The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-04-16
BOUNDS
OF COMMON SENSE
Freak Speech of John
Temple Graves.
ONE MAN POWER
Railroads anal iu-ur'nC" ton'isiif''
t.rf ,waN from TIA" idca-t o.
~ Lining Increased idr i|-
>our,I ADVANCE ia Mage
la Ten Nt.lrS-
n, WILLIS y Ni.i;OT
Ia Ten Wear.

u, MILLS y tBHo1
-usrufatcn. April ~ Thu 81
-.t,a.r rtrS action - John u V
of 10. Atlanta G.o.sisr
So. a banquet board II n4
- i..,..t ! encst. ana 4
dominate president
-. - 4,~ Of the u tuVc't. tt
at,gv Is matter III .nte1a
Mr. Graves had j right IS : rs i
mind The propriety Of his utrt
ma, be questioned tiuf @h ~
Ges,ltl. Il Mr.. Roosevelt ~ u "nlA
E.aa competent 10 c9rr Win th'
economic crisis" he went hr-
vond the bounds OF common scn< II
would 10 -cxtraordinary indeed if tlcr'
were but one out of the more ittfh
) u."vo.ooo OF citizens OF tho init
states noN ablo to occupN IN y hite
House. ~ that were iDuc"d tho ltci
What j. to become of tho onne-hoaorcd
thcorS thai every American bon h"s
The possibility OF becoming some
rnnc Inc ilc-idCut.
Curious}, enough when Nh. GsiuNc~
WAS telling Democrats thlt ihrte M"
nobodl iii th"ir ptti> competent TO
&c resident that ono man alone pos
scSsed the necessary ability. the u
~rcctors 81 The Union Pacific railway
We're determined u Il" AWAY vita
the onc-snan la that
ton. Tlcy had soon Mr. Iiar1 nlitt
control the corporation with q I'D ~
iron and thereby grow rich WITH Singu-
lar rapiaity. At thr same nldmcnt
that tho gentleman from atlanta.
ticorgia. announced thai aDsoluti@m in
government must DC maintained, tn,
Stockholders ana directors Of this rail
road declared that absoiufsm ~ rail
road management must be destroyed.
go. ~ -. go ,,,hfI G# - 81. 1 hta trY,t.tf IN
s,trancc companies dccrccd that there
should be no moro un.-man power IN
their management. They had Suf-
ftrcd With Hydcs. McCal's. DrNdcn~
ana the rest who used their places Of
power for personal advantage. Ana
the Whotc nation ros" in wrath ana
decrccd that the insurance companies
must be dcnocratizcd.
We nbolish tho onc-man power il.
railroads. which are public
And in insurance companies. which
are essentially public institutions
crS, not thinkers. VINO INSIST that tat
government Of Tho United Stat
should be administered by one man
and one man only. Why!
WHY should We b" told. as Mr..
John Temple Graves tells us. that no.
man SAVE the present occupant Of the.
White Hous~ is competent 10 COPS
With the existing economic problems
Tho statement would be 4 rctlectIon|
on the intelligence" OF The American
people. + il were not more OF . re-
lection uhon the common sense OF the
distinguished Atlanta editor
No ono would think of uboliohin%
the presidency. But Mr.. Graves dcs-
pair lest thGlc COulu be - onc fOuD-
capable Of discharsing its duties. re
laIis an ancient political story
President Lincoln desired to dis
Ii1l1.o.s "a. MON at ttn l.4si .f an
bureau. The mans political friends
flocheu 10 u4c Rouse. protest
ing that no one else could ever dis
charge tho duties u that office II,
WAS UNIQUE.
Is that 50, said Lincoln. Just
! b. should die. / guess I'll
abolish the Office. And IL dil.
Wages and the Cost OF Living.
Mr.. Kimball. Of the international
Brotherhood " Electrical Workers.
has mad" a study Of the wage ques-
ton in his calling. \ few days since
in 4 Boston taper h" expressed what
is probably typical in the calling that
he follows. He said that in the Edi-
son company from 1885 to 1905. the
dividends had increased from seven ii
ten pCr cent. Tho presidents SALARY
had been increased zoo per cent. and
the s2lcl" Of higher officials accord
lnGly. Eut the pay Of the man who
does the work has remained Ut til
Ole point. The cost Of their WIN
Is lIay BIZ proved by OFFICIAL statistics.
has advanced tbiItv to forty pei cent
StatIstlcs are not always convincing.
ElcNcb men. incluulnc the supcrt.-
tendcnt may be employed IN q certain
iactorE. The superintendent may -
getting Tive thousand q yeaf. the other
man five hundred. Then the avcra4
would b. = little less than one thous-
md. each. But il tho superintcndcnt
F4lG- ffNa rl1aa "a nd "a 49, -EL. sT-l
others: Tho matter Of average wage is
matter 81 humbug. Of deceit and Of
Jolly If one man gets ten thousand
collars y three men one thousand
dollars. the average wage seems 10 be,
EerE respectable. | am not going to
figure il out. DO 1T for your-elf. I can
Tot help being reminded when I see
statistics Of this sort Of the story Of
the man who almost destroyed Il
prominent leader in the prohibition
party by SAYING hat he had ut least
ono stood at the bar and tax en- ,vhis-
key and water With him. or course
upon Investigation it was proved that
the water was taken BY the prohibit
ZIONIST leader. the vhiskey b> the
other me-
Equall>. when YOU find an average
"aEe limit. you viii discover that the
ten thousand dollar salary goes 10 the
owner Of the works. his son or his
- III Ditt itlDuSd4lu dDtIIt
saIafy. Or less. to the people ,fi4o act
uaily d. the work.
What Wages Mean.
II j. ono thing to earn 4 dollar.
81 metimcs a hard thing. It is quite
~ inateriai q thing 10 ina out what
tat dollar Is going to buy. Today,
according t. t4c figures collatcd. IL
VIII buy almost as much. not quite
as hftN-tiVe cents would in 1896. The
ttt" ~cpmmercial agencies Of Dun and
ITAIStreet make Il point Of STUDYING
the Increased cost OF living IN this
country. They Also pay some attcu.
ton I" tie enormous increase III s.I-
ary Of the heads OF corporations
trusts and general public utility cor
IL a I'LL. II -.