The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-01-11
TAFT IS QU|zzED
BY NEW WORKERS
AFTER HE MADE A SPEECH ON
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
AUDIENCE NUMBERED 1000
The War Secretary Pointed Out tn,
lnterdependence Of Capital and
Labor and Also Advocat.
Trade uaouiem.


New York, Jan. 1t.-.For the first
time since he became recognized
candidate for the republican presiden
tial nomination, Secretary of Wat
Taft last night faced New York au
dience, set forth in detail his stand
on the question of the relative inter
ests and rights of labor and capital
and in turn submitted to a rapid fire
attack from the audience, which
quizzed him keenly and in some
what controversial spirit, according
to the practice of the Peoples insti.
tute, whose guest he was.
Not less than 1000 persons, its ca
pacity, had crowded into Cooper I'm.
ion when police reserves were sum.
moned to clear the walks IN front OF
the building, where a thousand or
more, disappointed in not having
gained entrance. had congregated.
In his prepared address the secre.
tary pointed out the dependence, one
upon the other, of capital and labor.
He declared that great aggregations
of wealth properly employed widened
the field Of labor and were to be wei.
coined, while wealth improperly used
was to be condemned. He advocated
unionism in so far as sympathy and
the resultant cooperation made for
the common good.
What the capitalist, who is the
employer of labor, must face" he said,
'is that the organization of labor
the labor unions--is a permanent con.
dition in the industrial world. II has
come to stay. II the employer would
consult his own interests he must ad.
NIT this and act on it. Under existing
conditions the blindcst course that an
employer of labor can pursue is TO
decline to recognize labor unions as
The controlling influence in the labor
market"
On the question of the 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 inconvenience as possible to in
duce him to come to their terms.
They have the right in advance to ac-
emulate by contributions from all
members of the labor union fund
which shall enable them to live during
the strike. They have the right to
use persuasion with all other laborers
who are invited to take their places,
in order to convince them OF the ad.
vantage to labor of united action"
At the conclusion of his address the
audience had its turn. Chairman
Smith announced that Secretary Taft
would read the questions as they
were handed up.
The first questioner desired to know
II the secretary would stake his po-
litical future on the attitude taken by
the administration on the Brownsville
incident. Secretary Taft declined to
answer the question.
do you think laborer gets
enough money! was another ques.
tion, to which Secretary Taft replied:
IL don't know what the laborer gets.
/ don't know what labor he performs,
but ! do know that some get more
than they ought to have and ! think
some should get more"
There was a loud shout when the
secretary commenced to laugh while
reading over question which in
quired why he had changed his atti-
tude toward labor since he left the
Ohio bench. The secretary declared
that his attitude had not changed and
that the things he said Friday night he
had always stood for.
The questions came thick and fast
and there was one query over which
the secretary hesitated. Then he
read:
What Is man to do who Is out
of work In financial crisis and is
starving?"
God knows" he replied. "They
have my deepest sympathy If they
can't get work. II is an awful case
when man is willing to work and is
put in this position"
Il am asked" said the secretary,
IF the government ownership Of
mines and railroads would make dis
putes between labor and capital easier
to settle. | don't think so. Do you
realize what power you would put
In Washington! You would put a
power In the'hands of one man or set
OF men that would well make you
tremble for the safety of the repub-
llc."