New Britain herald., 1915-01-29
DONATIONS INFLUENCE COLLEGE PRESIDENTS President t-EmerituS Eliot Of Harvard Tells Federal Commission.
 POWER, HOWEVER, IS GOOD
Witness at Inquiry Into Philanthropic Foundations and Causes of Social Unrest Cites John ID. ROckcfeller's Offer of $1,OOO,OOO to Harvard

Offer of $1,OOO,OOO to Harvard.
 New York, Jan. 29-Rockefeller donations to educational institutions have influenced the policies of pres idents of universities and colleges in many instances, but the influence has always been good, according to Charles W. Eliot, president emeritus of liar ward university, the first witness to- day at the continuation of the eed- into philanthropic foundations and the causes of social unrest
 The donations, Dr. Eliot said, to which he referred were made by the general education board. As an in stance he cited John D. Rockefeller's offer in 1908 to furnish $1, 1000, ,000 to Harvard university if the university would raise sS75,000 additional.
 Applied for Aid.
 This was before Dr. Eliot became a member of the board of managers of the general education board. The witness said, he applied to the elder MT. Rockefeller for aid in the main tenance of new buildings erected for the Medical School of Harvard uni versity. Starr J. Murphy of Mr. Rockefeller's personal staff, made an investigation of the buildings and the financial condition of the university the witness said. Afterwards pr. Eliot called upon John D. Rockefeller Jr, and was told that MT. Rockefeller Sr., was willing to donate a million dollars, conditional upon the univer- sity's raising s875.O00.
 pr. Eliot said that he had not hoped to obtain so large sum Approves Interlocking Directorates.
 pr. Eliot said that he was connect ed with the general education board and other philanthropic foundations established by Andrew Carnegie and MT. Rockefeller. He approved of the practice of interlocking directorates of such foundations. He thought the general education board had given s200, ,000, 900 to education since 1902.
 The recently published reports of the board, going back to 1905, stated that the donations to educational in- stitutions totalled approximately. $15,- 100000. pr. Eliot's attention was not called to this discrepancy at the time of his testimony today, how ever. .....
 Stockholders Not Responsible.
 Stockholders in a corporation, Dr. Eliot testified, were not responsible for labor conditions, he thought, unless their attention was called forcibly to some particular wrong. He thought directors were only slightly respon- sible. Their responsibility existed in the selection of managers and exec utive officials.
 pr. Eliot said he believed that leg islation providing for uniform mini mum wage schedules and working hours was a bad thing.
 Different in Industries.
 Contentious are different in all in- dustries," he said. What would be good for one body of workers would be bad for another"
 One reason why workers found if so hard to make their wages go as far as they should, pr. Eliot said was because they bought and ate too much meat The witness said he would like to see a general law prohibiting the employment of children under sixteen years old in industries where they would have to work indoors at machines.
 Discomfort on Wane.
 Discomfort among workers was on the wane, pr. Eliot thought, largely because of the tendency of employers to treat their workers with fairness.
 In no case where the general educa- tion board has made 8 donation, so for board investigated the methods of a university, college or school or it's curriculum. There was only one con- dition attached to the boards en- down ents; that condition was that no part of the money should be spent in teaching theology. The board made this condition, Dr. Eliot said, because it did not care to be placed any sect or religion.
 any sect relic.
 Upholds Organized Labor
 pr. Eliot said he believed in rgan- ized labor but did not believe in the closed shop. Personally, he favored placing labor representatives on boards of directors.
 Raps Sympathetic Strikes.
 pr. Eliot characterized union labor as an instrument of justifable war fare, but said that means should be found to end industrial warfare. Symp pathet strikes were decidedly wrong: the witness thought they | worked hardships upon innocent per- sons and were utterly without tusti- 1 fcation
 The use of union labels was a bad | practice, the witness thought Such | labels were the visible sign of an at | tempt to make people do the way