The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-02-16
WHAT JOHNS INCOME
MEANS TO W0RkINGMEN
Standard Oil Magnate's In
come Sufficient to Employ
Greater Army Than Nation.
Could Duplicate and Maintain
Our Navy-Contest Between
John D. and Uncle Sam.

When the New YORK world recently
printed the news that the greatest OF
rich men, Mr.. John D. Rockefeller had
an income Of $6O,000,000 in 1906. some
unknown mathematician took out his
to do some tall figuring. He discover
ed that John DIS income was $164,3S
SO per day. Surprising that Rockefel-
Ter owned a city or State, the statisti-
cal expert finds that he could employ:
$500 carpenters at $3.50 day, or
25,782 plasterers and bricklayers at
$500 a day, or
1909 trolley motormen at 1925
day, or
7e,457 conductors at $215 a day, or
164,3S3 shopgirls at 81 a day. Or
SAT ,402 lacemakers at the usual
scale Of Belgian lacemakers, 80 cents a
day, or
24s,064 servant girls, at Sc cents a
day, or $40 month.
If MR. Rockefeller, ON the other hand,
plain clothes guards was insufficient
to protect him and wished to replace
them with regular army, paid at the
same rate Uncle Sam allows his soldier
boys-$13 month-that daily $780,
1888 would employ force Of 379, 346
warriors. The army of the United
States contains 60,3S5 men. The John
D. Rockefeller army would be six times
as large.
Or if John D. should become con-
verted to the larger navy" idea, and
expend his daily income on providing
seamen at average rates of from SIG
to $24 a month for Uncle Sans new
cruisers and battleships, new set of
these craft would be needed to hold all
the men that this sum would hire The
249,064 blue Jackets.
But Rockefeller doesn't employ these
people. He constantly acquires new
stocks and bonds with at least five
sixths of his enormous income, with
the result that still more profits must
flow into his money bags.
Therefore it is only a question of
time, and short time at that, when
this financial giant will control all the
active capital Of the nation, and, con-
trolling the capital, he will control the
| wealth and the very lives and liberties
| Of the people.
President Roosevelt, Senator Bever-
idge and other leaders of, the Wash
| ington government see what is COM
| ing. Therefore, they would postpone
the evil day by legislating against
! Swollen fortunes by the enactment
! Of an income tax law and law limit
ing the wealth that individuals may
| possess.
| In other words, they would conf1s-
! cate property accumulated by private
enterprise, thrift, foresight, etc., etc..
and do what with it? If they distrib-
uted it among others they would be
''dividing up with a vengeance. II
| they converted it to the use Of the gov.
eminent and expanded public works
it would mean more socialism, and, ir
being operated at cost, the government.
tai institutions would drive the private
profit taking competitors into bank.
ruptcy.
Approaching this problem from an,
| direction, it must be admitted by every
careful student of our present socia
conditions that this nation, like al
other civilized countries, is rapid.
drifting toward a crisis-a dividing O
the ways, where we must make ou
choice Of following private capitalism
into monarchical state or extend tn
principle Of democratic ownership an.
operation Of industry.
In nutshell, the economic and poll
tical issues Of the day are plainly sim
mering down to a contest between
John D. Rockefeller and Uncle Sam.