Bisbee daily review., 1905-06-15
THE LABORER IS WORTHY OF HIS HIRE.

n
 OF HIS HIRE.
 In connection with the recent and pending dissentions in the manage ment of the Equitable Life insurance company and the selection of an over lord who is to be the chief master cf that gigantic corporation it has been suggested that the man selected. whether he be Grover Cleveland or Senator Gray, Governor Herrick or Paul Morton, or some other equally well known and worthy citizen that his salary be from $100000 to s250,- coo. The salary received by James W. Alexander, who has been and is now the president of the Equitable. is $100,000. The salary of the late Henry B. Hyde, the founder of the Equitable and the man who built it up from nothing to its present proportions, was at the time of his death $50,000. The question that is now perplexing the policy holders of that old company and that is attracting the attention of thinking people everywhere is how much can a man honestly earn who gives his time and best efforts to the management of large affairs. There are those who believe that it is an i'm possibility for any man to earn in his individual capacity sum approximat- ing any of the amounts named herein and that when he is paid any such fabulous sum he is paid far more than it is possible for him to earn and that he is paid these vast salaries because of position and influence and because the money is taken from a vast mum Der of people. When a man in any private capacity is paid to exceed $1, coo per month it is an open question fl he is not paid beyond his deserts and beyond his capacity to return a just equivalent for the labor perform ed. In many instances he is so paid because he has "a pull'' with the com pany so employing him or because he can lend prestige to the company by the use of his name. There are thous- ands of men in this country, yes hun dreds of thousands, of the highest in- tellectual capacity and the finest technical experience ghc arc co7npe- tent, as the best in their line of work, who would be glad indeed to earn a salary of from s5,0OO to s10,OoO per month. They are just as competent and just as skillful as these other vote to pay themselves enormous salaries out of the pockets of the pub lie. Members of congress are paid $7,000 per year, senators the same, members of the presidents cabinet and supreme court justices get $S, 900, the vice president the same and the president $50,000. The country recog- nizes that these salaries are fair and just.
 In private life, working with his hands and mind for himself alone there is only one man in 10000 who earns more than s5,GOO, and only one III OOsVOV NuO SdIuS IHOES lHcA SlV,OOV- In all lands and in all ages the labor CT is worthy of his hire" While this is true now as of old, yet there is a limit to all things and reason would say that a salary of $1,000 per month would be just and fair salary for the president of one of the big life insur- snce companies who has to work only few hours each day and whose life is bed of ease as compared with the man who works for himself in any one of a thousand gainful pursuits. When these enormous salaries are paid by the big insurance companies the money with which to pay it comes off the hundreds of thousands of policy holders scattered all over the world and is paid because the corporation is rich and the policy holders won't feel 1t. There is neither rhyme nor req son in it'' and while the Equitable is being overhauled and much needed reforms put into practice. it would be well to prune down the salaries to a pcint within decency and reason