Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578 of 578
for the public. I, remembering my old Consumers' League days, realized that the Consumers' League had been a great public influence in the State of New York and in other states where it had existed in bringing the public influence to bear on labor problems. The public interest and the labor necessities were frequently channeled into the same course. The public interest was regarded as a moral interest. I did not think, and I don't think the General thought, that the public interest was an economic interest, although there were elements of that, of course. The public wants prices kept at a reasonable point. The public does not want marketing practices to be such that the public will be exploited. That's their economic interest, but they have also a primary interest which can be evoked, although nowadays you don't hear much of it. They have an interest in the morals of a public situation. The public interest will nearly always be on the moral side of any situation. They'll squawk a little about their economic interests, but their final vote and their final influence will be in the direction of a moral position.
So it occurred to me that a committee to represent the public - what I called a consumers' committee - represented the third part of this triangle of labor, employers and the consuming market. They would have a moral influence both
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help