Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-12-20
MITCHELL USES MORE
ELEGANT LANGUAGE
President Kooscvelt:s Name Is
Cheered-- Harvard Man Spoken
of as First Citizen in the
Country--FavOrs Govern
ment Centralized Power.

New York, Dec. zV---odiuuSl 49,
pers, president of the American FED
sration of Labor, served notice upon
EMPLOYERS that attempts TO reduce
wages at this time will be fought 10
the utmost. He delivered the ulu-
matum in an address at dinner OF
the civic federation attended py osv
persons at the Hotel Astor. Jonh
Mitchell also included In his speech
q similar warning TO employers, az
though clothed in more temperate
Since 1 have been in New York
this time" said Mr.. Gompers, i
have been approached dozen tunes
by bankers, financiers, capltahsts, III
omen conversation. in written COM
munications and in whispers to tine
effect that wages must come down,
that the laboring man must make
ND his mind to bear his share OF the
hard times.
And ] turned to these men and
/ asked them whether the SOIL Oh
our country is less fertile, the treas
ures beneath the soil less valuable
mems minds less active the laboring
men less industrious. wherefore, u
asked them, is there reason or ne
cessity to thus attack the American
standard of our workingmen?
The history of industry demon
strates that every such reduction Oh
wages, intended to meet such con-
ditions as now exist, has only aceen-
tsiated the situatio or, male matters
worse. When you reduce the labor
ing mans earning capacity you
reduce his consuming power, ana
thereby intensity what was already
bad enough.
sounds Alarming.
80 | say to the employers--to the
lawyers, the manufacturers, the mine
operators to all empioyers-that IL
they now attempt to reduce wages
they are not going to have the easy
sailing they had a few years ago, Tor
the American workingman has come
to the conclusion that If for any rea-
son the financial situation is as 1t Is
and 1 shall not suggest any rea-
son now--it was not, at any rate, due
TO any fault on the part of the work.
ing people. They have made up their
minds that they are not going to pc
the chief sufferers because OF an ar
tifcial panic, or of one caused by
the blunders of those in charge OF
the finances of the country"
Speaking along the same line, MI
Mitchell said: 1t is not going TO
make matters any better to reduce
wages. such reductions have never
failed to make matters worse in
stead of better"
August Belmont. president of the
civic federation, whose presence was
unexpected at the dinner, as 1t was
supposed he was in Chicago, sound
ed a somewhat similar note OF warn
ing when he said in his Introductory
remarks, as temporary toastmaster'
that the time may soon come when
capital and labor will have to un-
derstand each other or face great
crisis.
A lighter tone was given to one
of the largest public dinners ever
held i'm New York by Melville Il. In
CALLS Introduction of Gen. Frederick
nothing but the army" remark
which he later elaborately explain
ed. Gen. Grant spoke on the army
canteen, and although he said he
would prohibit all sales of liquor II
possible, he declared that the can
teen is the lesser of two evils and
ought to be restored.
Few Cheers for Roosevelt.
Gen. Grant made the only even
Indirect reference to the president
when he said that the subject had
been suggested for the address by
Mr.. Roosevelt The mention OF the
presidents name brought forth a
ripple of applause, which was
strengthened as it went along and
finally ended in a few cheers.
President Eliot, of Harvard, was
introduced as 1.-The first citizen of our
country lie OeiiNeTtQ hlBOTOus
plea for greater Capitalization OF
power in the national government
and especially for national ineor-
poration law.
I'VE shall look for an increase in
the powers of the federal govern
ment in all directions" he said. 1T
goes against our cherished fetch OF
local government. but we desperate
ly need a revision of our views OF
local representation. Local Interests
have changed utterly in hfty years
We must give up our fear of increas-
ing the governments power. Every
question that Is uppermost today
arose half a century after the con-
stitution was made.
The federal government Is try
ing to get new powers. HOW by
stretching process. Some OF our eH-
periments have done pretty We'll
considering our Limitation, but we
have much further to go
He said that Canada has Ions
lead on US because there power Is al
ready centralized in the government
George w. Perkins explained the
profit sharing plan OF the steel trust
He said that $l0.O00.0O0 had beer
distributed In various forms to the
employees for loyalty and efficiency
in the Industrial world" He called
the steel trust "the highest form OF
socialism