The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-05-20
MANUFACTURERS REFORMS.


The opening session Of the National
Association OF Manufacturers devel-
oped a number Of matters OF vital IN
terest. one was the radical attack OF
one OF the directors upon organized
labor, which. he said, demanded class
advantages and should not be given
as much consideration ms the Forty
Thieves" ITO compromise or arhi-
trate with such people is nothing
more or less than compromising
felony" he said. Other matters OF
interest to the public were the con
demnation OF two cent-a- mile" legls-
lation with railroads. the Sherman
antitrust law in It's present form, and
the policy Of squandering national
finances on battleships and mllitar-
ism instead of Spending the money
or proper internal waterways and the
promotion of foreign commerce as a
war preventative. The formation of
a business mems party TO take an ac-
tive part In the coming national cleo
ton was only touched on as 4 side
issue. 1t is expected that It VIII con-
stitute the business OF another days
session.
In view Of the recently expressed
opinions of President Roosevelt on
the question Of battleship building AS
the solution Of the problem of keeping
the peace with other nations, the re-
port of one of the committees Mt the
convention Is very timely. Ii takes
the matter from a prospective that Is
Numerically opposed; its idea Is that
our industrial products than TO wage
war with him and that peace can he
kept as we'll, by developing CONNER
cial relations as by any show ~ power
]
with battleships. The habit Of trad
ing with foreigner says the com
mittee, when once formed Is the
best way of curing us OF disposition
to do battle with him; the best way,
at the same time, to prevent him from
becoming tempted to fight with us;
because the discovery Is made on both
sides that each Is more profitable to
the other as customer than as enemy +"
theoretically such an Idea is an at
tractive one. 1t savors of the highest
ethics of the Golden Rule. But may
! it not be said with all sense Of justice
to both parties that, at the very time
the manufacturers are condemnlng
labor organizations and socialism as
impractlcablc, unattainable theories,
they are themselves propounding a
equally as theoretical? Aside from the
question whether our navy is large
enough in its present condition or
not, can our manufacturing friends
tell us that in this twentieth century
we have advanced 50 far in matters of
international ethics that strife may
no longer be expected? Unless we
are far from right, commerce and
commercial relations have been one
OF the most general causes for inter-
national outbreaks 1t is pleasant to
think that the world has so far adj
vanced along the Christian highway
that the sight-draft and the bank note
Is a more valued weapon of defense
/ than the rife and the thirteen-ineh
gun, but our naval men tell such Is
not the case and, after all, perhaps
they are in fair way to be able to
size up the situation.
The manufacturers have embarked
upon a noble endeavor when they at
tempt to show the need of internal
waterways Bring the sea near to
the farm is their cry. They do not
SO much criticize the amount Of
money which has been laid aside to-
ward attaining this object as the num-