The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-09-06
HARDING TAKES
LABOR PEACE
AS HIS THEME
Nominee, in Labor Day Ad-
dress, Advocates Voluntary
Arbitration, Backed by SIN
cerity as Industrial Solution.
ATTACKS PLUMB PLAN
(By Associated Press)


a gospel of understanding" between
employers and employees, Senator
Harding said in a labor day speech
here that, although he believed in un-
ionism and collective bargaining, he
opposed ''labor's domination of busi-
ness or government" as determinedly
as he would oppose domina ton by any
other class
Voluntary arbitration was declared
, by the Republican nominee to be the
ideal solution of labor troubles, and
he advocated joint committees of EN-
ployers and employees, not to run the
business" but to promote mutual un-
dersta nding.
He asserted that no one could deny
laborer the right to uit his employ
ment, but that adjustment of labor
problems should be on the basis of
justice to everyone.
lndorses Cummins Law Again
Senator Harding also indorsed the
Cummins-Esch law restoring the rail-
ways to private operation, and said he
could not approve of the socialist
plan" which proposed that the proper
ties be placed under control of the
employees.
Citing his own experiences as an
employer, the candidate said he never
had any trouble with his employees in
his newspaper establishment, and
added that although print paper prices
had increased his expenses by an
amount equal to $500 for each worker
in his plant, none of them ever had
suffered financially on account of it
| In the course of his speech he also
assailed profiteering, declaring that
"stage assaults" without action had
discredited the policy Of the Demo
cratic administration toward the prof
iteer.
~ have not come to you today with
speech of promises" said Senator
Harding. Il do not pledge you the
impossible. and l do not mean to
suggest the impracticable. can oniy-
preach the gospel of understanding,
practically applied.
Believes In unionisn.
| Il believe in unionism. ! believe IN
collective bargaining; I believe the
two have combined to speed labor
| toward it's just rewards But do not
believe in labor's domination of busi.
ness or government any fore than
believe that capital shall dominate.
1--WE had our time at that, and VIC
| learned the danger and ended it. We
do not want to substitute one class fer
another; We want to put an end Ia
| classes
| I'VE live in an era of collective en-
deavor. Capital led the way, and la
bor's organization was not only nat
ural but necessary 1t has done more
than serve its membership; it has
riveted the thoughtful attention Of
America to social justice and brought
the fruits thereof.
| On this always significant holiday,
I preferred to talk before my fellow
townsmen, with whom l have worked
SO many years. l wanted to look you
| in the face and ask for the sponsor for
that miserable old falsehood about d
dollar a day being enough for any
workingman. If the author was seek
| ing to apply it to me, l think he mus,
have meant a dollar an hour You see
l have been dweller among you fo-
3S years.
Has Been Wage Garner Himself.
| Part of that time / was a wage
Garner myself-all that time l have
| been a laborer; and for more than
80 years I have been an employer as
we'll as laborer, and a man can't
preach one doctrine and practice ao-
other"
Let me renew that public utter
ance in which l spoke of high wages,
and said l wished the existing high
| scale to remain, on one explicit con-
dition-that for the high wage the
! American worman shall give to his
tas the highest degree of efficiency
Il am not advocating the driving,
slavish period of toll which saps
mems energies, but l hold that the
Stacker, the loafer on the job, is not
only the greatest obstacle to labor's
advancement, but he is cheating his
fellows more than he does his en-
ployer.
No Conflict Between Two
'1t is utterly false to assume that
labor and capital are in deadly con-
flict 1t is not important to estab-
lish which element comes first, since
each is essential to the other. We do
know that labor, the human element,
is of deepest public concern. The de-
plorable side of modern industry is
that the many men are toiling like
machines at work.
Men ought to know a pride IN the
thing done. The big inspiration in
life is to get on. When men tell you
this is the privilege of the few. they
challenge your intelligence.
| Il am sorry the old. intimate con-
tact between employer and emp!oye
is gone. wish We could have the in
timacy restored. not in the old way.
but through joint committee of en-
! ployers and employees. not to run the
business, but to promote and main
tain the mutually OF interest and the
fullest understanding. Herein lies
the surest remedy for most of our
ills.
Everybody Must Consent
I'VE cannot have compulsory arbi-
tration, because all parties must con-
sent to establish arbitration and en-
force its conclusions. ! think we can
have, and ought to have. yolitional ar