New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-26
WILSON IN 1909
ASSAILED UNIONS
Letter to Labor Leader
Charged They Limited
Production

The Republican National COMMITTEES
gave out last night letter written by
Woodrow Wilson in June, 1909, when
he was still president OF Princeton
University, and not a candidate for
any public Office, 70 show that he has
reversed lis attitude toward labor.
The letter was written in reply 20
one from Edgar p. Layerty, an organi-
zation labor man in this city, who
asked Mr.. Wilson TO give him his ar-
thority for the following statement
in his baccalaureate sermon in 1909:
"You know what the usual standard
Of the employe is in our day. 1t is 20
give as little as he may for MS wages.
Labor is standardized by the trades
unions, and this is the standard 20
which il is made TO conform. No one
is suffered TO DO more than the average
workman can do; IN some trades ana
handicrafts no one IS suffered to DO
more than the least skilful Of his fell
lows can do within the hours allotted
TO q days labor, and no one may work
out of hours az all or volunteer any
thing beyond the minimum.
81 need not point out how economi--
cally disastrous such a regulation OF
labor is. IL is SO Improbable to the
employer that in some trades 1t Will
presently not be worth his while TO at
tempt anything at all
Mr.. Laverty wrote Mr.. wilson under
date of June IS, 1909, concluding his
letter as follows:
"As a matter of course, q president
Of a university Of the reputed standing
Of Princeton would not make state
ments in his baccalaureate address I'M
less he knows, or, at least, fully be-
lieves, that his statements are true.
Therefore IL ought not to be difficult
matter for you 70 oblige me with the
names of those labor unions whose
laws, or even policies, bring about the
results you specify"
DR.. Wilson replied:
"Your letter OF June 18th contains .
very proper challenge. | quite agree
that | ought not to make the state
ments | did make about the trades
unions, unless I were able 20 cite cases
in veriication Of my statements.
al. Of course, had no individual
trades union in mind which | can mans
by number. but had in mind several
cases Of buildings in New York City,
for example, the brick layers working
on which spent about one-third OF the
working day sitting around, smoking
their pipes and chatting, because they
had laid the number Of bricks TO when
thew were limited for the day BY the
union TO which they belonged. l had
in mind numerous experiences OF my
own in dealing with workingmen IN
Princeton. whore | once found II I'M,
possible, for example, on very cold
evening. 20 get broken window pans,
mended at the house Of an Invalid
friend. because the prescribed LABOR
hours of the day were over Shd the
glazier could not venture, without RISK.
ing a strike, 20 do the work himself
and could not order any Of his WORK
men 10 do il. I had in mind scores OF
instances, in short, lying within my
own experience and resting upon tne
Testimony Of friends in whose yeracity
| have every reason to have the great
est confidence.
az. OF course, could not, in the case
Of more than one or two Of these IN
stances. give legal proof Of my asser-
tions. but the evidences | have axe en-
tirely sufficient 20 convince me OF the
genral truth of the statement maze