Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-05-31
EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYE
The Subject of Profit Sharing Attract
ing General Attention.
Rusk's Butfonary Has Disguised Both
Harrison and Blaine.
A Scranton. Pa. Bank Cashier Speeu-
lating Becomes Embarrassed.


tai, the want o. community of interest,
the Indifference of the employee are in.
wiling attention to the subject of profit
sharing. Rev. II. NJ. Simmons preached
sermon on the topic short time since,
which attracts wide notice because it pre-
sents the facts IN 6 clear, attractive way.
He said the subject was very proper for
the pulpit, since the labor question is &
religious one, and everything which helps
the poorer ,lssses and promotes socis.
peace, Is nearer to the Christianity that
Jesus taught than any theological dis
cussion. The sermon was principally An
account of the many experiments in
prott-sharing in Europe and this coun.
try-carried on with various methods in
all sorts of industries by firms of all sizes
ranging from shops TO -establlshm
employing many thousands OF men.
The preacher thought the gen
eral result was favorable. II
of course, did not suit any
kind of socialists, who wish TO overturn
our present industrial system. Bot 70
al who wish 20 retain this system, and TO
improve it wisely, profit sharing shows
many features to be praised.
Flrst-lt is of great benefit to the la
borers. 1t adds much to their income;
as We see in the case of the Pillsbury firm
In Mimi eapolis, which has in the last six
years distributed S165,0OO to its .orkmen,
besides their regular and full wages,
often adding 800 to the lsborer's iu-
come. Often 1t helps them in perhaps
still wiser ways; as in the case of the
Leclalre house III Paris, which orig
lnsted the system As years ago, and which
besides distributing One-haif its
profits among all Its workmeu, gives
one-fourtn to their Mutual Aid society,
that has accumulated about S500,0O
aud provides for them when sick, and
pensions them when disabled or old,
and continues the pensions to their wild
Ows after them. And besides this ma
tetlal help to wOrkmen, 1t Is the moral
one, which comes by stimulating them
20 more industry, economy ana good
habits IN order that they may increase
the profits TO the firm and TO themselves.
Second-Profi5 sharing does not harm,
but often helps the employers them
selves. 1t makes the men produce more
and better, and waste much less. Mary
amusing stories are told of the work
mems economy in such establishments
such as burning one light instead of
two, using envelopes twice over, being
careful not to break the photographic
stones-and an officer of the Paris i New
Orleans railway, which shared it's profits
among thousands of wofkmen for twenty
years, said it made them even handle
baggage carefully, result almost mil
lennial. Many firms have declared that
IN these various ways, they have gained
more by p-ofit-sharing than it costs
them; from M. Besse,ievre, who said it
'hes cost US nothing" aud NJ. de Lesseps,
who said it had been useful to the Suez
Canal company in every respectful one
OF the Raid i McNally firm, who called
it "the best investment the house ever
made" In many cases the expert
mept has been abandoned, sometimes
from change of proprietors, sometimes
from shiftIes5 workmeu or socialistic in
reference. But in far more cases il has
succeeded; and the fifty-six firms which
keep 1t after trial of over fifteen years,
and the many that keep it after a trial of
over thirty years, show that it generally
works no loss to the proprietors.
Third-Protit sharing promotes peace
and prosperity in society at large. 1t
does away with the old and fatal an.
tagoIism between employer and EN-
ploye and gives to both q common inter
est. Under lt strikes hardly ever occur;
and In view of the fact that the strikes
of the SIX years, from 1881 to 1886, in
this country alone are estimated to have
cost over eighty millions of dollars, we
see how much it would bless in this way
aud, III view of our recent experience, we
may be allowed gently to whisper the
hope that, for the sake of both parties
and of the public, 1t may sometime Re
introduced into our street railway sys
TEN. Of course, neither profit-sharing
nor any other one remedy can be pre-
scUibed as a panacea for our labor
troubles. The Chicago Times once,
after enumerating the va rious conflict
ing causes assigned for a financial
panic, said that it more probably was due
to Original sim" Doubtless that human
sejfshuess which our serious ancestors
saw fit to call Original sin," is the cause
of our labor troubles too and will not be
abolished in orr day. But proft-sharing,
by showing how easy conflicting classes
can be united 10 a common interest, at
least points toward the way in which orr
social troubles are to be healed.
n. p. Gilman has recently published a
book which furnishes rich array of
facts.