The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-02-25
REV. FATHER GASS0N
SPEAKS, FOR LABOR
.--=---r - = : 80 Z
Toiler Should be Treated as a HUI
man Being Not as q Mere
= -f:r =
Machine.
MAJORITY OF CAPITALISTS
DENY RIGHTS OF LABOR
Nations Glory and Strength Con.
sist in the. True Valuation
of Labor.
Special to Labor World.

Special to Labor World.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass, Feb. %.
Speaking before the Civic club of this
city, Rev Thomas I. Gasson, S. J.,
president of Boston college, made a
forceful appeal for the rights of the
man who works. The club before
which Father Gasson spoke includes
in it's membership many of the
wealthy employers of New Bedford.
and in addressing these men the
speaker said:
"Treat the toiler as a human being,
not as a machine. Let us be prepared
to forego part of our profits. The la
borer must be able to live with his
of the fair wage.
IF my principle of fair wage was
followed out, the laboring man would
have the opportunity to lay aside
money for his declining days, but
based on present conditions, I think
you will agree with me that after
paying rent, clothing and other neces-
saries he has little chance to save. 1
know in Boston a man who married
on a salary of $6 week. What
chance has he to lay anything aside?
The difficulties between capital
and labor arise because most of our
laws favor the capitalist and not the
laborer. If more laboring men were
sent to the halls of legislation it would
be better for labor. The trouble is
that the majority of capitalists do
not admit the rights Of labor They
treat men in the way they handle
| bales of cotton. How can this condi-
tion be remedied? BY educating the
community so that the right kind of
men are sent to the halls of legisla-
| ton. - -..~-
THE man who deserves the respect
I of others rs the man 2of labor. The
| dignity Of manhood has been found
| where there has been labor.
| "Another point is found in the fact
that when a man is truly Industrious,
| he is happy. 1t is the unhappy peo-
pie who are the drones.
The nations glory and strength
consist in. the true valuation of la
Dor. When a nation despises labor
and people come to consider labor as
| a nonentity. decay is sure to follow.
IF labor is necessary for the con-
duct of life, what would be the re-
| turn for that labor? Unless the ac-
tions of employers toward their en-
ployees are permaeted by the funda-
mental principles of justice. we shall
certainly have an economic mfsunder-
standing and an economic war.
| There is a. tendency to regard the
! laboring man as a machine. The ma
chine gives out energy and you put
value on it and say it is worth so
much to you. Following on that prin-
ciple you say the laboring man here
| is a machine. What does the Ia
borer give? Machine energy or the
| energy which cannot be classified as
! machine energy?
You know that his labor is human
energy, vitalized energy, the energy
of a human being. Therefore I say
| that in trying to appraise the doings
| of man, we should bear in mind if
we would be perfectly just, what re-
| turn can you make for the output
of vital energy-that which will re-
place the vital energy expended?
What a man gives. if he is true
toiler, is the best Of his life's S energy.
You should give him the best in re-
turn. To take from a man the cream
of his life and give him back a poor
wage, is that the law of Justice? You
are treating him as machine.
THE great principle is in establish
! ing a fair wage to the laborer. We
must give him what will support him
and his family, not on a starvation
scale, but in. comfort. Unless the
laborer can live IN respectable sur
roundings, have nourishing food, sup
port his family, we are not giving
him sufficient > -,