The Washington herald., 1915-02-04
THE OPEN FORUM.
Lack of Confidence Among Employers
and EMPLOYED Cause of Evils.

Nobody trusts anybody else.
Almost without qualification that is
the logical and inevitable deduction Of
readers Of the testimony of witnesses
before the Commission on Industrial Re-
lations now in session in New York.
Labor does not trust capital; capital
does not trust labor. and both among
capitalists and among laborers there. Is
an almost equal distrust. The employer
does not trust his competing employer;
the employe does not trust his fellow
empIoye or the union official who repre-
sents them in their negotiations with en-
ployers.
1t stems strange to me, therefore. that
this total lack OF confidence has not
been more definitely pointed out: that
the establishment of complete confidence
has not yet been more seriously de-
clared an essential to any adjustment
Of the differences between labor and
capital, and that a medium Of utilizing
the confidence, once il Is established, has
not been provided or even suggested In
a practicable, common-sense way that
is founded on a wise, simple knowledge
Of human nature.
1 do not exaggerate in my assertions
that there is an utter lack OF confidence.
The labor leaders that the world has
been given to understand are the lead
ers are not the men that frugal labor
ing men and women have confidence In;
and they never were.
In support of that statement, / sub
NIT that several years ago one Of the
most prominent alleged leaders Of the
laboring people admitted to me in a
private conference that the laboring peo-
pie had no confidence in hlm-had not
the confidence necessary to enable him
to bring about improvement Of their con-
dition: and that the gentleman 1 named
to him at this conference as being the
big fellow''-believed by the world to
be "the big fellow''-did not have the
confidence OF the laboring people, and
had never had it
Confidence Is Imperative.
This man who made this admission
with sincere sorrow had to admit furth-
er. that he and the other leaders"
could never do anything for the labor
ing people till they had not only conf
dence but a medium through which the
confidence could be made effective. He
admitted further. that nothing Of any
real lasting good in readjusting relations
between capital and labor could ever
be accomplished without such a conf
dence. and such a medium for using the
/ confidence.
II there has been distrust and sus-
picion and fear of leaders among
employees we can match it among en-
pIoyers. We have seen business COM
petition intensified into hateful per-
sonal rivalry: We have seen the strong
capitalist crush the weak of his own
kind with as cruel and relentless a
war as ever he used to crush the
workman who rebelled against
starveling wage or the killing load
and deadly foulness of his toll We
have seen employers violate oaths of
confederacy; and, hopeless of binding
each other by laws of God or man
to a selfish conspiracy. vainly and
futilely endeavor to create faith
through the noblesse oblige Of
"gentlemens agreement"
Where the employees have distrusted
and feared each other and their lead
ers,'' where employers have distrusted
and feared the captains of industry who
commanded the hosts Of capital, what
shall we say of the distrust and fear
as between employees and employers?
Perhaps we do well to say nothing, and
to let memory but family suggest the
long centuries of misunderstanding upon
which every witness before this COM
mission sitting in New York has pre-
dicated some story of wrong, some fear
of reprisal, some theory Of universal re-
adjustment and perfection.
Mother Jones' Achievement.
But we were unwisely hopeless and
helpless did We not see some good COM
ing out of this investigation which has
got into the printed page so much knowl-
edge about the relations OF employees and
employers. Mother Jones, that powerful
zealot of Right in The Mines. how
zkn
may become in the stagnant atmosphere
of New York hotels and Standard Oil
Pullman palace private cars, will have
done much for labor when John D.
Rockefeller, jr., will see with his own
eyes. and not another's. what part OF
the fruit of their labOrs the miners of
Colorado have been able to keep for
themselves and their children, what part
has been claimed and taken by Rookie
Teller. Mr.. Rockefeller. so seeing things
as they are will have done much for
his fellow capitalists; Mr.. Rockefeller
will have brought himself and his fell
low capitalists eye to eye with their
servants who have digged from God s
rich earth fortunes of which the diggers
have got not enough to feed, shelter
and clothe themselves and their chill
dren, while death, in a uniform of lib
erty and with a sword of Justice cried,
Work on, IL you strike. 1 strike
Mr.. Rockefeller and his copartneTs and
even competitors will stand before the
people for a judgment whether their
golden foundations" have been tremu-
lOus penance. or SNUG hypocrisy, or full
hearted desire to know.
MIR. Rockefeller Opportunity.
For myself I think that Mr.. Rockefeller
has been sincere in his endeavors to do
right, and 1 believe that when he has
learned right in the mines, he will estab-
lish right as the law of his mines. And
must confess a belief that unaess Mr..
Rockefeller does this, his example leading
others of his station and power, this
commission. unless 1t has more Of re-
source than it has yet shown, will have
created a political potentiality whereon
President Wilson's fortunes will come to
grief.
For President Wilson, as whose agency
this commission is naturally regarded,
must do more than expose evil He must
find a cure for il. His tariff, his cur
rency, his antitrust acts, his several
commissions, forming a promised pro-
gram, will almost surely win his renomi-
nation; but only the success of his pro-
gram as tested in the next two years will
re-elect him.
The remedy for the wrongs must be
based upon confidence; confidence must
be based upon understanding; under
standing upon knowledge. With those
facts borne in mind, and with parties to
the struggle between labor and capital
committed to a promise TO give and take
confidence, President Wilson will find 1t
impossible to explain away failure to
Rpd q rnediur, for the exercise of the CON-