TH
Vol; 12,
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLIM, CHAPEL HILL, 8. C, THURSDAY, APRIL 7. 1904.
No. 25.
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE" UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA' ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION.
CAROLINA WINS DEBATE.
North Carolina, After an Interest
ing and Spirited Intellectual
Struggle, Defeats the Uni-
versity of Georgia.
On Friday night Gerrard Hal
was filled to its capacity with anx
ious Tar Heels, eager to know the
Wtcome of a contest that was to
ilecide the debating1 supremacy be
jtween two ol the Souths greatest
funiversities. Both Georgia and
V i: .A I- A 1 f 1 ,
ess in defeating other Southern
olleges, but so far had divided Hon
rs. This seventh annual debate
was to break the tie. Both
fwere ably represented, Carolina by
Hit T O .,A A T-I
ohnston, and Georgia by Messrs.
. G. Golucke and YV. W. Fatter-
mi r i i j
IKesolved. lhat labor unions are
Inimical to our industrial develop
ment. Carolina had the affirma
tive. The debate was pre
pver by Judge James C. MacRae,
With Mr. T. W. Win home art.in.w
III m i i
Rev. W. T. D. - Moss, of Cha pel
Hill: Mr,-' Joseph G. Brown, of
Raleigh; and Mr. J. Van Lindley,
pf Greensboro. After the debate a
eception was given, the speakers,
lifficers and judges by Dr. Venable.
ine victory oi uaronna may oe
ittributed to the superior develop-
nent of her speakers' argument.
The two speeches fitted . together
terfectly and formed one system
tic, organic wnoie. mom the
ime Wright began his exposition
!f the law of relativity, which h.e
aid down as the law of progress,
o the time when Johnston finished
showing the effects of unionism on
)ur industries, the argument for
he affirmative showed but one idea:
hat labor unions were not conform
ing to the universal law that devel-
ps industries. The speeches of
he Georgians showed careful study
.i :j t 1..J .r ii. . u
i,iuu d wiue Knuwieuje oi me sun-
fleets. They advanced many strong
joints, and in a graceful way.
Fhespeakers were such as any uni-
l heir
Iversity might be proud of.
3 1 f i . .i , r
miy iauits were a ratner too rre-
uent use of statistics and a want
)f an organic argument.
It is impossible for us to give the
Speeches in full, so we can print
tut an outline of the argument.
Mr. Wright, first speaker for
arolina on the affirmative sooke
in substance as follows:
This age is the reign of law.
very action and reaction in the
Ltnmate or inanimate world is the
result of some absolute law. Mod
ern knowledge has laid down laws
pv everything, "and among others
t has established relativity as the
universal law of progress; that
pery individual is a part of a great-
Jr unit, and for progress must work great branches of our industry
t selfishly but for the good of ; manufacturing, mining and trans
that unit. This unselfishness, this portation. He said that this ex-
fespect for one's fellowmen's rights plained the reason why about IS per
laborers
matter
ment. For a government is but the
outward manifestation of this inner
unity which binds the citizens of
a nation together. And for prog
ress every part oi' government must
work for the common good. And
it is this law of progress that has
brought us as a nation- to whrvt we
are. It is the spirit of all our in
ternal improvements. The individ
ual must work for the common good;
and where he refuses, the judicial
forces him to recognize the rights
of others. At this point -he gave
illustrations to establish his argu
ment, the law of eminent domain
and others.
continuing, Air. Wright said
tnat our government nas carried
j t I f t I
tins law into our nusiness lire as
well.- This is shown by our char
ter regulations, that force every
corporation to recognize the rights
oi others, and to work in harmony
with this law of progress. And
when they disregard this law the
government takes their charter
awav -savs they can not even exist
But the labor unions will not recog
nize the rights of others, nor will
they be made responsible by a char
ter. l'hev even have before Con
gress an Anti-Injunction bill, trying
to remove the last restraint we have
upon them. And warmly conchul
iug this part, Mr. Wright said
'Thev defv this law of industrial
progress.
lurning to a slightly different
phase of the question, he continued
Our industries are a matter of busi
ness, and all business is production.
But production is dependent upon
consumption, and so, for progress
the agents of production must rec
ognize the rights of each other, and
also of their consuming public. . In
dustrial development is the great
unit, and if we are to have progress
every part, must put aside selfishness
md work for the good of that unit
True it is the laborer's duty to de
velop themselves, but it is more so
their duty to respect the rights of
others. And if the unions do not
do this, arid here he referred to his
colleague, saying that he would
show that they didn't, then accord
ing to this universal law of prog
ress they are inimical to our indus
trial development.
Mr. Golucke, for Georgia, spoke
hrst tor the negative, tie began
jy giving a practical illustration of
what Industrial Development was.
He analyzed it into two factors:
Capital and Labor, and subdivided
capital into the employer, machin
ery used in production and the pro
cesses used in production.
of fact in those trades that are un- right of personal security, which
ionized between 80 per cent and ()0 includes the right to work undis
per cent of the laborers employed j turbed. It grants him the right to
He said to develop an industry Lot industry has granted to the em
either the factor capital, as he ana-
yzed it, or the factor labor, should
e increased in efficiency.
He next showed that labor unions
had appeared in only three of the
are members of unions.
IJe said that as a rule employers
in those trades in which unions have
appeared, are kindly disposed tow
ard their work people: but compe
tition with their brother employers
progressively demanded that they
lower their cost of production.
This they might do by increasing
the efficiency of thcmacliinery used,
or by securing a more efficient pro
cess of production, or by exacting
more work from the laborers for
less pay.
The supply of labor is greater
than the demand. This forces the
laborer into a dependent position
and he is forced to accept whatever
terms or conditions that the em
ployer may offer. He then suited
the negative's interpretation of the
question as follows: "In these three
great branches there can be no per
fectly healthy condition for the de
velopment of our industries, because
of the employer's necessity to low
er the cost of production and the
laborers' necessity to accept what
ever terms the employer offers.
Now if labor unions result perma
nently in less healthy conditions
than would exist if there were no
unions, then they are inimical aoid
should be condemned. On the other
hand, if labor unions result perma
nently in more healthy conditions
for the increasing of our industrial
efficiency than would exist if there
were no unions, then unions are not
inimical, but are a positive benefit
and should be approved.
He quoted Prof. Ely, of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin, the report of
the Industrial Commission, Chair
man Interstate Commerce Commis
sion, and writers in magazines, all
at great length, showing the un
healthy condition before labor or
ganized.
He concluded his speech by show
ing the effect or these conditions on
our industrial development.
Mr. Johnston, second speaker for
Carolina for the affirmative, first
surveyed the ground covered by
Mr. Wright and then proceeded to
show that the labor unions of today
do not act in accordance with this
universal law of all progress. On
the contrary "they manifest a spir
it of caste; they disregard the rights
of all agents of production and make
unionism paramount to industry."
He then showed what the rights are
upon which industry depends, and
showed that the unions disregard
all of them. "Society for the sake
work, where employed, subject only
to the rules which the welfare of
society may require.
The speaker then showed by the
acts of the union, by . statistics and
by the Industrial Commission that
all these rights are disregarded by
the unions. He reached the logical
conclusion that unions from their
very nature set themselves in oppo
sition to the welfare of 'industry.
fie then noticed union effects on
certain industries. He showed that
ourship building industry and the
steel industry have both suffered
severely by unions and drew a
practical lesson from the coal
strike. "It may have benefited the
laborer, but to pay for his advance
we lost the supply of coal to Eng
lish coaling stations throughout the
Atlantic, $125,000,000 was wrung
from an innocent and suffering pub
lic, want and hunger threatened
every home and destruction stared
every industry in the face." And
yet the unions are not satisfied.
He then made a hasty but
graphic summary of the off -argument,
and concluded by saying:
"In the face of such effects the la
bor union cannot be listed among
the friends of industrial devlop
ment." Mr. Patterson, for Georgia, sec
ond speaker on the negative, dealt
with the permanent effect of labor
unions upon our producing factors
Capital and Labor. Unions have
increased the efficiency of those fac
tors. Unions have increased the
efficiency of capital by bringing
about first, the natural selection of
the most efficient emploj'ers; sec
ond, the use of new machinery and
new processes of manufacture;
third, a strong industrial organiza
tion; tourth, the natural selection
of the most efficient laborers.
Unions have increased the efficien
cy of labor by bettering the condi
tion of laborers irenerallv. This
raising of Jhe standard life of the
laboring classes rests upon the in
dustrial development in increasing
their efficiency and wants. This
results in increased efficiency and
production on the part of capital.
Unions have better laborers eco
nomically. Unions have raised
wages. This is especially seen in
the bituminous coal mining indus
try, and in the clothing trades in
creased wages have brought in
creased output, but have not
brought higher priced articles.
Unions have better laborers physi
cally. They have shortened the
fespect ior one s reuovvmen s i ignis piameu im; u-asu wu iuui.it
h the source of all morality, the ba-'eent of the entire class of la
fis of all civilization and govern- are members of unions; as a i
plovers and laborers certain funda- ; work day and have thereby length-
mental rights upon which industry jened trade lifc. The eight hour
depends. Society declares that ; brought about by unions, nas
every employer has a right to hire! increased efficiency and output.
whom he pleases when they seek j This is especially seen in the coal
employment; that he has a right to; mines. Unions have done away
buy his material where he pleases, j with the sweat shop system, and
And above all that he has a right! have brought safe and sanitary con-
to possess his property and to use
it in any legitimate way."
To the laborer society grants the
ditions of employment.
Unions hive better laborers so
(Oontlnued on 8d page.)