The labor advocate. [volume] (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1912-1937, 1916-09-30

li,luuSu, all tOlc ABOUT ~ NcpuDl1CanS
as against 54 Republicans; and in the
Senate | am informed that the Repub-
llcan members of the Senate held con-
ference in which they determined to put
no obstacle in the way of the passage of
the bill. Now this was because the pro-
posal was reasonable and was based up
on right"
But, ladies and gentlemen, that is
not the end of the story. This thing
ought to have been done, and it had
to be done at the time that it was done
so as to bring about reasonable trial
of the eight-hour day and a careful ex-
animation of the results of the eight
hour day. But that does not finish the
matter. Let me call your attention to
what | believe we ought all to be think
ing about so as to set the stage for this
and all similar cases.
There are some things in which So
cciety is so profoundly interested that its
interests take precedence of the inter
ests of any group of men whatever. One
of these things is the supply of the abb
intolerable if at any time any group of
men by any process should be suffered
to cut society off from the necessary
{.
But these supplies are of no use un-
less they can be distributed, and in the
matter of the distribution of goods, par
ticularly of the goods that sustain life
and industry, the interest of society is
the difficulty about all situations like
that which we have just passed through
is this, that the main partner is left out
Of
ing with one another as if the only thing
as the real thing to settle was what
United States.
Explain the Problem.
The business of government is to
see that no other organization is as
strong as itself, to see that no body or
group of men, no matter what their
private interest is, may come into COM
petition with the authority of society, and
the problem which Congress, because of
the lateness of the session, had for few
months postponed, is the problem: By
what means are we going to oblige per-
sons who come to a controversy like
this to admit the public into the partner
ship by which the thing is discussed and
decided. That is not an easy problem.
A great many different methods have
been proposed, and one of the reasons
why Congress thought it necessary to
postpone the decision for few months
was that there were so many honest
differences of opinion, not as to the
object, but as to the method.
81 want to suggest to you means of
testing your fellowmen as to whether
they know what they are talking about
or not 1t is not necessary for man to
come and argue with me an obvious
moral principle, but am very much in
terested when he comes and argues with
me how he is going to make it work.
And when men say: We must not per-
nit any organization to neglect the in
terests of society | say Amen, but what
| want to sit down and discuss with
you is, How are you going to prevent
it?'
"The only thing worth talking about in
politics or any other sphere is the con-
structive idea: How are you going to
do it?' We all know, or at any rate we
pretend to know, what we ought to do.
but we do not all know how to do it,
and the very difficult question which the
American people is now face to face
with and which they are going to settle,
is this: How are we going to organize
our participation as partner in the set
tlement of disputes between capital and
labor, which interrupt the life of the
nation? ! invite all subscribers to sug-
gest method
Issue May BE ClOuded.
"The question is apt to be obscured in
some quarters, as if we were saying that
it was the right of the Government or
of organized society, which is another
term for the same thing, to say to a
man: You must work whether you
want to or not America is never going
to say to any individual: You must
work whether you want to or not, but
it is privileged to say to an organization
of persons: You must not interrupt
the national life without consulting us
at is not a question of obliging in
dividuals, it is the question of enforcing
partnership and seeing to it that no
organization is stronger than that organ
ization which we all belong to and sup
port and call and love by the name of
our own Government.
$50 laid program before Congress
which at any rate, beginning might be
made in that direction, and that program
is going to be proceeded with.
at is no fun talking unless you can