The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-11-28
FOR TRADE UNIONlSM.
oeoretary of Labor Declares For Col
lective Bargaining.

leotive Bargaining.
In an address before the convention
of the American Federation Of Labor,
In recent session at Seattle. Secretary
Of Labor Wilson said in part:
'There can be no mediation, there
ean be no conciliation between employ
ers and employees that does not pre-
suppose collective bargaining, and
there cannot be collective bargaining
that does not presuppose trade union
ism.
"The department of labor as now or
gantzed and directed will be utilized
to cooperate with the great trade un-
ion movement In its effort to elevate
the standard of human society.
"One of the general duties imposed
on the department is that of promot-
Ing the welfare Of wageworkers The
one great specific duty imposed on the
department is to act as mediator and
to appoint commissioners OF concilia-
tion in trades disputes"
OF the situation at Calumet. Mich,
the secretary said that 1t had hereto
fore been the custom to investigate
wages. hours and conditions Of labor
and report This time, he said, 1t had
been determined to go a step further
and investigate the earnings of the
corporations involved.
"And the little bit OF confidence that
am going to give you" he added, "is
an advance statement Of one Of the
items in that situation-that the lar
gest corporation engaged in the produc-
ton Of copper in the Michigan district
was organized In 1870 under the laws
of the state of Michigan. that the face
value Of its capital stock is 50, 500 900.
The shares are $25 each They were
purchased at $12 each, so that the ac-
tual investment is $1,250,000
From that time until one year ago,
the last fiscal report that we had,
period Of forty two years. that cor
poration declared In dividends $121,-
100000 and made reinvestments out Of
it's earnings of $25,000,000 Nearly
$200,000000 of actual net profits In
period Of forty-two years on an invest
ment OF $1,250,000, and then they not
only protest against meeting commit
tees OF their workmen but refuse to
accept the good offices Of the depart
ment OF labor In negotiating the diff
Guilty.
"They say their property is their
own; that they have the right to do
with 1t as they please, Maybe they
have, but those who take that position
have false conception OF the titles to
property"
The secretary said every title was
law created and law protected. and
that deprived Of those laws the proper
ty involved would be at the mercy of
the first strong and cunning man who
desired it.
Law created those titles" be con
tinued, mot primarily for the welfare
OF the man to whom 1t conveys it,
but for the welfare Of the community.
If any corporation or individual takes
the ground that the property Is his
own, that he has the right to do with
1t as he pleases and fails to take into
consideration the fact that the title has
only been conveyed to him as a trus-
tee for the welfare Of society then he
is creating a condition that will cause
society to modify or change these IL
ties to property, as it has a perfect
right to do whenever in its judgment
it deems 1t for the welfare OF society
to do It.
Mr. Wilson condemned the sending
Of strike breakers by private employ
ment agencies and said
81 wish to see created within the de
partment OF labor a bureau of informa-
tion that will be handled much on the
same lines as our weather bureau OF
Information"