringing in my ears are other
utterances of this man, who may be
free born, and, there are not being
the slightest doubt that he is Of
lawful age, may have some claims
to being an educator, though it
seems clear at least to me that his
tongue and his pen rattle off things
that do not commend him and his
efforts as of good report, hence my
soul is stirred to regret that he is
real and of my sex.
81 think,' he says, "the poor
are getting wages for all they do.
and that a great percentage are
getting payment for more than
they do" which l construe to
mean that the employers are hon
est enough not to cheat their en-
ployes out of what they earn, but
that the latter are stealing from
the former what the law will not
allow the workman; and 1 seen to
hear the "poor" l am one OF
them) answer: HYou, chancellor,
are getting well paid for what you
say, but better paid for evading
TRUTH
ct is no longer" you say, IA
question with him (the laboring
mani of how much 1 can do for
the man who gives me employment:
ia her how much | can do tor the
most money!
Well now, Mr.. Chancellor, you
surprise me l had thought you
could see no honesty in the work
ing man; still I am ungenerou>
enough to ask, Are you, sitting ill
yon elegant Office at the university
at Syracuse, endeavoring to see
how much you can do for the least
money Let me indulge in slang
and shout ''You bet you're not y
Anyhow, / am anxious to have
you answer me, since you present
Il problem new to the industrial
, world but old to your capitalistit
friends, who have been and are
working their brains to their ut,
most capacity to discover how they
can compel their employees. skilled
and common, to do the most work
for the least money, and L an
, ready at your call to back up my
. assertion upon facts statistical ano
. otherwise. Frankly 1 am bold
enough to challenge you to answer