The Mena weekly star., 1908-01-16
IAFTS MV YORK SPEECH
Cooper Union Filled to 0verfowing to Hear the Secretary
 of War.
HIS SUBJECT WAS CAPITAL AND LABOR
Mir. Taft Talked of the Relative Inter- ests of the Two and Advocated a Policy of Cancellation by Both-An- swered Many Questions by His Audience.

New York, Jan. 12.-For tho first time since he became recognized candidate for the republican presi- dential nomination, Secretary of War William H. Taft Friday night faced a New York audience set forth in de- tail his stand on the pertinent ques- ton of the relative interests and rights of labor and capital, and In turn sub mitted to rapid fire attack from tho audience which quizzed him kesnly spirit. according to the practice of the Peoples institute, whose guest he was. The secretary proved equally effective in attack and defense and his prompt and forcible replies and occasional wit ty sallies evoked the same demonstra- points of his address proper
 Not less than two thousand per sons, its capacity had crowded Into Cooper Union when police reserves were summoned to clear the walks In front of the building where . thou eohA ot lAoios 0lodpPOAhbCo iA AOe having gained entrance, had congre- gated.
 In his prepared address the secre- tary pointed out the dependence, one upon the other, of capital and labor. He declared that great nggregations of wealth properly employed widened the field Of labor and were to be wei comsd, while wealth improperly used was to be condemned.
 Labor needs capital to secure the best production" said MT. Taft, while capital needs labor in prodl1>- ing anything. The share of each laborer In the joint product Is affect cd not exactly, but in a general way by the amount of capital in use as compared with the number of those who labor. The more capital in use. the more work there is to do, and the more there is to do, the more laborers are need. Manifsstly, 1t is in the di- rect interest of the laborer that capi- tai shall increase faster than the number of those who work. Nothing is so likely to make wealth idle as insecurity of invested capital and property. It follows, as necessary conclusion that to destroy the guar the interest of the working man.
 What has been said should not be misunderstood. The men who have by economic organization of capital at the same time increased the amount of the eountry's capital, increased the demand and price for labor and re- duced the cost of necessities are not philanthropists. Their sole motive has been one of gain. and with the destruction of private property that motive will disappear and so would the progress of society.
 On the question of legal right of the labor union to strike Secretary Taft said
 Men have the right to leave the employ of their employer in a body in order to impose on him as great an inconvenience as possible to induce him to come to their terms. They have the right in their labor unions to uelebalo lO tutlI icdueIS lH6 pOWtf to say when to strike. They have the right in advance to accumulate by contributions from all members of the labor unions a fund which shall en- able them to live during the pendency of the strike. They have the right to use persuasion with all other laborsrs who are invited to take their places, in order to convince them of the advantage to labor of united action. It 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"
 He added, however, that "a resort to violence, or other form of lawless- ness, on behalf of labor union, prop erly merits and receives the sharpest condemnation from the public and Is quite likely to lose the cause of labor its support in the particular contro- versy.
 To Restrain Nebraska Officials.