The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-20
SISSON POINTS OUT
BUSINESS BARRIERS
Among Most Important Is One
to Closer Relations Of Cap
ital and Labor.
WARNS OF LABOR'S PERIL
Lasting Progress Rests Upon
Spirit Of Cooperation,
Says Banker.
WARNS OF LABoR's PERIL

OLD POINT COMFORT, June 1s.-Every
phase Of economic, political and social
life IL affected by the invisible forces
which have been released from the cru
chile Of war. declared Francis H. eisson
II an address on "The Invisible Tariff
ana Other Barriers before the Virginia
Bankers Association at their annual con-
vention here to-day. He pointed out sew
eral such barriers holding back busi-
ness to-day and characterized as one Of
the most important the barriers to q
better understanding and working basis
between capital and labor.
THE obstacles which confront us must
be removed II we are to take the place
in world Leadership awaiting US" he
declared. Among the most important
OF these are the barriers to better un-.
Outstanding and working basis between
labor and capital. President Wilson
did not unduly emphasize the Importance
Of the problem when. In his latest mes
sage to Congress, he declared: The
question which stands at the front Of
all others In every country amidst the
present great awakening Is the question
OF labor
but labor must be on guard against
grave danger, from which no one but
labor itself can save It. mean the
peru OF bciuk rulbfou Dy Ihibo Itlon0bt Dy
impractical and unsound thinkers, who
seek to exert an influence that In un-
warranted by their experience. or rather
lack OF experience, and to lead labor
into the morass of untried. impractical
and unsafe experimental, which cannot
solve labor's problems and serve only to
erect greater barriers between employees
and employers as well as 10 injure the
interests Of society generally. Labor
should be deaf to the parlor exponent Of
dangerous Socialistic theories and avoid
as q pestilence the agitator who comes
to them in the guise of their own kind.
but who would wreck the very house that
labor Is building to protect itself from
the elements OF Industrial strife.
lie I!
but whether this or some other plan
is adopted, labor will doubtless insist
increasingly upon the right OF collective
bargaining, and in the long run those
employers will fare best who are dis
posed to take labor by the hand rather
than by the throat. Likewise those
laborers win gain most and permanently
who deserve to be taken by the hand.
"But collective bargaining Is not q
panacea and alone cannot safeguard all
the interest involved in the wage system.
Back Of all the machinery for collective
bargaining, II II IL to function we'll, must
be tho spirit as well a. the form Of CO.
operation. Benevolent employers. sin
cerely DESTROYS Of giving their employees
generous treatment, have time and again
failed to win their employees confidence
or loyalty. II such we'll intentioned ef-
forts can fall completely and 50 fire.
quently, may II not be that neither side
In the labor controversy really under
stands the other? Mutual understand
ing affords the only basis for cooperation
in productive enterprise.
Admittedly. labor is not always suf-
flciently interested In the quantity 0pd
quality OF production. which constitute
the source of wages and the only contin-
ufng wage fund. For this attitude labor
is not Solely to be blamed. The advan-
tages which may revert to the workers as
consumers generally are too remote to
elicit any special concern in individual
efficiency In production. Profit sharing
schemes and the like are often suspected
because arbitrarily controlled from
above Scientific management, so-called.
whatever may be this potential merits,
has had few II any real trials, for II can
have q fair test only when more cordial
relations exist between labor and capt.
tai than are usually to be found to-day.
Such means alone then do not promise
general recognition Of the basic partner
ship of capital and labor In production
at its best. Is there no way out? Must
we charge the whole difficulty to the
Some DesfrahIe Atd..