The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-02-08
common INTEREST Of
LABOR AND CAPITAL
Labor as Keenly Interested in
Having Capital Increase as
Capitalist Himself.
Good Effects Of Labor Unions
Shown During Our Recent
Financial Panic.

FINANCIAL Panic.
On the 10th Of January Mr.. William
n. Taft delivered an address before
Cooper's Institute, New York city, on
the subject Of labor and capital. We.
heretofore, printed extracts from the
published accounts thereof in New
York papers. Recently, Mr.. Taft has
favored us with complete transcript
of the speech and from which we make
the following excerpts:
Labor Unions Permanent.
What the capitalist, who Is the en-
ployer of labor, must face Is that the
organization of labor-the labor union
lis a permanent condition in the in
dustrial world. It has come to stay.
II the employer would consult his own
interest, he must admit this and act
, on it. Under existing conditions the
blindest course that an employer OF
labor can pursue is to decline to rec
ognize labor unions as the controlling
influence in the labor market and to
insist upon dealing only with his par
ticlllar employees. Time and time again
one has heard the indignant express
sion Of a manager Of some industrial
enterprise, that he did not propose to
have the labor unions run his business,
; that he would deal with his own men.
and not with outsiders.
: "The time has passed In which that
attitude can be assumed with any
hope of successfully maintaining It.
What the wise manager of corporate
enterprise employing large numbers Of
laborers will do, is to receive the lead
erssof labor unions with courtesy and
respect. and listen to their claims and
arguments as they would to the man
ayers of any other corporate enterprise
with whom they were to make an i'm
portant contract affecting the business
between them.
Benefits Of Unionism.
"The effect of the organization of la
Dor, on the whole, has been highly
beneficial in securing better terms for
employment for the whole. laboring
community. I have not the slightest
doubt, and no one who knows any
thing about the subject can doubt, that
the existence Of labor unions steadies
wages. More than this, It has brought
ahoRt an :a1ne1ioration Of the condition
Of the @laborers in another way. y :" =
".rhis truth is fully exemp1ified in
the course. which legislation has taken
since labor has organized and has
made systematic effort to secure
laws to protect the workingman by
mandatory provision against the heart
lessness Of negligence Of the employer.
Labor unions have given great atten-
ton to factory acts which secure a
certain amount Of air and provision
for the safety Of employees, to the SAT-
ety-appliance acts in respect to rail-
roads, to fixing the law governing the
liability Of railroads to their employees
for injuries sustained by accident, to
the restriction Of child labor in facto-
ries, and to similar remedial legisla-
ton. The interest of the workingman
has been more direct in these matters
than even that Of the philanthropists,
and he has pressed the matter until
in the legislation of nearly every state,
the effect of his influence is seen.
Scope of Movement.
The diverse interests of capital and
labor are wider considerably than the
mere pecuniary question Of the amount
OF wages. They cover all the terms of
the employment and include not only
the compensation but also the circum-
stances that affect the comfort and
condition Of the workingmen, including
the daily hours of work. the place In
which they work, the provisions for
their safety from accident, and every
thing else that 1s~germane to the en-
ployment.,,
''The really practical justification FOR
popular representative government
rests on the truth that any set Of men
or class in a political community are
better able to look after their own in
terests and more certain to keep those
interests. constantly in mind than the
members of any other class or set Of
men, however altruistic.
Adjustment Of Difficulties.
"One of the great difficulties in
Peace1ul adjustments of controversies
between labor and capital is the re-
1usal OF each side to take time to
understand the attitude of the other.
The question which troubles the capi-
taltst, Of course, is how am increase in
wages or maintenance Of wares will
AFFECT the profits Of his business. The
question which troubles the working
1nanris how much he can live on and
what he can save from his waress
And these things are affected by MANY
different; circumstances, including, ON
the one hand, the condition Of the
market for the merchandise which Ia
being manufactured and the other ele-
ments in the cost Of operating the en-
terprise, and, on the other, the rate of
rent and the price of necessaries Of
life. If the leaders of the workingmen
believe that the employer is consider
ing their argument and weighing it.
and the labor leaders manifest an in
terest in the conditions with reference
to expense and profit Of the employer.
the possibility of an adjustment is
much greater than when each occu-
pies a stiff and resentful attitude
against the other" -. -
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