The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-07
is THE SUBJECT
OF ELOQUENT AND LOGICAL
ADDRESS BY H. II. PARSONS
Labor Day Orator Discusses Many Problems Of the Organized
Workngmen of the United States Calling Attention Virtues
and Weaknesses With Equal Candor Commencing Clifford
Pinchot Theodore Roosevelt and the Conservation Policy

From the speakers stand on Higgins
square. Harry III. Parsons addressed
the Labor day throngs. lie delivered
an intelligent and Ineligible discus
sion of "Uninnism: A Phase of the
Labor Question" speaking with his us
ual brilliancy. Without recourse tn
tricks of elocution. speaking straight
from the heart, seemingly. Mr.. Parsons
awoke his audience to enthusiasm time
after time. and finally sent those who
heard him home with plenty of food
for thought. The problems. the viz
tues. the weaknesses of unionism h.
discussed with candor. decrying vlo-
lence and advocating cooperation and
arbitration. In the course of his adj
dress he commended Clifford Pinchnt,
Theodore Roosevelt and the policy thai
upholds the conservation Of natural
resources.
TIE exercises of which Mr.. Parsons
was the principal feature were held
Immediately after the morning parade.
George w. Scott, general chairman OF
the Labor day committee. presided.
and the invocation was delivered by
Rev. j. w. TAFT. pastor Of the First
Methodist Episcopal church. The Mis-
SCUBA Maennerchor sang THE Soldiers
Farewell before Mayor Logan. repre-
senting MissouIa. babe the visitors well
come. After another song by the
Maennerchor. Mr.. Parsons was intro
duced. He spoke as follows:
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentle
men-The celebrated Dr. Bouteier
was. believe, accustomed to remark
that doubtless the Lord might have
made better berry than the straw
berry. but doubtless the Lord never
did / certainly voice the sentiments
Of this festive company today when
/ say that doubtless the Lord might
have made a better man than the
laboring man, but surely the Lord
never did From civilizations early
dawn to thissyery hour, the salt Of the
earth has been the man who earns his
bre}t by tnea sweat OF his face.
wl,sther serf Or v;lssal, slave Or free
mah peasant or poet. social existence
and progress has hxer depended and
stili depends on his1abor and 1Sroduc-
tiout Our civil war marked the close
of that immemoriai struggle for the
owRership of labor. and we are now
enStged i'm the inaelstrom of a peace
full and more universal struggle
struggle to define and arrange the re-
latiuns of capital and labor. In this
Heyyulean task We are fortunate be-
You'd compare To have with us the
heaar and conscience. the courage and
harlt common sense of the American
pe1le, who have by law set aside this
dav lin honor of the men and women
OF bnest toll.
la. Il fal ~ him who
really works-to THE genius who pro-
dudA and adds to the capital and lib
ertJI of the race4So the actual pro-
du9srs. whether by mind or muscle.
whether in the form OF physical exer-
ton. the prophets vision or the poets
song.
Ethiealiy. the one great problem fac
ing the people today is: HOW CAN
MAN REST BE DEVELOPED IN
AMERICA? That Is the. question 10
which mankind bends Its ear ana
unlonlsm its energies. As means of
this end unionism has set itself to
work to secure for every man just
reward for his toll, and to determine
what proportion of all product belongs
10 capital and what to labor.
The production Of wealth generally
consists in the application of brains
and Drawn To the substances of ma
ture. .Neither..t- potent producing
agent without the other. The forest
of nature may be of little value itself,
but when the siahofer fellH the trees.
runs his burrows through the soil and
plants his seed. it becomes n serita-
BILE garden of Eaen--a temple of
wealth--with powers of limitless pro
duction The food the laborer eats,
the clothes he wears. the appliances Int
uses, his home, his freside and gov
eminent are portions of capital with
out which the forest might stand and
the soil remain forever virgin. So that
in the production of wealth. each plays
a part. whether small or great. and In
entitled tn credit i'm proportion.
There is always harmony in tha
process of production IL Is only when
the combined product Is To he dis
tribnted that conflicts hegin-whcn
labor shows It's teeth and capital its
power. Economically the problem has
ever been: how 10 determine what
proportion Of wealth produced is at
trihutahle IL labor and what motety 10
capital. 4 more difficult problem has
not been dreampt of i'll your phiioso-
ply, Mr.. President.
Difficulties Many.
The difficulties of solution are many.
though not insGrpsrahie. These diff
culties are augmented by the fact that