Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-12-09

! men who produce for the market
and the men who find market fo'
the articles produced. shall own .
far greater shar" than a. present
of the wealth they produce. and b.
Grabbed to invest il in The tools and
instruments by which all work l.
carried on.
As far as possible hope TO Sc,
frank recognition Of the adv antagr'
conferred by machinery. organization
and division. OF labor, accompanied by
an EFFORT to hiring aiDNt Target
snare In the ownership by wage
Workers OF railway. mill. and factory
In farming. this simply means that We
wish to 81" the farms SO large thai
they become III" property of absentee
landlords who farm them by tenants
70" vet SO small that the farmer be-
comes like European peasant
Again. the despositors in our savings
bank now number over onr-tenth OF
our entire population. ThCs" are all
capitalist. who through the savings
banks loan their money to the work
"rs -that Is. in many cases 10 them
Solves--to carry on their various in
dustrieS. The more We increase their
humber. the more we introduc" the
principles Of cooperation into our III
duStry. Even increase in the mum
h"r of small stockholders in corpora
,ions is Il good thing. fer the same
reasons: and where The employees
are the stockholders the result is
particularly coed Very much Of this
movement must he outside OF anything
that can be accomplished by legis'
lation: but legislation can do good
deal. Postal savings banks will make
it easy for the poorest to keep their
savings in absolute safety. The regu.
latiOn of the national highways must
be such that they shall serve all
people with equal justice. Corporate
finances must be SUPERVISED SO as to
make il far safer than at present
for the man Of small means TO invest
his money in stocks. There must be
prohilr iOn Of child labor diminutiOn
Of woman labor. shortening of hours
of all mechanical labor: stock watering
should be prohibited. and stock gamb-
ling so far as is possible disccurae-
ed. There should be progressive
Inheritance tax ON large fortunes. In
dnslrial education should be encourac-
ed AS fsr as possible we should
tighten tn" burden CT taxation on the
small man. We should put a premium
upon thrift hasa work. and business
energy: but these qualities cease to
be the main factors in accommodating
fortune lorg before that fortune
reaches a roinf where's it would be
seriously affected bv anv inheritance
tax such as propose. It is eminent
ly right that the Marion should fix the
term upon which the great fortunes
are inherited. They rarely do good
and they often do harm to those who
inherit them in their entirety.
Protection for Waeeworkers.
The above is the merest sketch,
, in outline. of the reforms for watch
we should work BIT there is one
matter with which the Congress should
deal at this Session. There should
no longer be any faltering with the
question of taking care of the wage
workers who, under our present in
dustrial system. t"cOmp killed. Grip,
pied or worn out as part of the regu
lar incidents of a given bu siness. The
majority Of wagewOrkers must have
their rights secured for them by
State action: but the national gov
eminent should legiSlate in thorough
SoinS and farreaChing fashion not
only for all EMPLOYEES of the national
government. but for all persons en-
gagged in interstate commerce. The
object sought fer could be achieved
to a measurable decree as far as
those killed or crippled are concern
ed Dy proper employers liability
laws. As far as concerns 'hps" who
| lave been worn OFT. | call your at
1enticn 10 the fact that definite steps
toward providing collage pens
have been taken in many Of our pr!
va;e industries. These may be indc
finite,y extended through voluntary
association and contributors schemes
Or through the agency Of savings
, banks, as under the recent Massachu
sets plan. To strengthen these
practical measures should be ou'
| immediate duty: il is not at present
necessary to consider the larger and
more general governmental schemes
that most European governments have
found themselves Obliged TO adopt.
Our present system. or rather nc
system. works dreadful wrong. and /:
of benefit 10 only one class Of peCrlc
the lawyers When a workman i:
injured what he needs is not an ex
, 7ensive and doubtful lawsuit. but tht
certainty Of relief through immediate
! administrative action. The number
| of accidents which results in th'
: death or Gripping OF wageworkers. II
; the TGion at large. is simply appal
| ling. in few wears j; runs mp tota
| far in excess Of the aggrega,e of the
| dead and wounded in any mo1.':r war
No academic theory atout freedom
| Of contract" or Constitutional liSertI
to contract should be permitted tt
| interfere with this and similar move
| ments. Progress in civilization ha!
| everywhere meant limit alton am
regIlation OF contract I call you