East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-12-14

ualism Il Past.
New York. Dec. 14.-With Taft and
wife expected as guests of honor ana
Gompers, John Mitchell, Carnegie,
President Eliot Of Harvard, Arch
bishop Ireland. famous capitalists and
leaders in various lines on the pro-
gram. the national civic federation
opened its annual meeting at the AS
tor hotel this morning. The general
theme for the two days will be pro-
motion OF friendly relations between
employers and employees.
Taft makes the principal address to-
morrow night when he will report
as chairman of the federation's pub
lie employees welfare committee.
John Mitchell, formerly president
of the United Mine Workers, spoke
in part as follows:
Mitchclrs Plea.
"It is a waste OF time to deplore the
passing Of the individual relationship
between employer and workman
which existed under the old order of
productions The organization of la
bor and the combination of capital Is
the natural and logical sequence of
cruel, wasteful and ruinous competi-
tion. Whether for veal or woe, the
old system has gone forever, and the
new alignments, with all their latent
possibilities Of good and evil, are here
10 stay.
"The national civic federation. I'M
keeping with the spirit of the times.
has declared That at all times rep
resentatives of employers and workers
organized or unorganiZed, should con-
fer for the adjustment of differences
or disputes before an actual strike
is reached and thus avoid or minimize
the number of strikes or lockouts; that
mutual agreements as to the condi- |
tons under which labor shall be per-
formed should be encouraged and that
when wage agreements are made. the
terms thereof should be adhered to |
faithfully, both in spirit and letter, by
both parties
To Prevent Strikes.
"From the foregoing It will be seen
that the national civic federation,
when organized, declared in favor of
the trade agreement as a means of
peace between workmen
and employers, and It R the promotion
of this central idea that the trade
a damn rty y,,,pt g., Jaynt.l
"The trade agreement is not a spec
uative theoretical idea; IL has been
in operation in some industries many
Of the most important industries of
our country and its practicability is no
longer questioned by workmen or en-
ployers who have observed and ex-
perienced its humane influence and ,
It's benefit results.
"The trade agreement is the unmis-
taxable recognition of the independ- ,
ence of labor and capital; il is the |
expression of cooperative ef- ,
'ort between these two dominant fac
.ors On our industrial life. 1t will not, 3
If course, prevent all strikes, obviate I
III lockouts, but in the past 1t has re- |
luced and in the future 1t will reduce I
o a great extent the number of in !
iustrial disputes and minimize their
Intensity" I
Need Antitrust Law Changed.
Seth Low, former mayor of New
FORK, and president of Columbia Uni
ersity, spoke in part as follows: q
"The most important activity of the II
ederation during the year under re- y
lew was an effort to obtain at the p
asst session of congress an amendment @
4 the sweeping provisions of the n
herman antitrust law. The bill of z,
asst spring was based upon the belief n
ible to change the substantive law as n
In the Sherman act. This =,
eing taken for granted, II became i'm n
ossibe to do more than propose II
iethod by which, without changing
he law, certain restraints of trade, IL \
OF disapproved in advance by some
overnment authority, might be as
lrcd freedom from prosecution. The
earrings before the congressional COM r
llttees made 1t evident that no relief Is
'om the embarrassments caused by cl
he Sherman antitrust law can be co
'oked for along this line of proceed to
re. III
"The law as interpreted by the su- in
RENE court declares all restraint Of
Iterstate trade illegal. Unitd States re
udpo InPomhp In the tOhapp truqt u
Use, recently decided In the circuit W