Fergus County Democrat., 1916-09-28

| ca ard that in the times to come,
partly because of the unhappy cir
cumstances of recent years, but chief
| ly because America is now about to
realze her energies. the scope of
American business will be that men
have hitherto not dreamed of, if
American men know how to take ad-
vantage of the opportunity.
! "The problems that are before
| American business men are world
problems rather than American domes-
tic problems. America must under
stand the world in order to subject
it to its peaceful service. And yet
when we look upon the field of Ameri-
can business there are some things
that disturb us. Some men seem to
think that the way TO advance Amer
ican business is tot walk backwards
! and to attempt again the provincial
policies which have characterized an
| age when we shut our doors against
influences Of the world.
| but the chief cloud that is upon
the domestic horizon is the unsatisfac-
tory relations Of capital and labor.
| There is only one way, gentlemen, in
which the relations OF capital and
| labor can be rendered satisfactory.
That is BY in the first place, regard
ing labor as human relationship
Of men with men; and, in the second
place, to regard labor as part of the
general partnership Of energy which
is going to make for the success OF
business and business enterprises in
this country. So long as labor and
capital stand antagonistic, the inter-
ests OF both are injured and the pros
perity of America is held back from
the triumphs which are legitimately
its own.
"You know that we have been le-
galstic people. l say with all due re-
spect to some men for whom ! have
high esteem, that we have been
too much under the guidance of the
lawyers, and that the lawyer has al
ways regarded the relations between
the employer and the employe as mere
ly cOntractural relationship, where
as, it is, while based upon contract,
4 very much more than contractural
relationship. 1t is relationship be
tween one set OF men and another set
| of men with hearts under their jack
cts and with interest that they ought
. |
whom they love and must support
on the one side and on the other.
Labor is not a commodity. 1t Is
, a form of cooperation, and if ! can
; make man believe in me, know that
, am just, that | want to share the
profits of success with him, | can get
ten times as much out of him as il
! he thought | were his antagonist
j. snd his labor is cheap at any price
] That is the human side OF it and the
/. human side extends to this con
, ception, that that laboring man is ;
, partner of his employer.
:, If he is a mere tool of his employ
er, he is only serviceable as a tool
: His enterprise does not go into it
9 He does rot plan how the work shal
/. be better done. He does not lool
J, uDoE the aspect of the business o
j. enterprise as whole and wish t.
i cooperate the advantage of his brain
G and his invention to the success of
Q as a whole Human relationships
: my fellow citizens, are governed b,
the heart, and if the heart is not i
d 1t nothing is in it.
II II have recently been through a.
}, experience which distressed me.
n tried to accommodate difference bt
% tween some of the employees of tn
It American railways and the executive
is of American railways, and the dii
tressing thing discovered was that o
II the one hand there was unlimited SUI
lpicion and distrust of the other sid
le and that that suspicion and distrus
n was returned by the other side
full measure.
Sc 1.-The executives did not believe
~ the sincerity of the men, and the me
is did not believe in the sincerity an
m fairness of the executives, and viii
in arbitration was being discussed ha
ca this sad thought: Arbitration is
ca word associated with the dealings
I'D hostile interests. 1t is an aftermath,
,e, of war. There ought to be no sue
OF thing as the contemplating of hosti
ne ty between men whose interests a.
OF the same and who should cooperate
mt And therefore. it came upon n
Nv with force that it had never be-
he before What the real problem an
labor was to bring the two sides
1t understand and believe in one anothe
ed that the problem of the next gener
mt tion, if America were really to re
se llZe her energy, was TO De tnls rel
mt genuine, fundamental reconciliati'
ar between capital and labor l did n
Tor realize until | held these conferenc
INT just how far apart they were in tn
ar particular and indispensable part
EN- our national life. the transportation
ees the country, and when | did realize
or | saw that there was great ia
ICY that was worth any mans while abe
IAN of us, to bring the minds of the cot
ac try together. to see thar the men ,
an derstood one another, and to see til
oe. they had some assurance that tn
OF were speaking the truth to one {
rec other. | never had franker conferent
ooK i'll my life than l had with the rep
'er' sentatives OF the two sides.
you know that when the pub
the began to notice this controversy
SO already had been going on for Sol
'us- time. had been watching it W
e great anxiety. and when it beca
Fica evident that an accommodation was
De- going to be reached, thought ii
mas duty to try my hand at the diffic
IN task Of accommodation. because KIN
the how much was involved, not o
yea in the immediate effects of gr