The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-08
SCHWAB, VANDERBILT.
AND GOMPERS SPEAK,
Declare Any Nervousness Over
Reconstruction Period Is
Misplaced.
COUNTRY GEARED RIGHT
Capital and Labor Are No
Longer the Bad Friends
They Used to Be.

! Charles NJ. Schwab. Frank A. Van
derlip and Samuel Gompers in speak
ing at a dinner OF the Academy Of
Political Science at the Hotel Astor
last night, declared that any nervous
ness in this country about the period
/ Of reconstruction to follow the war Is
misplaced and that the same spirit
OF optimism and energy of per-
Torrance which carried the country
| through the crisis Of the war can be
relied on to meet and master any prob
| lens which may confront 1t as q re-
suit Of the war.
Private Ownership Upheld.
Starting with the general proposition
! that public ownership and control was
! an undesirable thing and that "the
| sooner We return to private ownership
and initiative the better II will be for
the country and every one in IT," Mr..
Vanderlip declared that there were
| certain factors not considered by the
! average man and woman which would
mako certain a rapid and orderly re-
construction.
Many people seem to forget" he
! said, that during the four and more
years of war We have not welcomed
| the 100000 immigrants who in nor
,, NAL times would have come here and
taken their places In industry. Nor
do We consider the 1000, 900 and over
| OF foreigners who during the term
hostilities have left our shores to take
their places in the ranks Of the armies
Of our allies.
! Again many OF us forget that the
| soldiers OF our own armies who have
| left their places in industry to go
atS.ad and fight for us will come home
gradually and that industry will rot
be embarrassed by n sudden arrival
| or hundreds Of thousands OF fighting
men ready and anxious to take their
places at their old employment.
Il know a plumber who has been
making 800 a week during the war.
He tells me that the Government
should see TO It that he never receives
a smaller wage. l know a manufac-
turer who has told me that when his
present war contract has been deliv-
cred he will have to close down. Both
| OF these men are wrong
Prices and wages will keep IN as
long as there is need for them TO
| keep up and by the time the one,
wages, declines, the other, prices, will
nave declined to meet It. Also we must
consider the vast amount of undore
work that has had to bide its time
| during the war and which now can
be begun and pushed to a successful
conclusion and which will take up all
the labor released by the stoppage of
| abnormal war industry"
| Mr.. Schwab In his address declared
that the plans OF the Emergency Fleet
Corporation alone, which contemplates
the building Of 5000, 600 to 10. OOO, 900
tons Of shipping. will do much 70 re-
adjust the existing conditions and 10
keep thousands OF men employed both
In the building of the ships and in new
fields which will be the outgrowth OF
the shipbuilding.
/ i appeal to every man and woman
| who Is a true American" he said, 'to
Co what he or che can TO keep the
men in shtpbuikding at their tasks
The shipping programme affects every
one IN the country. from the ship
builder himself on the seacoast TO the
IL.
IL Is and Is going to be with shipbuild-
ing so it Is going TO be with the whole
problem of setting the country &c
rights now that the war is over
Mr.. schwab's Optimism.
IT am an optimist myself. l am also
something OF an employer OF labor
and l say to you both because be-
lieve 1t and because l know the fact.
which support my belief that there 1.
no more reason TO fear difficult time,
in this country than there Is to feal
that the war will begin all over again
4 And In addition to other reasons
there IL the reason that ca. ital anc
labor are no longer the bad friend.
they used to be. The war has made
them understand one another perfectly
and you WIFI see them work in perfec,
amity and cooperation.
| Capital, management and labor
these are the things that harnesset
together work all the material won.
ders of the world and now, with tn,
lessons learned from the war, they arr
harnessed together in IA combination
which shall never be broken or fall b,
misundersta nding."
!. Mr.. Gompers gave his pledge tina
from labor there would be no compli
cation OF the reconstruction problem
Labor" said he, "is patriotic and I.
as anxious as any other factor in tn,
country to do its share in the great
work that lies before us. You hav,
only to review the war to believe this
Give labor living wage, do ava!
with child labor, give the women the
same pay as men for equal work, anC
there will be no dissatisfaction and M
dcreliction by labor. Labor is in tn,
main America and the interests of la,
Dor are the interests OF tho Who'll,
country"