Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-09-19

NVAACS III uhNSa touSu WIFI us eA
ployee.
BY the time the capitalists money
which he gives for labor, reaches the
| employee the money as well as all the
sweets that ought naturally to come
| MS a result OF that labor is scattered
right and left. The superintendent
| who can run the mill or foundry at
the lowest cost gets the biggest salary.
| The big officers of the trusts get their
millions. The little men. who do the
hard work, receive pittances which are
hardly enough TO allow them TO exc out
bare physical existence. The capital
list ought to see that the money lie pays
for labor reaches the men who work
| and that IL is not lost on the way to
their pockets.
Prosperity Must He shared.
| Men and women of the capitalistic
| class, these labor agitations and trou-
bles will never be settled until you are
willing to share your prosperity with
| those who are working for you so
| faithfully to make a living. The labor
| troubles will never be settled until
man willing to work can earn enough
money not only to care for his chill
| dren while he is alive, but to fit them
for becoming self supporting after he
| is dead.
Hunger Is demoralizing; 1t is mad
dening when 1t is witnessed driving its
fangs into those a man loves. Howso-
ever honest n man may be. his princi-
pies are i'm danger of falling IL his wife
and children through no fault of his
are starving. l heard of one case that
| hA fx-ri Of inn Of
many who are controlling them with
difficulty. 1t occurred a few years
ago, when the silver mines of the west
were closed down. a man walked In
| TO the village store and drew q pistol.
Then he flung bag of -four across his
shoulder as he pointed his revolver at
the men, saying: when l could find
work, I was always willing to work,
and then l paid my bills. But now j
cannot find work, aud my babies are
starving. i am going to get them
something to eat. / am going to take
this flour home. If any man tries to
stop me. 1 will put a hole through his
heart" That may be anarchy, but
that will be the anarchy this country
viii have to face If the time ever
comes when the laboring classes can
not earn enough to buy their daily
bread. The world does not owe lazy,
good for nothing loafer any lodgings
better than the poorhouse or the coun-
" Jail when he is alive or any burial
place better than q grave in the pot
ter's field when he is dead, but the
world does owe every honest, faithful
man who is willing to work the OPP
portunity to work, and, furthermore,
capital does owe this to its employees
when the good times come and capt.
tai prospers then wages should be in
creased and labor should prosper also.
snow" answers some capitalist,
''you are advocating a lot of high
sounding nonsense. You are practical
ly saying that every capitalist should
become philanthropist- He should
turn his business into n cooperative
concern and let his employees share as
much as possible in his wealth. That
does not go in business. Religion and
business, like oil and water, do not
mix. Business is not run upon the
principle of the Golden Rule, but upon
the law of supply and demand. We
hire where we can hire the cheapest
so we can manufacture the cheapest.
We sell where we can sell the dearest.
We make ali the money we can. Then,
If we want TO be philanthropists and
not business men, we give away as
much rs we please"
Mix Gospel with business.
My capitalistic friend. your state
ments are wrong. The gospel and bust
ness do financially mix well. The cap
st,l lee ,rr,.1
I'm business and lets his employees
share in his prosperity will Twin OUT
every time. What was the history OF
George W. Childs? There never was a
man who received happier financial re-
suits from practicing the Golden Rule
than did he. When Mr.. Childs,
young man, took hold OF the Philadel-
phia Ledger, Ii was n financial failure.
All employees OF that concern were
placed upon the lowest possible wages
The trusted men were DESERVING at ev-
cry possible chance and finding other
places. What did George w. Childs
do? He gathered his new employees
about him and practically said: MEN,
1 cannot pay you much in the begin
ming, but promise you one thing-as
prosper you shall prosper. Further
more. when any OF you become dis
abled by advancing years from work
VIII pension you for life, so that you
can live in ease and support your chill
dren. If you will be true to me, will
be true to you. We shall go up to-
gether or go down together. / will
consider the Ledger staff big family,
and as far as possible i shall find my
future head men from those who are
now working in the ranks"
Did the Golden Rule mean failure
In George w. Childs' life? AS soon as
the new employees heard the ringing
words of their chief they went to work
with viii. The subscription list of
the Philadelphia Ledger doubled and
trebied and quadrupled. Why? Be
cause when George w. Childs pros
pered the employees knew that they
would prosper also. Because of their
| own prosperity as well as OF his they
worked as they never worked before
Those employees made thousands OF
dollars for themselves. They made
millions upon millions of dollars for
Mr.. Childs. The magnificent results
from practlcing the Golden Rule in
the Philadelphia Ledger can be dupli
Gated in every other big business cor
poration in any part of the world
But the trouble with most capitalists
of the present day is that they refuse
to do as Mr.. Childs did. They shirk
their individual, responsibility AS your
moneys are collected into great trust
or corporation and you only hold a few
shares you say you are not RESPONSE
BILE for what the whole concern may
do. You are like the members of an
execution squad who have been de
tailed to shoot spy caught within the
! military lines. You say Done indiyid
ual is responsible for the execution, be
cause twenty-five bullets instead of
one strike the doomed mans heart, but
every capitalist who has his money in.
vested in a corporation where starva.
ton salaries are being paid to its en-.
| plOyeeS is responsible for the DANA 90