Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-10-10
WHAT WILSON REALLY THINKS
OF LABOR.

national politics, held decided view
on the labor question which do no
square with his professions of today
Which Woodrow Wilson will occup!
the white house after the fourth o
next March, II the electorate this fat
should confer upon him another tern
- president? What would be his at
titude toward labor then, when he hat
no further favors to ask OF the voters
The labor views Of Woodrow Wilson
private citizen, are interesting.
On February Is, 1906 ct the Peoples
Forum In New Rochelle, New York
Mr. Wilson said:
Labor unions reward the shift
less and incompetent at the ex-
pense Of the able and Industrious"
At the same meeting he further
said:
THE objection have to labor
unions is that they drag the high
est man to the level Of the lowest.
must demur with the labor
unions when they say, You must
award the dull the same as you
award those with special gifts.
The following is taken from Wood
row Wilson's History Of the American
People:
""The Chinese were more to be
desired as workingmen II not as
citizens, than most Of the coarse
crew that came crowding In every
year at the eastern ports
Then he goes on in the same history
and has this to say:
"And now there came multitudes
OF men Of the lowest class from
the south of Italy. and men Of
meaner sort out of Hungary and
Poland, men out OF the ranks
where there was neither skill nor
energy nor any initiative Of quick
intelligence"
That issswhat the Woodrow Wilson
Of yesterday thought before he became
q candidate for the presidency.
Again in an address at the Waldorf
hotel. New York, March 18. 1907, he
said:
Eve speak too exclusively Of the
capitalizing class. There is an
other as formidable an enemy to
equality and freedom of emporium
Nv as II is, and that is the class
fol: ned by the labor organizations
and leaders Of the country"
That would seem to be sumcient to
classify DR.. Wilson. but evidently he
was anxious that capital and labor be
under no kind OF misc0nception about
his attitude, for on January II. 1909,
in reply to an invitation for a public
address on labor questions, he said:
II am a fierce partisan OF the
open shop and Of everything that
makes for individual liberty, and I
should like to contribute anything
that might be possible for me to
contribute to the Qualification Of
thinking and the formation of
right purposes In matters Of this
kind
Later, on June IL. 1905. in bacca-
laureate sermon at Princeton, DR.. Will
son said:
"You know what the usual
standard OF the employe is in our
day. It is to give as little as he
may for his wage. Labor is stand.
ardized by the trade union, and
tAis 10 the, standard to which II is
meant 10 conform. No one is suf-
fered to do more than the average
workman can, do In some trades
and handicrafts no one is suffered
Of his fellows can do within the
hours allotted to days labor. and
no one can work out OF hours at
all or volunteer anything beyond
the minimum.
II need not point out how econ
omically disastrous such = regula-
ton Of labor is. II Is so unprofit.
able to the employer that in some
trades It will presently not be
worth his while to attempt any
thing at all. He had better stop
altogether than operate at an in
! evitable and invariable loss The
labor Of America 10 rapidly becom.
ing improbable under its present
regulation by those who have de-
termined to reduce II to q mini
num- Our economic supremacy
may be lost, because the country
grows more and more full of un-
profitable servants"
Woodrow Wilson was not then presi
dent and was under no kind Of re.
straint or pressure as to his convic-
lions on any public or political cues.
ton. Now campaign for reelection
Is in full swing.
Woodrow Wilson. while president OF
Princeton university was requested b.
Prof. Frank Parsons OF the bureau o;
economic research. in September, 1905
TO Join with others in signing this
declaration:
"u) We favor the eight hour
day.
4 "(2l Believing that the eight
y hour day means longer and rich
AZ 1ifo . foiror dfHueio,, ~ waelth
and power. hetter citizenship
and hieher civilization through
leisure for education, recreation.
civic and social life. we welcome
each step In the progress Of the
eight hour movement and earnest
- hope for the snccess Of the /