The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-01-15
CONMODITYOF LABOR
A Proposition That Must Be Rec
ognized.
TO GAIN INDUSTRIAL PEACE.
Seller Of Lsbcr shouid Receive sams
Consideration as vender Of Merchan-
dise--When interests Of Employer
and Employees cesse TO Sc Identical

Consideration as Vender Of Morchan.
dise--When interests Of Employer
and Employees cesse 70 Sc Identical
I Trades unionists recognize that there
are many relationships between en-
pioyer and employees which are kin
dred o. even Identical They do not
in the main seek t. divide society
upon horizontal lines az cleavage.
They are believers ID the fundamental
principles Of democracy. which stand
for the protection az equality Of prop
erty rights as well a. for personal
freedom. They seek reasonable re-
forms rather tAan nebuIous and ira
tional revolutions, destructive Of many
Of the things upon which the very
structure Of civilization Is based
Human nature to not ideal. ana until
it becomes 50 an idezI orsler n inpns-
sibie. II men were angels. L would
not matter what kind Or government
was instituted or even II no govern
mont at all existed. Fus IN our every.
! day word tfge power vested ID nspn 10
control the acts Of others must - ~
iusted to the complex nature 81 real
men with their adnixture o. gooss and
H.
The trades unions are the most III
fecFiye snd practieal force get devised
Tor the heneGt Of the labor sellers
The lanor problem. 50 called. Is sim.
oily a part ~ the greater problem Of
human life. Of human Relationship. and
as such eanaos well t. differentiated
from that nrohleEa Irsdes nnEonlSni
seeks TO develop Justice between men
In their industrial relationships IN rar
ticnlaF; Il TRIES 10 teach wage eaFnars
that they can 40 better for themselves
by trying to help lift one smother up
rather than by following the policy Of
each one for hinasclf and tie devil take
the hindmost ii tries to convince the
employer that It Is for bits interest To
treat his employees Is men rather
than as parts q machinery: thar It IS
wise business policy to recognize the
fact that there should Ee two Sides 10
the labor bargain as weGI as III other
bargains that, although be has a Legal
property right ID his shop and machin.
cry. he has no property right In the Ia
horers Of whom he buys labor, but nc
has moral RESPONSE billy to deal tust
IL with them
Trades union philosophy, therefore
reaches this coneluslon--that while IN
many ways the man who buys aud fha
man who sells labor may have ideu,
fical interests--for Instance. III their
political religious. educational. fFater
nal. charitable aud many other rela.
tianships yet as parties to the bargain
they must make for the commodity IL
labor their interests are hy no means
Identical any more than are the inter
ests OF the man who goes into a storr
to buy goods from the storekeeper
The storekeeper wants to get bis pries.
the buyer wants % cheaper. In order
to do business they must reach d point
Of agreement but that is all
Something very analogous to this ex.
lists in the labor world The laisorer |
has something to sell. for which he
wants the best possible price war
ranted by the conditions Conversely 1
the buyer wants 10 Get this commodity |
at the lowest possible price. Here may I
be and usually is 4 reciprocal interest.
but by no stretch Of the Imagination 4
can that statement be true which Is 4
so often told us, that the interests OF I
the employer and the employee are 1
Identical"
TX by no mems follows that because
OF this economic diversity OF interests
the two parties to the labor bargain
should 90 TO war about it. There is a
better way, and the Industrial world
is learning II. although az the cost Of
much bitter experience on both sides
The industrial agreement is being sub
stituted for the strike. John Mundei-
Ia, the great apostle Of arbitration in
Great britain, well said, 1--WE cannot
expect industrial peace until we treat
the man who has the commodity OF
labor 70 sell with the same eonsidera-
ton we treat the man who comes to
ns With any other commodity" And
Il Is not she least Of the triumphs al
the trades union philosophy that this
wisdom Of Mr.. Munde.la's is becoming
more and more appreciated by the fair
minded captains OF industry ia Amer
lea
Trades daionism seeks high wages.
reasonable leisure fair conditions. the
abolition Of child labor and the general
wen being Of the wage Garner II
Il believes this % - the best Cor
The entire community as well as for
he worker Money paid ~ wages re-
-urns bark into the channels Of trade.
stimulating production and qaickening
business enterprise. while excessive
profits on Undated corporation stock or
rnst m0nopoiles are either aceumu
ated or squandered in Ways which de {
lot benefit the publie-Frank K. Tos.
er n