The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-03
OUR BIG PROBLEM is
THE ENORMOUS GROWTH
OF UNIONS AND TRUSTS
Combinations of Capital Surpass
the Widest Dreams of a CrG-
suS or a Monte Cristo.
BEWILDERING FIGURES
Twenty-Four Thousand Trades
Unions and the Immense
Strength They Represent.
THE PEOPLE w
Some Trusts and Some Unions
Are Squeezing the Public-The
Civic Federation'S Work.

Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, d c., Jan IL have
been asked to make an interview investi-
cation OF some OF the great bread-and-Dut-
ter questions which are now agitating the
minds OF most of the men and women OF
the United States. These questions are
those relating to the new conditions of capt.
tai and labor: The question Of the big dealer
swallowing the little one; of high wages
and high prices; of long CT short hours; Of
union and nonunion, and especially whether
the consumer is TO be ground between the
upper and neither millstones Of employer
and employee. These are problems which
affect every mans ~pOcketbook. his chance
20 work for whom he pleases, his wages
II he is a laborer and his profits If he is
a capitalist, and, in fact. the comfort and
success or failure Of every one in the coun-
try.
The interviews will be with representative
znen Of all classes. 1 shall have talks with
some or our chief capitalists. including now
and then a millionaire or trust magnate.
who will give US the benefits OF organized
capital, and shall have expressions Of opin-
ion from the leaders of the trade unions.
who in their mighty hands WELD the mil
lions OF organized labor. The nonunion
mass viii be represented by other thinkers,
as will also the unorganized and long-suf-
fering public. which pays all the bills and
forms the very foundation OF the existence
OF laborer and capitalist.
I wish to say at the start that these in
terviews are not the expression OF my
opinion or that Of this paper. In them the
man who talks may say what he pleases,
and the more forcibly the better. Ny only
aim is TO give a fair show to all sides with
out fear or favor. If labor is denounced
this week. capital may have its denuncia-
ton next. The unionist and nonunionist
is here on an equal footing. and the indi-
vfdua1. establishment and the great trust
stand side by side. AS for me. 1 am only
the telephone connection between the men
interviewed and my readers-a mere re-
ceiver and transmitter-my chief ambition
being to distinctly convey the sound.
The present letter gives some idea Of
the situation and the parties at issue. The
interviews will begin publication next Sun
day.
A LAND OF GOLDEN GIANTS.
In the past the United States has been
great through its individual citizen. It
has been the land Of all others where the
single man could stand alone and fight his
- ~ NAACGeA any RACI ~ 4dAAAC LII
fortune This condition is rapidly chang
ing. We are doing things in the large.
Men work in bands. and dollars in millions.
The land is one of golden giants, of mighty
masses of organized capital and herculean
armies OF organized labor.
First, lock at our combinations of capital.
They surpass in their accumulations the
widest dreams of a Croesus. an Aladdin
or a Monte Cristo. 1t is not long since the
millionaires of the United States could be
counted on your fingers and toes. Now
they are numbered by thousands, and we
have individuals worth more than the ag-
gregate wealth OF some of the smaller Eu-
ropean states.
Take Carnegiel No one knows just what
he has. but his three hundred million dol
lars Of steel securities bring him in an
income of more than fifteen million dollars
q year, or more than fOrty-One thousand
dollars for every day Of the week. including
holidays and Sundays. John D.. Rockefeller
scoops I'm something like two thousand
dollars an hour all the year through from
his stocks, real estate and mines. and the
Vanderbilts, Astors and Goulds have pro-
portionately large Incomes. There are to-
day a number OF men in the United States
worth fifty million dollars and upward. and
the organizations OF capital whose stock
runs into eight or more figures are legion.
We now have, in addition to the billion
dollar Steel trust. which. by the way. is a
little shrunken at the waist, and In addi-
ton to the gigantic Pennsylvania railroad.
combinations. which ommand ali told
fifteen thousand millions of dollars. We
have two hundred and thirteen Industrial
trusts capitalized at seven thousand mil
lions, and more than five thousand other
corporations. These trusts are swallowing
their smaller competitors. They are branch
ing out TO include all business of profit,
and IN many cases are binding the hands
Of industry with trade regulations. Indeed,
we are fast becoming a nation OF poolmak-
ers. rate-fxers aud proht-sharers. and new
questions Of enormous Importance stare US
IN the face
HERCULES OF ORGANIZED LABOR.
At the same time our working men are
organizing on a gigantic scale. The trades
unions are growing as never before. and
they are combining into associations of
enormous proportions. We have more than
twenty thousand unions in one federation.
and these unions cover every trade and
hope 10 control every wage-earner. John
Mitchell estimates that there are from two
and one-half TO three million workingmen in
the various unions, and Samuel Gompers
tells me there are more than two millions
associated together In the American FEEDER
alton OF Labor. This federation has ma
unions, which il hopes TO WELD as one man
on all great labor questions.
Some of the unions are very strong, and
some are piling up funds In their treasures
70 Use In the strikes and struggles which
may arise between capital and labor. The
United Mine Workers. for instance, has
10000 workers. and II has one million dol
lars saved up. The Cigar Makers Union
has 40.cO0 members, and II annually handles.
all told. more than n million dollars. giviug
death benefits and out-Of-work payments
10 its unfortunate members. There are
many other unions OF large size, but these
will show more or less what all are doinR
and the power they may WELD in the future.
These trade unions do not by any means
include the majority Of our working men.
II il doubtful n they have more than 10
per cent OF them. Nevertheless they are
banded together under leaders, and a well
commanded army Is stronger than ten times
as many individuals.
have said there are 1900 unions. To
show their variety 1 give you some OF those
which are of a national or international
character. taking them from q list which |
have from the American Federation OF
Labor.
There are national associa ions of bakers.
BARRIERS. bill posters and blacksmiths. There
are associations OF blast furnscemen. boil
er makers. bOokOinders, boot and shoe
workers, and those who
labor IN breweries.
There are brOtherhoods Of carpenters and
joiners, Of wagon workers and wood cary
ers. car workers and chainmakers. and
also OF clerks and cigar makers, coopers
and commercial telegrapheTs.
There are unions OF electrical workers
and electrical constructors, OF cOal-h0isting
engineers, steam engineers aud also OF fir, {
men -four mill men and freight handlers.
There are garment workers united in a