The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-05-09

| ~ tnlnk whether iaDOrer may nave
some heart trouble or some physical
| weakness that makes him unfit for
the heavy lifting We ask him to do?
We all believe in clean shops, but do
We think enough Of the human ele-
ment to be careful to avoid sweeping
when the men are about because of
the well.known fact that dust carries
all manner of disease germs which
men breathe? The working out vi
the machine has been a long evolu-
ton and the working out Of the study
of men may also be of long evolution.
It can not be hastily done. 1t requires
patience; so do the machines. Your
machines are complex; how much
more so the man with his human mind
and heart. But II the patience is ex-
ercised there Is in the man the res.
ponsive spirit the machine lacks, and
that spirit, led and not driven, guided
and not abused, is a power in indus.
try of which the wisest of us do not
yet dream. Without it we may be
able, or we may not, to profit temper
arily. With it the age of industrial
conquest opens to us.
There are keen men among you, |
know, waiting to ask such questions
as: What about the closed shop?
Do you approve lt?' That is not
hard to answer. do not approve the
act of any man or men who would
deny to another the right to work al
any lawful occupation when, where,
and for whatever wage he will. Still
less do approve the continuous max
ing of profits where wages or work
| ing conditions exist that cramp the
manhood or degrade the womanhood
or stunt the childhood of cur land.
recall no policy ever avowed by labor
that is a worse offense than the sweat
shop. To accept dividends or profits
out of human conditions that prevent a
decent living is quite as bad as, per.
haps worse than, to demand closed
shop.
But 1t will be urged that the rep
resentatives of labor are sometimes
unreasonable. | presume they are.
| have heard labor leaders whom |
trust say so. l have known labor
leaders to struggle hard and unselfishly
to prevent their own followers from
icing unreasonable. But the answer
to the charge is easy. Let him that
is without sin among us cast the first
stone. II we are always sure we are
entirely just and wise, there may be
less unreasonableness found on our
path.
What. then, does the. new indus
trial day involve? Profits are no
longer the supreme law. The regard
for the legal rights of the citizen IS
expanding into a recognition of other
rights, moral, physical and persona.
If we are not becoming our brothers
| helpers, we are ceasing to be our
brothers destroyers. We are think
ing more carefully how far man may
rightly fatten on man. The public
looks no longer with patience on re-
ducing wages to maintain profits or
dividends Even to cheaper costs on
falling market 1t Is no longer
thought Just to pay workmen less for
the same labor More and better
things are expected than constant
struggle between profits at the top
and penury at the bottom in the same
establishment
"Will the business world recognize
the new order and face 1t fairly and
squarely and meet 1t halfway? II SO,
we'll for the business world. viii the
business world simply stand pat?
Then i'll for the business world. At
torneys general come and go. Laws
are made and changed and repealed
| Both arise from the spirit tnat IL
abroad in the land. Both are non
essential details II the spirit is right
Will the business world go on as II
has gone heretofore? Then the laws
and attorneys general are needed
VIII the business world accept the
larger spirit of the new day? Then
attorneys general and laws are
harmless. No i'll threatens any great
industry whose spirit is, first, that
of equity and liberality to its work
ers and to its consumers, and, Sc
cond, to its own personal profit. But
where profit is first and is to be hat
at any cost of human fatigue or pov
erty or evil conditions or at the cos