The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-08-07
BENNINGTON, VT, AUGUST 7, 1911
LABOR PROBLEMS.


One phase of the labor problem,
the workmen's compensation act mas
been already discussed in these col
umns but there are other features
which will be brought out in this
campaign.
If is evident at the start and does
not need argument that the prosper
itv of the employer and the employ
ed 90 hand in hand. A bankrupt
and harrassed employer is not a
good proposition for labor any more
than incompetent and inenicieht
workmen are good for an employer.
Labor makes it's greatest advance
when manufacturing conditions are
good Increased wages, shorter
hours and better surroundings are
never accomplished during depres-
sion or when the employer Is having
a hard struggle TO keep afioat For
these reasons labor problems should
always be considered with both the
workman and his employer in mind.
A small state like Vermont nan
rural and barely half industrial ana
with no great cities is not IN the
same class with great manufacturing
commemorative like Massachusetts
and New York, Pennsylvania OF
! Ohio and for that reason the remedles
applied in those states and the ma
chinery to carry them out must De
fitted TO our needs before they Can
he applied to little old Vermont Win
Judgment and success.
In this connection all political par
ties often err in proposing remedies
They see the great national cohul
firms represented by the larger and
richer states and aim TO reach the
ahuses there represented but lose
sight of the fact that back in the
country away from the trunk lines Oh
communication, where transportation
;s more expensive and fuel costs
much more conditions vary. A physi
clan applies his remedy to each III
dividual case. He doesn't simply see
one case of fever in New York city
and then direct the same treatment
10 every sick person in the country
So it should be in treating business
and industrial conditions. We should
all like to see the hours OF labor
shortened but 1t would be ruinous to
compel by state law a mill in Yer
mont TO run shorter hours as long az
il comes in competition with mil
in New Hampshire which is permit
ted to run longer hours. The mill
that produces at lowest cost Will get
the business and the owner OF the
other mill will soon be out of bus
mess and his employees will be hunt
ing for another job.
Vermont should have laws limiting
to a reasonable degree the hours oil
labor and particularly safeguarding
women and children, but cannot i'm
pose any new and radical standards
without risking her own prosperity
This is one standard that should be
imposed by national law that would
compel similar hours in similar lines
of industry all over the country, just
the same as the tariff laws affect al
manufacturers alike.
This is where the Republican plat
form in the present campaign stands
superior to those OF its opponents
II takes the stand of doing all tina
can be done and does not seek to be
fog the workingmen by mixing up thu
issues of New York and South Caro-
lima and other states with those o
Vermont.
Il is another phase OF the matte
on which The Banner has befor
commented. 1t is Vermont condi
tions that we want to improve; 1t !
Vermont labor and Vermont employ
ers that we want to benefit; II is tn
Vermont campaign which is now il
progress in this state. Vernon
voters should not allow the glare o
national issues and the noise of ns
tional tom-toms to blind them to thes
facts.
The national campaign will not an
cannot be decided until Novembe
while the Vermont issue is to be VI
ted on September 3D.. Let us tai
over one Vermont question first an
then the others at the proper time.