The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-07-17
ME LABOR question is, or
should be, of interest to every
lover of mankind to every

should be, of interest to every
lover of mankind, to every
searcher for truth. That some
few men should be able to acquire
millions while hundreds of thousands
of men, tho they work every day, say,
from their fifteenth to their sixtieth
year, can only just earn enough to
bring up q family; while still other
thousands do not even earn enough to
provide for themselves or families a
suitable home, or proper food, or de-
cent raiment, is a state of affairs that
speaks by no means well for our civili-
Zation.
One of our captains of indus
try, Mr.. Carnegie, has retired from
active business with fortune Of, at
the least calculation, $15O,OO0,OOO. Now,
let us say that the average number of
men employed by Mr.. Carnegie from
the beginning to the end of his business
career was 10000 which is rather
above than below the true number it
follows that every workingman must
have earned at least $1,000 for him.
Whether the course of Mr.. Carnegie or
others like him can be defended on
ethical grounds, is not now the ques-
tion; we only call attention to this
garing inequality of the distribution
of wealth to point out that, if the
workingmen by any lawful means can
remedy what they consider to. be an
unjust, not to say pitiable state of
affairs, and fail to apply the remedy
then they are fools indeed, and not even
deserving the little comfort that some,
by hook or crook, are able to derive
from their present condition.
A writer for The MIRROR who seems
to take an interest in labor problems
calls our attention to the fact or theory
that the new business methods of our
time may prove possible solution to
what has hitherto seemed an almost
insoluble problem. He AYERS that, for
instance, the United States Steel Cor
poration is not one man affair,
but a joint stock company whose
shares may be bought in the mar
ket at moderate prices, and asks
what is to hinder the workingmen
from buying the stock, and so placing
themselves in position to dictate the
terms of their own employment. He
then points out that an investment of
$500 apiece would come very near to
giving them good working interest in
the company, and as steel workers are
supposed to be well paid they ought to
have no trouble in saving that amount.
He next tells us that "much thought
has been wasted on schemes of CO.
operation or profit sharing" and that,
~the best brains of the financial world
have created perfect scheme of CO.
operation or profit sharing in the stock
Market" for, "when the workmen en-
ployed by any corporation secure fair
percentage of its capital stock, such
corporation becomes at that moment
a cooperative institution" He winds
up by telling us if this plan were adop-
ted, "the arrangement of wage scale
wouldyno longer be tug Of war, for if
the scale were too high the men would
get in wages what they missed in divi-
dends, and if it were too low they
would draw in dividends what they
lacked in wages" All this has such an
enticing sound that it allures one to in
vestigate the plan proposed; but one is
compeIledfo admit when this scheme
is brought face to face with facts and
figures, or is tested in the crucible of
common sense, it amounts to no more
than an "iridescent dreamn
The United States Steel company,
like oil other corporations, is controlled
by q board of directors. If the direct
ors representing 81 per cent of the cap
ital stock Of the concern vote for GER
tain measures, or certain changes in
the policy Of the corporation, the direct
ors representing the other 40 per cent
ofthe capital stock viii have no power