The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-19
HE BLAMES UNION
Chicago University Professor
Charges Organized Labor
With Violation of Sherman
Antitrust Law.
RAISES THE COST OF LIVING
Artificial Increase in Wages
Cause, He Says.
Believes in Cooperation Be-
tween Both Sides.

Chicago, April ID Lawrence
Laughlin, head of the department of
political economy at the University of
Chicago, at one time a member of the
Aldrich monetary commission and one
of the foremost authorities in the Uni
ted States in economic subjects, charg-
ed labor unions with being monopoly
existing in restraint of trade and in
direct violation of the Sherman anti
trust law, during the reading of a
paper before members Of the faculty
and students in Harper Memorial Ii
brary. His subject was 1.-The Monopo-
ly of Labor"
1.-THE basis on which labor unions are
organized is wrong" he said land I'M
der such circumstances they can never
accomplish the desired result. 1t is
true that wages are higher today than
they were 20 years ago, but labor it
self exists under no better conditions.
Eligibility for membership in labor I'M
ions should be based on efficiency and
until such a qualification is incorpora-
ted as the basis of such organizations
they are fruitlessly buffeting a stone
wall.
More than any other cause. in my
opinion, the rise in the cost of living
has been due to the artificial increase
in wages, as well as the high protec-
tive tariff. Increased wages, however,
have not kept pace with the cost OF
living.
Il am firmly of the belief that the
present tariff reform will lower the
cost of living. It's direct effect will
be to lower the cost Of raw materials
and this means that the finished ar
ticle will cost less.
THE labor union under present con-
dition has nothing on which to logical
ly support itself. They are illegal I'M
der the Sherman act and are indefensi-
BILE, morally and economically. I am
not opposed to labor unions or to labor
organizations. On the contrary / be-
lieve in them if they are able to eff
fectively better conditions. However,
as they now exist they are outside the
to increase wages and they have done
so, but they are helpless to better con-
ditions. The drag of the inefficients is
too great a handicap.
The proposed minimum wage law
is hysterical attempt by certain
misinformed women. 1t is Grass to
try to remedy wages that are admitted
~ too low, by fixing minimum legal
wage. Wages cannot be determined
by law. The theory is unsound. No
employer will pay more than an en-
ployee is actually worth. Those girls
who cannot produce a value equivalent
to the minimum wage will be thrown
on to society without any income, and
if they were subject to vice at a small
wage, how much quicker are they likely
to become victims with no wage. The
basis of the evil is that the great ma
jority of working girls come under the
class of unskilled labor; the remedy
must come through vocational training.
1T is just as easy to include this
sort of training in our public school
systems as it is any other branch Of
knowledge.
Intelligent cooperation between
labor and employers will constitute a
long step towards solving many of the
problems that we are facing today"