The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-12-07
FRANK ]. FOSTER ON
COMMODITY OF .L0B0R
Proposition Must be Recognized
Before Industrial Peace Is
Assured.
Seller of Labor Should Receive
Same Consideration as Vendor
Of Merchandise.


are many relationships between en-
ployer and employees which. are kim
dred or even identical. They do not
in the main seek to divide society
upon horizontal lines of cleavage. They
are believers in the fundamental prin-
ciples of democracy, which stand for
the protection of equality Of property
rights as we'll as for personal freedom.
They seek reasonable reforms rather
than nebulous and irrational revolu-
tons, destructive of many of the things
upon which the very structure of civil
lization Is based.
Human nature is not ideal, and until
it becomes so an ideal order is impos-
sible. If men were angels, it would
not matter what kind of government
was instituted, or even if no govern
men at all existed. But In our every
day world the power vested in man to
control the acts of others must be adj
justed to the complex nature Of real
men with their admixture Of good
and Ill.
The trades unions are the most eff
fective and practical force yet devised
for the benefit of the labor sellers.
Justice Object Of Unionism.
The labor problem, so called, Is
simply a part Of the greater problem
Of human life, of human relationship,
and as such cannot we'll be differenti-
ated from that problem. Trades union
ism seeks to develop justice between
men in their industrial relationships
in particular; it tries to teach wage
earners that they can do better for
themselves by trying to help lift one
another up rather than by following
the policy Of each one for himself and
the devil take the remainder. 1t tries
to convince the employer that it is for
his interest to treat his employees as
men rather than as parts of machin-
cry; that It is wise business policy to
recognize the fact that there should
be two sides to the labor bargain as
we'll as in other bargains; that( al
though he has legal property right
in his shop and machinery, he has no
property right in the laborers of whom
he buys labor, but he has moral
responsibility to deal justly with them.
Seller and Buyer Relation.
Trades union philosophy, therefore,
reaches this conclusion-that while in
many ways the man who buys and
the man who sells labor may have
Identical interests-for instance, In
their political, religious, educational,
fraternal, charitable and many other
relationships-yet as parties to the
bargain they must make for the COM
modify of labor their interests are by
no means Identical any more than are
the interests Of he man who goes into
! a store to buy goods from the store
keeper. The storekeeper wants to get
his price, the buyer wants to- cheaper
In order to- do business they must
reach point Of agreement; but that
is ALL
! Something very analogous to this ex-
has something to sell, for which he
wants the best possible price war
ranted by the conditions. Conversely
the buyer wants to get this commodity
at the lowest possible price. Here may
be and usually is a reciprocal interest
but by no stretch Of the imagination
can that statement be true which is
so often told us, that "the interests
Of the employer and employee are iden-
teal"
No Necessity For War.
It yno means follows that because
Of this economic diversity of interests
the two parties to the labor bargain
should go to war about it. There is q
better way, and the industrial world is
learning it, although at the cost Of
buch bitter experience on both sides
The industrial agreement is being sub
stituted for the strike. John Munde]la
the great apostle of arbitration i1
Great Britain, well said, 1--WE cannot
expect industrial peace until we treat
the man who has the commodity o.
labor to sell with the consideration We
treat the man who comes to US with
any other commodity" And it is no.
the least Of the triumphs Of the trade:
union philosophy that this wisdom o.
Mr.. Mundella's is becoming more anG
more appreciated by the fair. minded
captains of industry in America.
Trades unionism seeks high wages
reasonable leisure, fair conditions thu
abolition of child labor and the gen.
eral well being Of the wage-earner.
1t believes this to be the best fol-
the entire community as we'll as fo1
the worker. Money paid in wages re.
turns back into the channels of trade
stimulating production and quickenine
business enterprise, while excessive
profits on inflated corporation stock Of
trust monopolies are either accumu
-