Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-11
SECRETARY TAFT
Continued from page ~

| Continued from page 1.)
gained labor, If acting with reason
liable discretion, can secure much
greater promptness in the advance of
| wages than If it was left to the slow
Ter operation of natural laws, and in
the same way, as hard times come on,
7 the too eager employer may be re-
strained from undue haste in reduc-
| ing wages. The organization of ca
Ipital into corporations with the posi-
ltion of advantage which this gives it
in the dispute with single laborers
lover wages, makes it absolutely neces-
sary for labor to unite to maintain
Itself.
| What the, capitalist who is an EN-.
Iployer of labor, must face" he contin-
lued, sis that the organization of lab
or-the labor unions permanent
condition in the industrial world. 1t
has come to stay. II the employer
would consult his own interests he
Unjust admit this and act on it. I'm
Ider existing conditions the blindest
Icourse that the employer of labor can
fpursue is to decline to recognize labor
Iunions as controlling influence in
the labor market and to insist upon
dealing only with his particular en-
5ployes.
'FThe time has passed in which that
attitude can be assumed with any hope
of successfully maintaining it. What
the wise manager of corporate en-
terprise, employing large numbers of
laborers will do is to receive the lead.
E.ers Of the labor unions with courtesy
and respect and listen to their claims
and arguments as they would to man.
agers of any other corporate enter.
prise with whom they were to make
an important contract affecting bust.
ness between them. At times some
labor leaders are intoxicated with the
immediate power that they exercise
in representing thousands of their
I fellow workers and are weak enough
to exhibit a spirit of arrogance. Deal.
ing with them is trying to the pa
thence of the employer. So, too, pro
positions from labor unions some.
times are SO exorbitant in respect to
the terms of employment as literal
ly to deprive the manager of the con
troll which he ought to retain over
the laborers employed in his business
This is to be expected in compare
i lively new movement and is not to be
made a ground for condemning it.
4. "On the other hand arrogance Ii
not confined to one side. We all OF
us know that there are a number OF
employers who have a spirit of intol
erance and sense of power because
Of their immense resources, and thai
their attitude is neither conciliatory
nor likely to lead to any adjustment
of differences. Wise men among the
employers of labor and labor leaders
are those who discard all appearance
Of temper or sense of power and at
tempt by courteous consideration and
calm discussion to reach common
ground
On the subject of arbitration Mr.
Taft argued for an adjustment of lab
or difficutties by submission to an i'm
partial tribunal and agreement to
abide by it's judgment, and in this
connection commended the 'Massa-
chusetts plan" This method, he de
clared, had practically been adopted
by President Roosevelt and had shown
substantial results. That is the pro-
vision of the law by which an impair.
tial tribunal shall investigate all CON
ditions surrounding the dispute, take
sworn evidence, draft conclusion in
respect to the merits of the issue and
publish it to the world.
He said: can abuse which employ.
ers are sometimes guilty of is what is
technically known as sblacklisting.
This is unlawful and should be con.
demned''
Mr.. Taft condemned the ABUSES OF
labor" such as violence, intimidation
and the boycott.