The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-12-04
THE KRUPP CONTROVERSY

ill-timed quarrel row raging over
the new made grave OF the late gun
maker, Herr Krupp. Ere The
flowers strewn on the tomb Of tile
great captain Of industry were faded
and scentless a savage attack was
made on his memory by the Socialist
organs, the able and compromising
| Vorwaerts leading, and their OPP
lponents are replying in kind.
BY what motive was the assault
on a memory so lavishly eulogized in
other quarters actuated? Either
the assailants felt that Herr Krupp's
great reputation for philantrophy,
and the seeming solution on lines
other than Socialistic of labor ques-
tions at the works at Essen, formed
an object lesson adverse to their
propaganda, or else they honestly
believed the alleged benefcent sys-
tenn at Essen to be, as the Vorwaerts
styled it, "a species of refined
swindling," and therefor proper
object Of attack.
It is upon the famous pension sys-
tem>of the Krupp firm that the guns
of the Vorwaerts are mainly
brought to bear, the contention be-
/ ing that the so-called benevolent
funds, as far from being drawn by
the profits Of the firm, are really the
result of forced levies on the wages
OF the employees, who are moreover
held in constant terror of being
eventually robbed, through arbi-
trary dismissal, of participation in
the fund which they are compelled
to maintain out of their own earn
ings. Such dismissals, it is stated
have during the past three years
averaged 1000 to 5000 annually,
and are not infreqaently for political
cause. And so far from state of
general contentment prevailing, as
is generally supposed, at Essen, it
is added tLa5 "the employees found
the system SO unsatisfactory that
five great meetings were held this
year for the purpose of seeking legal
redress" 1t must be admitted that
the Vorwaerts charges in the above
regard are commercially specific,
and Therefore susceptible either OF
direct proof or refutation.
The kaiser's fiery speechin defense
of the memory of his dead friend
contains, amid much that is merely
denuciatory and seems overstrained,
at least one sound and useful sugges-
tion. Addressing the Krupp work
men, he said: 1t lies with you TO de
fend and preserve the honor of your
master and shield his memory from
defamation. THE Vorwaerts and it's
colleagues have assumed, gratuitous-
ly as it appears, the Office of voicng
and protesting against the griev-
ances of the Krupp workmen against
the firm which has been posing n
the eyes of the appauding world as
their generous guide and oenefactor
1t now appears to be s'up to- the
worhmen themselves, as the emperor
initimated, to accept or disclsim the
services of these volunteer champ
ions, ard to say honestly and openly
how they have Jared under that
Krupp system denounced by the
Vorwaerts as "a species of refined
swindlin g. Have they, in point of
fact, been groaning under a system
of yelled biackmail which wrung
from them q per cent OF their pay
under the pension fluid pretens or
have they Gas the Krupp party would
probably say) been merely required,
on the self-help principle, to add
their mite to a fund, largely aug
mented by their employers, calcu-
lated to insure them against the
rainy day of old age or disability?
The truth as to the inner workings
and economy of the famous COM
unity of Essen is of great interest
to students Of industrial problems
and the testimony just now Of a
majority of the workers themss Ives
would be specially worth ,baving.
Milwaukee Sentinel
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