New-York tribune., 1900-10-25
INDUSTRIAL EVOLUTION.
CHARLES R. FLINT SPEAKS OF THE AD-
vANTAGES OF CENTRALIZED
MANUFACTURE

THE TENDENCY OF SUCH COMBINATIONS
TO MAXIMUM OF wAGEs-THE I'M
PROVED CONDITION OF WAGE
FARMERS UNDER THE
PRESENT SYSTEM
Charles r Flint made an address on Industrial
Combinations" before the Illinois Manufacturers
Association at its annual dinner October s. In
beginning his address he said:
A combination Of labor is a trades union; com
bination of intelligence university; combination
combination of labor. intelligence and money.
There seems to be much confusion IN the h1rnes 1I
and Industrial company, due to the fact tha[
informed either as to their organization or opera
ton; trust was a syndicate OF men VINO q neIq
trust certificates therefor. Now, industrial inter
ests are represented by shares OF stock IN gess
were made to develop the trust system, II Was
trial combinations were in their infancy nave
aIWays been opposed to the trust system OF or or
sainlzation They were not required to nave nave any any
BYLAWS or keep any official minutes Of their m PRO pro
Titnout sufficient acco1ntability; the 81 sqprene S
Industrial ORGANIZATIONS viii tell you that that
United States
THE OPPOSITION TO COMBINATIONS
Referring to the opposition to combinations, he
said
To-day there are men Of. intellectual refinement
ana pleasing personality far removed from the
centres OF hnanse ne and industrial % ao[g I01
in it-who are studying the history Of Industrial
progress but are not making that hstory-and yet
Of oratoTy @ they are adyoeating theories in bqSi, ISL
very foundations Of our industrial existence They
are half thinkers, because they think without the
AMUSING after dinner speech to the newspaper men
oIeT T b ne SAC; teeng OF awe comes
q men OF such marvellous capacity. Your rapldity
pernatural, When | was before Richmond, sur
rounded by men who had made life study Of
mlAtary tactics; when, after days and nights Of
oe,Aoeration plan of campaign was finally deter
office late at night and in few minutes dash OF
an editorial telling how we were all wrong and
able versatility was shown in formulating legisa-
tional diplomacy where the existence OF State Sc
erets made It impossible for you TO get at the
EVOLUTION IN INDUSTRY.
Speaking OF the advantages that come from cen
tralized manufacture Mr.. Flint continues:
Industrial evolution which is as inevitable and
as unalterable as the law of gravItation has at
tained its as yet highest development here in the
United States. Every unprejudiced man must rec
ognIze IT'S advantages. and that It is because of
them that we are taking so important position in
the worlds markets, increasing our National
wealth furthertng the welfare and increasing the
The great problems Of the economics of produc-
day is not much the fact Of our great Industrial
prosperity; il is rather the question whether the
among The contributors to It'd capital j2) super
First-The share to capital takes the form either
Of interest dividends.
those furnishing money to industrial enterprises IS
q6ToaFhog the Tned States g0 was ne Ber cent p
annum. Now II Is less than per cent. This gen
confidence, the higher and more perfect the indus
trial organizatio the lower the rate of interest
and moreoyeT' being partners partners and shaTeRoders
vantages Of combination Still 1t is doubtful If the
of interest Moreover, dividends are never abso-
and Superintendent have first had their share.
THE MAN OF SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCE.
second-Now, what is the position of the man of
superior intelligence, for superintendence stands
veloped organizations resulting in enormous volume
of business have increased the necessity for in
equal to the demand therefore the price Of brains
is high: The turning over of individual businesses
men TO the Advisory Board for judgment, and has
Wbat chances 0 have our men gou3g men? VILE you
asking the question, those OF ability and energy
dustry If the student will leave his books and the
orator the stump and go to our factories
they will ind ten times as many men receiving over
Third-Let now consider the interests of the
produced the perfect machinery and giant factories
supported by great aggregates Of capital represent
ii is fnndamentaI fact that the man Of superior
ability cannot accumulate for himself Without Civ
ing 10 the wage earners an opportunity to earn a
larger share, and it is always an increasing share
ar6 10 a maximum of wages
When profits become abnormal they invite compe-
tition and Immediately reduced, IN which case
the consumer is benefited solely. If ~ are not
labor demands a larger share Of the proat, in the
form of increased wages, and it is either volun-
tary or necessarily agreed TO, in which case the
body of wage earners reap the advantage. And,
inasmuch as the body Of wage earners is the great
body of the community. il necessarily reaps the ad
vantage in any case. Employees know almost as
promptly do the employers whether mill is
earning eXtravagant profit. II it be. they at
once demand their share, and the employer must
and inevitably does sUccumb. It is thus that wages
always tend 10 a maximum and profits to mini
The maintenance Of the high standard of wages
now paid in the United States is absolutely de-
pendent upon realizing the advantages which