Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-09
LABOR

There are many matters affecting labor and
the status of the wageworker TO which
should like to draw your attention, but az
exhaustive discussion Of the problem IN an
its aspects is not now necessary. This adj
ministration is nearing its end; and more
over, under our form Of government the So
luton Of the problem depends upon the action
of the states as much as upon the action
of the nation. Nevertheless there are certain
considerations which wish to set before you,
because hope that our people will more and
more keep them in mind. blind and ig-
norant resistance to every effort for the re-
form Of abuses and for the readJustment tt
society to modern industrial conditions rep
resents not true conservatism, but an incite-
ment to the widest radicalism for wise radl-
ealism and wise conservatism go hand in
hand, one bent on progress the other pent
on seeing that no change is made unless IN
the right direction. believe In a steady Ell
fort or perhaps It would be more accurate to
say in steady efforts in many directions, to
bring about a condition Of affairs under which
the men who work with hand or brain, the
iaborers, the superintendent, the men VINO
produce for the market and the men who find
market for the articles produced, shall own
far greater share than at present OF the
wealth they produce, and be enabled to in
vest II in the tools and instruments by which
all work is carried on. AS far possible
hope to see a frank recognition of the ad-
vantages conferred by machinery, organiza-
ton, and division of labor, accompanied oy
effort to bring about larger snare IN the
ownership by wageworlSer of railway, mill and
factory. In farming, this simply means that
we wish 10 see the farmer own his own land;
we do not wish to see the farms so large
that they become the property of absentee
landlords who farm them by tenants, nor
yet so small that the farmer becomes like
a European peasant. Again, the depositors In
our savings banks now number over one-tenth
of our entire population These are all capl-
talists, who through the savings banks loan
their money to the workers-that is, in many
cases to themselves-to carry on their various
industries The more we increase their num-
Der, the more we introduce the principles Of
cooperation into our industry. Every increase
in the number of small stockholders in cor
porations is a good thing, for the same rea-
sons; and where the employees are the stock
holders the result Is particularly good. Very
much of this movement must be outside of
anything that can be accomplished by legis-
ltaion; but legislation do a good deal.
Postal savings banks will make It easy Tor
the poorest to keep their savings in absolute
safety. The regulation of the national high
ways must be such that they shall serve all
people with equal justice. Corporate finances
must be supervised as to make 1t far SAFER
than at present for the man of small means
to invest his money in stocks. There must
be prohibition of child labor, dminution of
woman labor shortening of hours of all me-
chanieal labor; stock watering should be
prohibited, and stock gambling so far as pos
sible discouraged. There should be a pro-
gressive inheritance tax on large fortunes.
Industrial education should be encouraged. AS
far as possible we should tighten the burden
of taxation the small man. We should
put a premium upon thrift, hard work. and
business energy; but these qualities cease to be
the main factors in accommodating a fortune
long before that fortune reaches point where
II would be seriously affected by any Inherit
ance tax such as l propose 1t is eminently
right that the nation should fix the terms
upon which the great fortunes are inherited
They rarely do good and they often dc harm
to those who inherit them in their entirety.