The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-26

of that party. experienced but one strike,
in 1872 and the factory workers did neither
join it nor sympathize with it. "a second
strike occurred in 1889. also among the coal
miners.-Editor.
Let US assume that. in accordance with
socialistic theories. I resign from the con-
duct OF my business and turn it over to the
tender cares OF the commune. In that case.
1 venture to say, none, or very few, OF my
able lieutenants would consent to remain.
the works would therefore fall into incom-
petent hands.
But suppose they did not-that would
not forestall their ruin. for my chief GUS
toners. foreign countries, put their trust in
me. in my methods. in my honesty. What
has parcel Of unknowns to offer in place
Of such individual qualities?
'Krupps works. administered according
to socialistic theories, would die Of dis
trust. incompetence and lack of experience
on the part of the administrators.
THE PROFIT SHARING QUESTION.
81 answer this question by another: Were
my workmen fathers of my Inventions?
And still another: Have 1 ever asked them
to indemnify me for my losses, for what
experiments or the works cost me-? The
laborer has his wage, and, besides, a claim
to raise in wages according to his in
creased usefulness. Any other demand up
on his employer would be unfair. The
workmen have no rights to the fruits Of my
individual efforts-I am the inventor, the
experimenter, the loser the producer.
II will defend my property to the utmost;
my inventions are much my own as my
house, and so are the fruits Of my inven-
tions, whether they be gain or loss.
His wage is the workmans share in
the profts-it amounts. on the average, to
three-quarters of the selling value of his
product; part of the other quarter goes for
interest. disvaluation, cost of administra-
ton, bad debts, etc. What is left, after all
these things are paid. is profit.
THE above applies to good times Now
let's look at bad times. The employer reaps
nothing but losses; the workman has his
wage before as after. Does he offer to in
demnify for the lack OF profits, the
money lose? Not at all; he wants his full
wage and expects his employer to be able
to pay him regularly. How could he do 1t
ifs in good times, he had shared his profits
with his workmen, as the Socialists de-
mand?
IAN Industrial undertaken is much like a
tiller Of the soil. Like him, his seed does
not always take. Often. very often. he is
confronted by failure of crops, partial
complete
IF in good years my profits do not far
exceed my needs, then I have to close up
when times are bad. 1 never closed up-I
shouldered immense losses for the benefit
OF my workmen-and will allow no one to
dispute my right to the capital that enabled
me to do so.
1.-The profits are mine as the losses, mine
by law, before God and man. / earned
them by my energy. my care. my ceaseless
efforts. Woe to him who touches them!"
A VAST INDUSTRY.
This remarkable man who, by his genius
and energy. put the term Capital to
shame. acquiring the indispensable means
for success as he went along-the greatest
individual industrial undertaken of the
world-died on July Is, 1887, having fur
nished the states of the universe with $1,000
guns and extended his commercial empire
over the whole of Germany, from the Rhine
to the Baltic, from the frontiers of Belgium
to those Of Russia.
The city of Essen, which had 5000 inhab-
itants when he began work for himself, had
100, 900 at the time of his death-it developed
twice as quickly Sheffield in the century
following the Inauguration of cast-steel
making there under Huntsman. Another
interesting fact is that, when Alfred Krupp
started in, the number of his workmen
formed just per cent. Of the inhabitants Of
Essen. while at his death his actual en-
ployes, without counting their families,
comprised p per cent. of the citizens of Es-
sen, among them many of the weaIthiest
and most respected citizens
The new master of the great Industrial
kingdom, Friedrich Alfred Krupp, the son
of the above, is chiefly remarkable for the
loyalty with which he continues his fathers
policy in every respect. Friedrich Alfred
has vastly extended the colossal business
Of which he became the head by inheritance
and doubled the number of its employees.
largely owing to his enterprise. Germany's
output of steel exceeds now that of Great
Britain by one-fourth of the total amount,
while fifty years ago England produced ten
times the amount Germany did. namely,
| 100000 tons per annum.
RICHARD EHRENBERG.
copyright, 1902