Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-24
James W. Van Cleave
Tells Why
st. Louis Man FaVors Consolidation
for Advancement Of Industrial
Peace Representing Capital
Izstion Of S2,ooo,ooo,ooo
Special to The Herald.

of Labor, were advanced in Boston
yesterday after a speech by James w.
Van Cleave of st. Louis, president OF
the National Association of Manu-
facturers.
Mr.. Van Cleave startled 500 delegates
to the annual convention of the Ma
tional Metal Trades association by de-
claring capital everywhere must recog-
nize labor's right to organize, this rec
ognition being necessary before 1ndus-
trial America can hope to reach lts
fullest growth.
The interests Mr.. Van Cleave would |
consolidate for the advancement OF IN
dustrial peace and commercial su-
premacy represent capitalization OF
more than s., ,000. 900 900. More than a
billion dollars of this is represented in
Mr.. Van Cleave's organization. to
which he would weld the National
Metal Trades, the National Typothetae, |
the National Founders, the National
wholesale Merchant Tailors' associa-
ton and other bodies of magnitude.
Said Mr.. Van Cleave, Both employ |
ers' organizations and labor unions
have come to stay. Intelligent organ |
ization among employers is needed not
only to enable us to deal with labor
promlems promptly and justly, when |
ever they arise, but also to equip us
to strengthen our industrial position
at home so that we can win the con- !
which we will need in order to keep our
shops busy and to provide labor for our
works..
"All the great national organizations
of employers should come together in |
spirit of mutual fraternity and estab-
lish central body in which each would
be represented. This body could deal
with the interests common to all the |
organizations. These interests are not |
only large in number, but titanic in
magnitude. Moreover, they are rapidly |
expanding in each particular.
lone Of the Country's greatest needs !
at this moment is the diffusion of edu-
cation along sane lines. Social and po- |
litical quackery should be rendered i'm
possible by instilling into the minds of
employers workers and the general
public, ideas which will show them
that in the last analysis all their in
terests coincide and injury to any one
element in society will react on all.
Pernicious Legislation Condemned
cone OF the evils which every or
ganization of employers is frequently
called upon to combat is silly or per-
1licious legislation. Fads, follies and
vices manage to register themselves
in bills introduced in congress and the
various state legislatures at every ses-
sion The demagogue and disturber
are always with us and they are al
ways active.
In fighting it's ills each organization
now acts separately. Each makes its
own experiments and learns its own
lessons from it's own losses and the
losses are frequent and humiliatlnS.
The losses and humiliations which be-
set us now can be avoided only by CO.
operation.
AS a preliminary to settlements which
will stay settled Mr. Van Cleave told
the convention there must be at the
outset a full and frank recognition of
the fact that both capital and labor
have duties as well as rights. AS an
employer he said that all employing
interests should act on the assumption
that if labor leaders will eliminate un-
lawful and coercive methods they must
be reckoned with as a fixture in Amer
ica's business life.
This is an age of concentration
combination, consolidation" resumed
Mr.. Van CleaVe. Labor has as large
an incentive and also as large right
to concentrate as has capital and cap
ital must concede this right. AT the
same time employers must aid in edu-
eating the workers. morally as well as
intellectually, so that they will choose
better officers than many of the graft
ers with which they have been afflicted
in recent years.
"Let us have peace between workers
and employers on basis of the recog-
milton, fully and frankly, of the rights
and duties of each"
Employers must work dscreetly, Mr..
Van Cleave warned, so as not to give
opportunity to demagogues to arouse
any class prejudices He aVerred it
to be to the interest of employers.
workers and the public generally that
the labor leaders abolish all their ig-
norant and corrupt leaders.
Would Educate All Workers
Mr.. Van Cleave said the diffusion of
correct ideas among the wage earners
of the country is one of the largest
issues confronting publc-spirited men
today. BY educating the rank and file
of the unions he declared, a way for
the ousting of corrupt labor leaders
may be prepared This done the speak
er said IL will be easy to reach an
equitable agreement between capital
and labor.
Discussing agreements with labor,
Mr.. Van CleaVe expressed belief that
nearly all employers favor agreements
with labor as making for stable bust
ness conditions over a term of years.
This gives employers an opportunity to
make contracts and TO plan for few
years in advance. Such collective bar
gaining, MIR. Van CleaVe asserted, Is
losing favor because less has been ac-
complished than was expected. The
reason for this failure was said to be
an unwillingness or inability to reach
agreements that were equitable.
Deploring the absence of friendly and
confidential relations between em-
ployefs and workers, Mr.. Van CleaVe
praised the work OF President Roose-
velt's anthracite coal strike commits
sion, which declared for the "open
shop" and against boycotting and
blacklisting.
"The principles enunciated by that
commission form the basis upon witch
employers and workers should meet
from now onward. They should be in
sisted upon. They are the Magma
Charta of Americas industrial liberty.
81 hold that the closed shop assails
individual initiative, destroys individual
freedom and robs the American worker
Of the independence and dignity which
should be as dear to him as life. Em-
ployers must throw away the blacklist.