The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-04-19
The Wiser Way.
r N NOTING Colonel Reiffs clear
business suggestion--not a novel
one, by the way-that the work.

Il one, by the way-that the work.
ingmen should, as a class and as
individuals, secure share in the
directorate of each OF the corporations
for which they work, the Philadelphia
Ledger closes by saying few of them
as yet seem ready to view the propo-
sition approvingly." That is apparently
as true as is the other statement, with
which it begins its comment, that "the
world will take long step forward in
the march of civilization when the
workingmen of this country, or any
other, generally accept the advice to
become stockholders in the corpora
tions for which they work."
Why they have not come to consider
and adopt this thoroughly practical,
conservative plan, thereby promoting
their own prosperity and that of the
entire communities in which they live,
is indicated by contraries, as may be
said, in Colonel Reiff's preliminary
question addressed to the Ledger's New
York correspondent: DO you know
what would do if was labor leader
with the real interests of my fellow
workmen at heart?" The public has
come to know by repeated experiences
of needless loss and business stagna-
tion that what the majority of the
labor leaders "have at heart" is their
personal ambition for recognition" as
the bosses and autocrats of labor or
ganizations. That is why the business
OF this country is forever in dread;
why prosperity, when it does put in an
appearance, is at once broken in upon
by the threat of strikes or their actual
outbreak. The day has come to be an
abnormal one when the wires do not
report some fresh event OF the kind.
When. as in very recent time in this
part of the country, public disapproval
of threatened strike is shown by the
general statement of business men that
they will not ruin themselves by an
unlimited extension of the credit sys-
tenn until they are themselves bank
rupted by it-and, SO, the leaders who
have needlessly threatened strike and
created panic, give up their plans tenn
porarly-there is a class of papers
that begin to sing most eXtravagant
praises of their conservatism" Con-
selVatism. in stepping back, perforce.
after stepping forward without reason;
and their followers go after them be-
cause each is afraid of the other.
''lf' the labor leaders had as Colonel
Reitf puts it, 'the real interests of
their fellow-workmen at heart" this
terrible spectacle of the continual up-
heaval of business of every kind would
speedily come to end.
Colonel Reiff's words as a practical
clear r-headed business man, go TO the
very root of the matter. Answering his
own question he said, in effect:
why, instead of collecting large
sums of money for use in strikes, |
would apply the money to obtain an
interest in the corporations for which
we were working. 1t seems strange
that the wage-earner, the trades union
man, does not realize how much he
could accomplish by becoming IA part
ner of the business of his employer,
Suppose enough money could be raised
by assessment to buy, say, 100 shares
OF the stock of the railroad COMPANY
for which the men of a certain union
were working. The 100 could be divided
among 100 different men, one share to
a man. When the annual stockholders
meeting was held 100 employees. en-
gineers, conductors. tiremen and the
like, would be entitled to attend by
right of ownership of stock. Do the
men fail to appreciate what power their
mere presence at the meeting would
have? Let them increase their holdings
of stock, year by year. and soon the
interests would invite them
to name one of their number to serve
in the board Of directors, and then the
men would actually have a voice. and
a powerful one, in the management OF
the company, of which they are the
employees. Would not this be better
policy than going on strike? Why
waste the money in making war, when
you can apply it to buying such an in
terest In the property as will make you
a factor in its management?
This, says the correspondent is the
essence of the statement made and pre-
sentinS a practical solution for the diff
ferences between capital and labor.
Also: The Illinois Central, 1t may be
added. some time ago, invited its em-