The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-11

tion or enterprise with whom they were to make an independent contract affect- ing the business between them. At times some labor leaders are intoxicated With -the power that they exercise In repre- senting thousands of their fellow Work- CTS, and are weak enough to exhibit spirit of arrogance. Dealing with them is trying to the patience of employers. 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 Whlen he ought to retain over the laborers em- ployed in his business. This is to De expected in a comparatively new move- ment and is not to be made grouhu for condemning 1t.
 "On the other hand the arrogance IS not confined to one side All of us know that there are a number of employers who have the spirit of intolerance and sense of power because of the immense resources and that their attitude is neither concilitatory nor likely to lead to an adjustment of differences"
 Arbitration Is Proper.
 On the subject of arbitration, Mir. Taft argued for the adjustment of labor dif- faculties by submission to an impartial tribunal and agreement to abide by us judgment and in this connection com mended the Massachusetts plan. This method, he declared, had practically been adopted by President Roosevelt, and had shown substantial and practical results That is a provision of law by which Q tribunal shall investigate the conditions surrounding the dispute, take evidence, draft conclusion in respect to the merits of the issue and publish it to the world.
 On the question of legal right of labor unions to strike, Secretary Taft said;
 .f.-1,f fs. nT1 ploy of their employer in a body in order to impose on him as great influence as possible to induce him to come to their terms They have the right in their la bor unions to delegate to their leaders the power to say when to strike. They have the right in advance to accumulate by contribution from all members of the labor unions fund which shall enable them to live during the pendency of the strike. They have the right to use per suasion with all other laborers 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 the courts and of police to respect the rights of labor in the same degree they show respect to the owners of capital in the protection of their property and bus iness" He added, however that "a re- sort to violence or other form of lawless- ness, on behalf of a labor union properly merits and receives the sharpest condemnation ftofn the public and is quite likely to lose the cause of labor it's support in the particular controversy
 Unlawful Monopolies.
 The "abause of capital combination" = industrial and rai,road-were discussed at length and the relation of wage earners thereto pointed out.
 "The maintenance of such unlawful monopoies,' said MT. Taft "is for the purpose of keeping up the prices of the necessities of life and necessarily reduces the purchasing power of the wages which the wage earners receive. This is a seri- ous detriment to them and the real req son why they should> condemn such cor porate abuses and sympathize with the effort to stamp them out. It is not that they should sympathize with an effart to destroy such great corporate enterprises because they employ enormous numbers of wage earners and lawfully and nor mally increase the capital from which the wage fund is drawn, but they should wig orously sustain the policy of the govern ment in bringing these great corporate enterprises within the law and requiring them to conduct their business in accord ance with the statutes of their country.
 Tn rare instances, corporate mana