Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-04
ECONOMIC INSECURITY.

Carroll ~. Wright, CIiitSO oldteS
commissioner of labor aud recorder Of
lie anthracite coal strike commission,
has contributed to an eastern paper an
article on the Insecurity of Labor in
which he discusses the economic inse-
.urity which Industrial changes have
brought about within recent years. The
liff1culty of obtaining employment
which confronts men of middle age has.
Mr.. Wright asserts, given rise to Sc
rious condition Of insecurity under our
present labor system. where each work
ingman makes his own contracts and
takes care of his own interests. Under
the feudal system his service to his
leudal lord was repaid by protection
md by support in his old age. Now
he has nowhere TO turn. His strength
has been expended. illness or old age
has come upon him AMI no refuge is
open except the charity the public gives
grudgingly to the pauper. So long as
his strength endured he produced and
benefited society. Mr.. Wright asks,
"Does not society owe him something IN
RETURN" The crucial idea, says Mr..
Wright. lies In this:
Society progresses only as industry
is prosperous-that is. on a genera.
scale. Society has the benefit then, OF
the efforts of labor and capital to Sc
cure success. If society benefits by
these efforts, must it not do the same
for labor that it does far capital? 1t
pays, in consumption, the profits as
well as the impairment of capital.
Business establishments charge off each
year certain amount FOR impairment.
A great factory must Go this or it can
not succeed. a company with a capi-
tai of s1,000,0o0 may charge off $780,
900 or 100000 each year as impair
ment or depreciation of tine plant. This
amount, or whatever the amount, is
counted in the cost of production, and
the consumers pay It, thus keeping
capital unimpaired, and this is neces-
sary IL society is to have the benefit OF
successful production.
Capital may be employed today at a
remunerative rate and unemployed to-
morrow, but the next day, unimpaired.
1T brings returns to its owner. The
position of labor is just the reverse Of
this. Labor must be invested today. 1t
is the wage-worker's capital. If society
reimburses capital for its impairment,
thru the cost of production. and hence
the price Of commodities, why should 1t
not also prevent the impairment of the
wage-worker's capital. and pay, thru
consumption, wage sufficient to pro-
tect him against impairment or loss ?
Has not society the right to say that
labor shall be protected against the in
security Of old age or accident? And
has 1T not the right, further. to say that
IL 1T is to protect the wage worker
from this insecurity, 1t has also the
right to determine the Haethod?
Mr.. Wright is asking the questions
over again that have been asked by
students Of the wage system for years
and to which no satisfactory answer
has beer returned. II is really the
question of old age pensions, of steady
employment, of the righteous division
OF production and its profits. Some
great corporations have partially solved
the problem so far as their own en-
uloyes are concerned by system Of
retirement on pensions after specified
years of continuous service. The long
term is a requisite qualification, how
ever, and those who come at the elev-
enth hour fare differently from the Ia
borer in the parable. Then there is the
common worker, the fotsam of labor,
who drifts from place to place master
less and unrecked of. 10 whom neither
the great corporations nor society ap-
near to owe a debt or at ann rate If