The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-11
Before Cooper Union He Pro- nounces Opinion on Respec- tive Rights of Capital
 and Labor.
GREETED WITH APPROVAL
Secretary Withstands Rapid-Flre At tack of Questioning from the
 Audience Following His Address.

time since he became recognized candidate for the republican presiden- tial nomination, Secretary of War Will liam H. Taft faced a New York audi ence tonight, set forth in detail his attitude toward the pertinent question of labor and capial, and then submit ted to a rapid fire attack from the au- dience which quizzed him keenly and in a controversial 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 sallies evok ed the same demonstrative approval as greeted the salient points of his ad- dress. No less than 1000 persons, it's capacity, had crowded Cooper Union when police reserves were summoned to clear the walks in front of the building. There were a thousand or more persons disappointed in not hav- ing gained entrance. As the not-to-b be mistaken figure of the secretary of war made it's way through the throng, a cHOOb OL llllC NASClo lOl l-lC iiOh ' president" was the signal for a noisy ovation which lasted until MT. Taft bowed his acknowledgements from the platform.
 In his prepared address the secretary pointed out the dependence one upon the other of capital ana labor. He de- clared that great aggregations of wealth properly employed widened the fieldl of labor and were to be welcomed while wealth improperly used was to be condemned. He advocated unionism in so far as sympathy and the result ant co-operation made for the common good
 Orening the speech with the state ment that he would ask the audience to give their attention to "the subject of labor and capital, their common in terests, their necessary controversies, their lawful acts, and the legal renne- dies for their abuses" Secretary Taft traced the origin of institution of property the relationship between prosperity and capital and labor from the earliest days and the principles which lead to the accumulation of cap ital in the world.
 Secretary Taft declared that the at tention given by labor unions to rem edial legislation has been of more di- rect interest than even that of the philanthropists.
 What the capitalist. who is the em- ployer of labor. must face" he contin- ued. ''ls that the organization of labor .-the labor union--is a permanent con OItion in the industrial world Under existing conditions the blindest course pthat an employer of labor can pursue fas to decline to recognize labor unions aSs the controlling influence in the labor ns!,rket and to insist upon dealing only with his particular employees.
 "yThe time has passed in which that attitude can be assumed with any hope of successfully maintaining It. What the wise manager of corporate enter prise employing large numbers of la borers will do is to receive the leaders : of labor unions with courtesy and re- spect and listen to their claims and arguments as they would to the man. agers of any other corporate enterprise with whom they were to make an i'm portant contract affecting the business between them.
 "At times some labor leaders are in- tox!cated with the immense power that they exercise in representing thous- ands of their fellow workers and are weak enough to exhibit spirit of arrogance. Dealing With them is try ing to the patience of the employer. So, too, propositions from labor unions sometimes are so exorbitant in respect to the terms of employment as literally to deprive the manager of the control which he ought to retain over the la borers employed in his business. This is to be expected in comparatively new movement and is not to be made a ground for condemning it.
 "On the other hand the arrogance Is not confined to one side
 Discussing the difficulties in peaceful adjustment of controversies between capital and labor, MT. Taft commended the worker of such organizations as the CIVIC FederatlOn.
 On the subject Of arbitration he ar gued for the adjustment of labor diff eulties by submission to an impartial tribunal. and agreeme nt to abide its Judgment and in this connection de handed the Massachusetts plan"
 On the question O. legal right of the labor union to strike, Secretary Taft raid
 Men have the right to leave the em- ploy of their employer in a body in or der to impose on him as great incon- venience as possible to induce him tc come to their terms. They have tho right to use persuasion with all othel laborers who are invited to take thcil places. in order to convince them ot the advantage to labor of united action Ii is the business of courts and of thf police to respect these rights with thf sarRe degree of care that they respec the right of owners of capital to tn, protection of their property.