Denver labor bulletin., 1916-09-30
8-HOIR WORK DAY IS RIGHT
DECLARES PRESIDENT WILSON
IN FIRST CAMPAIGN SPEECH
Gives as Reason for Supporting Demands of Rail
road Brotherhood. That They Were Based
Upon Justice and Human Rights Capital
and Labor Must Join Hands

In his first formal address in the Z
presidential campaign, delivered to
large gathering oi New Jersey citizens
assembled on the lawn OF his summer
residence last Saturday. President
Woodrow Wilson dwelt particularly upon
the criticism of his attitude in the eight |
hour legislation for railroad employees
Following is that part Of his address re
lating to labor:
The problems that are before Ameri- ,
can business are world problems rather
than American domestic problems Amer
lea must understand the world IN order
to subject it to its peaceful service. And
yet when we look upon the field OF
American business there are some things
that disturb Us. Some men seem TO
think that the way to advance Ameri'
can business IL to walk backwards and to
attempt again the provincial policies
which have characterized an age when
We shut our doors against influences OF
the world.
Labor Riahtful Partner of Capital
But the chief cloud that is upon the
domestic horizon is the unsatisfactory
relations of capital and labor. here II
only one way, gentlemen, in which the
relations of capital and labor can be
rendered satisfactory. That is, in the
man relationship OF men with men. and
IN the second place, to regard labor a.
part OF the general partnership Of en-
crgy which Is going TO make for the sue
CO.'S OF business and business enterprise
in this country.
so long as labor and capital stand
,rtarunistie. the interests Of both are
injured and the prosperity Of America II
held back from the triumphs which arr
lcgitimately its own.
"You know that We have been legal
istic people I say with all due respect
TO some men for whom | have high
esteem that we have been too much un-
der the guidance Of the lawyers and that
the LAWYER has always regarded the re-
laticns between the employer and the
empiove a. merely a contr7ctural rela-
,iouship whereas IL is, while based upon
contract. very much more than eontrae-
tural relationship.
"Have Hearts Under Their Jackets.
1T is relationship between one set
of men ard another set Of men with
hearts under their jackets and with in
tcrcsts that they ought TO serve in com
mon with persons whom they love and
must support on the one side ana on 'he
other.
Labor is not q commodity. II is
form of co-operation. and If ! can make
A man believe in me, know that am
inst. know that ! want to share the
profit. Of success with him. | can get
Ten times as much out Of him as IL he
thought ! were his antagonist. And his
labor is cheap at any price. That Is
the human side of /; and the human SIDE
extends to this conception. that the la
boring man is a partner Of his company
II II rNln
he is only as serviccablc as a tool His
enthusiasm docs not 60 into it He does
no, plan how the work shall be better
done. He does not look upon the aspect
Of the business OF enterprise as whole
and wish to co-operate the advantage OF
his brains and his invention to the sue
cess of il as a whole.
Each Side Suspicious Of Other.
Human relationships, my fellow citi-
.cns. are governed by the heart. and II
The heart is not in il nothing is in it.
81 have recently been thru an expert
cnce which distressed me. | tried to ac.
oommoiatc n difference between some OF
the employees of the American railways
and the executives Of the American nit
WAYS. and the distressing thing / dis
covered was that on the one hand there
was unlimited suspicion and distrrist OF
the other side. and that that suspicion
and distrrst was returned by the othet
side in full measure.
"Tho executives did not believe in the
sincerity of the men. and the men did
not believe in the sincerity and fairness
Of the executives and while arbitration
was being d'scussed had this sad
thought. Arbitration is word asso-
cintrd with tho dealings Of hostile m
forests. II is an alternative of war
There ou-ht TO he no s-ch thing rs the
contemplation Of hostility as between
mon whose interests are the same and
who should cooperate together.
CAPITAL and Labor Must Join Hands
And therefore. it came upon me with
A force that IL had never had before that
the real problem OF capital and labor
was TO bring the two sides to under
stand and believe in one another; that
the problem of the next generation. II
America were really TO realize her cnerg.
was to he this real, genuine, funda mental
reconciliation between capital and labor.
81 did not realize until I held these
conferences Just how far apart they were
in that particular and Indispensable part
OF our national life, and transportation
Of the country. and when l did realize
Il saw that there was a great task that
was worth any mans while ahead of
us. TO bring the minds Of the country
together. to soc that the men under
stood one another and to see that they
had some assurance that they were
speaking the truth to one another.
never had franker conferences In my life
than I had with the representatives OF
the two sides.
Wage Quarrel Watched Anxiously.
"You know that when the public be
gan TO notice this controversy IL already