The Washington herald., 1908-01-11
OVATION TO TAFT
AT COOPER UNION
Continued from Page One.

mat corporate capital should be fdifly
treated Any injustice done to it acts
directly upon the wage earners that must
look to corporate wealth for employment
Take the large body Of railroad employees.
Any drastic legislation which tends un-
Justly to reduce the legitimate earnings Of
the railroad must. in the end, fan with
heavy weight upon the employees Of that
railroad, because the manager win ulti-
mately turn toward wages as the place
where economy can be effected. So in
respect to taxation. If the corporation is
made TO bear more than its share of the
public burdens. II reacts directly. first
upon its stockholders. and then upon its
employees.
we are suffering now frSm a panic.
II WAS brought on. in my judgment, by
the exhaustion of free capital the world
over by the lack Of an elastic system
of currency, anG also by a lack OF con-
hdence in our business fabrics produced
in Europe through the revelations in GER
tain great corporations Of business dis
/ honesty, corruption. and unlawfulness. II
had been necessary for us to purify some
Of our business methods; but the puTif-
cation cannot stop the panic. II will
doubtless make another in the far future
I less likely. Meantime. ali must suffer,
both the lnn0cent and guilty. and the
innocent more than the guilty.
''The conclusion seek TO reach is that
the WOrkngman who entertains a preju-
dice against the lawful capitalist because
he is wealthy, who votes with JUNCTION for
the men who are urging unjust and I'M
fair legislation against him. and who
makes demagogic appeals to acquire pop
ular support in what they are doing is
standing IN his own light, Is blind to his
own interests. and is cutting off the limb
on which he sits.
Discusses Question of Arbitration.
Turning 10 the question OF arbitration
for labor disputes, Mr.. Taft said:
1T EOes without saving that where an
adjustment can not be reached by nego-
tiation it is far better for the community
at large that the differences be settled by
submission to an impartial tribunal and
agreement to abide It's judgment than 10
resort 10 trial of resistance and endur-
ance by lockouts and strikes and the
other means used by the parties to in
dustTial controversies IN fighting out the
issue between them. Not infrequently
one side or the other-but generally the
capitalist side-will say in response 20 a
suggestion of submission 20 arbitration
that there is nothing 20 arbitrate: that
their position is - impregnable from the
standpoint Of reason that they could not
abide judgment against them by any
tribunal in a matter subject 10 their
voluntary action.
In such a case. arbitration as a method
Of settlement is impossible unless the
system OF compulsory arbitration is
adopted II is a very serious question
whether under our Constitution n decree
Of any tribunal under a compulsory aTbi-
tration law could be enforced against the
side Of the laborers. 1t would come very
close TO the violation Of the thirteenth
amendment. which forbids involuntary
seTvitude."
Right Of Unions tn Strike.
The speaker then discussed at some
length the right of the labor union to
order "A strike, saying:
Men have the right to leave the EN-
pIOy Of their employer in a body in order
20 impose on him as great an inconveni-
ence as possible to induce him to come
TO their terms They have the right in
their labor unions to delegate to their
leaders the. power 90 say when To strike
They have the right in advance 70 ac-
cumulate by contributions from all MEM
bers Of the labor union a fund which
shall enable them 10 live during the
tendency of the strike. They have the
right to use persuasion with all other
laboTeTs who are invited TO take their
places In order 10 convince them Of the
advantage 10 labor Of united action. II
is the business Of courts and OF the police
to respect these rights with the same
degree Of care that they respect the right
of owners Of capital TO the protection Of
their property and business"
Defines Abuses of Labor.
Turning to the abuses of labor, Mr.. Taft
said:
"A resort to violence or other form of
lawlessness on behalf Of a labor union
properly merits and receives the sharpest
condemnation from the public and It is
quite likely to lose the cause Of labor its |
support in the particular controversy.
"Of course. this is the most effective
method, if successful. Of bringing the
employer 10 terms. If the demand FOR
labor is such that many persons of the
same craft as those who strike not mem
bers of the labor union, are idle. it viii
be easy for the employer to replace the
strikers They viii be out Of a job and
he will continue in business.
1T follows. therefore. that the wisest
time for skilled or other labor 10 strike
is when there is a great demand for
labor and il is difficult for the employer
60 replace those who leave him. Violence
and threatened violence are Of course I'M
lawful Persuasion not amounting in ef-
feet to duress is lawful.
Condemns Resort Ia Boycott.
Another method by which wage-earn-
ers sometimes attempt 10 coerce their
employer into acquiescence in their de-
mands is what is called boycott It is
a method by which the striking employees
and their fellows of their union attempt
to coerce the whole community into a
withdrawal Of all association from their
former employer by threatening the rest
of the community that If they do not
withdraw their association from such
employer they will visit each one of them
with similar treatment This is a cruel
instrument and has been declared to be
unlawful in every court with whose de-
cisions l am familiar
Criticism of Injunction Remedy.
THE remedy by injunction has been
very severely denounced and criticised,
on the ground that it places in the hands
OF a judge legislative, judicial, and ex-
ecutive powers; that it enables him to
make the law for one case against a par
ticular individual, and if he does not
abide by it to try him and punish him.
When this objection is analysed it is
found TO be unjust.
An injunction suit does not differ in
the slightest degree from a suit brought
after the event, so far as the function Of