The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-09-05
LABOR PRAISED
FOR IT'S WORKS
Continued from first pagel

broadest terms, tho effort Of men 10 live
the life Of men. ID Is force pushing ON
toward the attainment OF the purpose OF
humanity. Il is an attempt TO bring 10
pass the idea OF human development
which has animated sages, prophets and
poets OF all ages,
"The Melting Pot OF Labor; That word
melting is indicative of unrest. No one
will contradict me when | say there is
grave industrial unrest throughout the
nation. The extent and depth OF indus
/ trial unrest can hardly be exaggerated.
state and national conventions OF labor
organizations, numbering many thous-
ands of members, have cheered the names
of leaders imprisoned for participation in
a campaign of violence, conducted as one
phase of a conflict with organized en-
blowers. Prison records for labor leaders
| have become badges of honor in the eyes
OF many OF their people, and great mass
meetings throughout the nation eheered
denunciations of courts and court de-
cisions. What reason is there for this
unrestf Is il popular hysteria, or selfish
discomfort, or is there a moral reason
underlying il alll The industrial unrest
of the day arises from a sense OF real
and widespread industrial wrongs. As
look into the melting pot of labor, note
that labor has often not had the choice
of placing the ingredients in the pot.
The great agencies In the employ Of the
ca pitalists have brought from all parts
of the world men Of labor, with all their
weaknesses, shortcomings, iguoranees ana
preiudices upon their heads, and they
/ have all gone into the pot. They have
had to labor under the most revolving
conditions, the most bruta! treatment,
and the most criminal invasons OF per
sonal rights, and all this injustice has
been dismissed by saying, oh, well, they
are Just ignorant foreigners The at
tempt to restrict immigration by litter
acy test has proved failure, having
been vetoed by the presidents Of our
land.
"A careful analysis of all available sta
tistics shows that in our great basic IN
dustries the workers are unemployed for
an average of at least one fifth OF the
year. and that at all times during any
normal year there is an army OF men
who can be numbered only by hundreds
OF thousands, who are unable to find
work or who have 50 far degenerated
that they cannot, or will not, work. In
years of industrial depression, the mum
Der OF unemployed in the entire country
is at least il0,000
Again / look into the melting pot OF
labor and | see thousands OF bread win
ners, husbands and fathers injured and
killed every year According TO the best
estimates, approximately 35o0o persons
were killed in 1914 in American indus
tries, and at least one halt OF these
deaths were preventable. What would
be the situation ii the courts, following
the clear logic OF their own decisions,
should hold the stockholders, directors
and officials criminally responsible for
each OF the 1850 preventable deaths TO
which attention has time after time been
directed? The annual list Of injuries
numbers 100000 involving disability OF
over four weeks, and from one third 70
one half Of these accidents have been es-
timated by competent authorities to be
Ipreventable by proper safeguards, lnspec-
ton and control.
"These men in the melting pot say
there is discrimination by the courts
against the poor and in favor OF the
wealthy and powerful. The economic
disabilities of the poor render them un-
able TO employ equally skilltul lawyers,
to endure the laws delay, and to stand
the expense of repeated appeals. EX-
President w. H. Taft has said: We must
make II so that the poor man will have
as nearly az possible an equal opportu-
nifty in litigation with the rich man ana
under present conditions. ashamed as we
/. he agt n
Henry s. Seager of Columbia university
said only recently, 4 don't see how any
fair. minded person can question but
what our judges have shown decided
bias in favor of the employers
"Thus there is distrust and unrest IN
the ranks of labor Juries have been
composed of property owners, for the
most part employers. Wages have been
withheld from the toilers. In single
state of our union during the year end
ling June. 1914. 9,62l claims were present
ed to the commissioner OF labor alone.
Tor these. 1880 were for non payment OF
wages. of which 1904 were successfully
settled and Sll0,9l2 of unpaid wages was
Icollected. It is charged by the represen-
tatiyes of labor that laws designed for
the protection Of abor in workshops and
mines and on railroads are not effective
llv enforced. except in a few states.
another cause OF industrial unrest IS
prison labor. The only beneficaries OF
the convict labor system are the con-
tractors who are permitted by the state
to exploit the inmates of prisons. The
participation of our states in contract
prison labor is an indefensible business
that ought to rob of our sleep. Then,
again. the rewards for disable suggestions
offered by workingmen are often trivial.
In one shop an investigator was shown
an automatic machine invented by a
workman which did the work OF several
hand workers. Did he receive a reward 2
was asked oh, yes came the answer,
his rate OF pay was increased from II 10
% cents per hour.
But. horror of horrors! As ] look
into the melting pot Of labor ! see chill
dren in t.e pot Children taken from
the school TO labor The child denied a
decent chance in life We have a senator
from North Carolina tGod forgive usD
who said. One means OF keeping children
out of Jail is to keep them in cotton
mills | would say that the best means
to keep children out of Jail is TO keep
them in school Children are the basis CT
the state; as they live or die, IS they
thrive or are i'll nourished, as they are
intelligent or ignorant, so fares the state.