Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-08
BRYAN TELLS OF
NEEDS OF LABOR
CITES BENEFITS DERIVED BY
ORGANIZATION
UNION OF WoRKINGMEN A STEP
TOWARD BROTHERHOOD
Great Multitude of Wage Farmers In
Chicago Hear Eloquent Expose
of Present Day Con-
ditions
continued from Pars one,

nroved conditions are shared by nom
union men as well as by union men.
Do not understand me to say that
labor organization is perfect; "the king
can do wrong" can no more be spoken
of a group than of individuals. The
labor organization is composed of men;
its affairs are controlled by human be-
Hngs, and human beings are not per-
feet. All that man touches is stained
with mans imperfections, and his
frailty can be traced through all his
works. But, fortunately for the labor
ing man, the judgment pronounced
against his mistakes must be tempered
by the fact that those with whom the
laboring man comes into contact are
also likely to err. When the omploye
deals with the employer he is dealing
with one of like passions with himself
Each is likely to be insistent upon what
he believes to be right, and the opinion
of each, as to what is right, is likely
TO be colored by selfish interests and
affected by incomplete information as
to the facts.
Wrong on Both Sides
If the empioye has sometimes re-
sorted to violence to enforce his wishes,
the employer has sometimes employed
his position to secure an unfair share
of the joint product. 1t is the province
of the law to place limitations upon
both, and the security of our govern
ment is found in the fact that both
employer and employe, in their calmer
moments, will join in the enactment Of
laws which will restrain them in mo-
1nents of temptation. Some assume
that labor is lawlesS and that to settle
the labor question permanently we
need only enforce the law vigorously. l
yield to none in insistence upon obe-
II. - T. L.,
human society, and it's enforcement is
essential to peace and order. but We
must remedy abuses by law If we would
insure respect for, and obedience to,
law.
The important lesson to be learned
by the citizen in a government like
ours is that the ballot Is both shield
and sword-it protects him from injury
and enforces his rights.
The first thing that is needed for
better understanding of labor questions
is the recognition of the equal rights
of all, and. second, more intimate ac-
quaintance. We have rights that may
be called natural rights; they are in
herent: we have them because we are
human beings. The government did
not bestow them upon us-the govern
ment cannot rightfully withdraw them
from us. We all come into the world
without our volition; the environment
the same moral obligations and are re-
sponsihle to the same Supreme Being.
We have our needs that must be sup
piled; We require food, clothing, shell
ter, companionship. We have our do
mestic ties, and the tenderness of these
ties is not measured by wealth or po-
sition in society. Man has used petty |
distinctions to separate society into |
different classes, but these distinctions |
are insignificant when compared with |
the great similarities that unite us in |
a common destiny and impel us toward |
a common en1.
On this day it is we'll to emphasize |
the fact that We are linked together |
by bonds which we could not break if |
we would and should not weaken If we |
could. It ought to be easy to learn |
this lesson in the United States, for |
here, more than anywhere else, people |
feel their interdependence. We have |
no law of primogeniture to separate |
the oldest son from his brothers and |
sisters; and we have no law of entail |
to prevent the alienation of an estate. |
There is no aristocracy resting upon |
birth or kingly favor: and If the peo-
pie perform their civic duties there |
will be no plutocracy ruling in the |
name of the dollar. Here the road to |
is a public highway, and |
it is within our power to keep 1T open
to all alike. Here, too, the govern
ment is within the control of the peo-
pie, and no department of the service
is out of the reach of the voter or
beyond the influence of public opinion.
Under our constitution some branches
of the government are more respon
sive than others to the public will, but |
our government can be controlled by |
the people. from the organic law which
we call the constitution to the statute
and the courts decree.
Step Toward Elevation
A long step toward the elevation of
labor to it's proper position in the ma
tion's deliberations is to be found in
the establishment of a department of
labor, with a cabinet officer at its head.
The wage earnerrs deserve this recog-
<1asa---..-