Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-16


these loans. to pay reasonable wages
to their employees, and to carry pas
sengers and freight at reasonable rates.
they must be managed on business
principles. The only question, there
fore, is whether the management Of
railways by the state or by individuals
as now would be the more successful.
And all experience is SO far in favor
of individual management. do not
believe therefore, that the assumption
5of the railways by the government
would be q safe business venture And
I am absolutely sure 1t would ,aau
nothing to the convenience. comfort,
and prosperity of the citizens. And 1t
would have the enormous disndvantag,
4 of strengthening and consolidating the
power Of the federal government ana
OF undermining the good old American
theory that the less government people
have the better.
PUBLIC. AND PRIVATE REFORMS.
/ see, therefore, no hope or advantage
to the community in government OWL
ership OF railroads. This branch OF
Socialism,, like Socialism, as whole.
seems to me utterly unfruitful ana
we are inevitably welded to an In
tlividualistic system of government,
and since history shows that such gov
ernments purge themselves by revolu-
lions when the contrast between what
Mr. Bryce calls the HAYES and tina
s.Havenots has become SO vast that
it is no longer tolerable. it is the part
OF foreseejns and prudent statesman
ship to anticipate the tendency OF
events and adopt such sa,utary meas
ures as may correct the evils before tho
revolutionist's knife is needed TO eradl-
cate them. ~
i Nor is it wholly, or perhaps even
mainly. q matter of stntemanship. Inc
first requisite is the enlightenment or
public opinion And when action Is
called for it will perhaps be found that
in a community which has informed it,
self and reflected upon these problems,
more can be done for their solution BY
the wise action Of private individuals
than by all the efforts OF government,
lieving there is nothing which govern
ment can do in the premises.
PROGRESS OF WORKING MEN.
When we speak of the contrast be-
tween the rich and the poor we have in
mind at the latter extreme the wage
earners who own no property ana
whose livelihood depends on their daily
earnings, which, though generally as
sured, are sometimes precarious. ! am
not saying that this class Of our citi-5
zens is not better OFF today than 1t has
ever been3in the past. On the contrary,
4 believe it is. Certainly Karl Marks
predictions in regard to the effect
which capital and machinery We're to
produce on the laboring classes have
been falsified by the events. Not only
have their wages been increased, but
the hours Of labor have been reduced
and the sanitary and other conditions
greatly improved. Let concrete ex-6
ample give you the measure of the inn
tprovement. I have just been reading
the Memories of the Rev. Robert
#Collyer, who has rendered high service
to our country as noble minister OF
religion for a great many years. Mr.
Collyer was born in England in 1923
And at years of age, with many more !
children of about the same age. he was
put to work in factory for 10 hours
day. five days in the week and IL
on Saturday. From in the morning
till in the evening, with only an hour
for dinner and rest, he stood at a spin
ming frame and did his work, The
weaker children. he says. were so Grip
limbs still casts for him a sinister light
on the Scripture text, "the Lord re-
gardeth not the legs Of man." What
remarkable improvement Mr.. Collyer
has seen in the condition of wage
earners during the II years since, q boy
of S years of age, he went to work in
that Yorkshire cotton factory.
UNITED STATES STEEL COMPANY.
But while I gladly emphasize the I'M
proyement which has been effected. 1t
is my opinion that there should be a
higher goal for the future The magic
of property must somehow toucn these
classes. Ihese must p.,
not merely wage-earners; they must
also have stake in the community.
The government, however, is powerless
to realize that end. for the government
spends money; 1t does not Gre
ate. On the other hand, this problem
does not seem to me beyond the pos
sibility OF solution at the hands of the
great corporations of our time. And
I rejoice to say that a hopeful begin
ming has already been made. The
greatest, and I suppose the best man
aged. OF all our corporations has adopt
ed the sagacious policy of making Its
worl,men stockholders. 1t may have
been influenced in part. perhaps In !
large part, by self-interest; for personal
interest OF officers and employees in the
work of an establishment Is the best
Imaginable substitution for individual |
ownership and control which the mod
ern corporation had eliminated. But
IL the steel company was moved by
self-regarding motive, 1t Is likely also |
that it was influenced by some con-
sideration of the welfare of the men.
There is no need Of supposing that BUSH |
ness men are absolutely heartless and |
egoisric even in the pursuit of profits.
1t is not necessary. however. for me |
to analyze the motives Of the steel cor
poration and to determine how much |
weight should be given either to egoism
or 10 altrrisni when the scheme |
of profit sharing was adopted. What
ever the motives. the workmen may |
nov. become owners of stock. And in /
The wear 1906 two and half million |
dollars worth Of additional stock was
offered by the company to its work |
men. and all taken: while $4,000 more
of the employees have applied for
shares. which are to be provided. AL
together nearly 100000 workmen are |
now shareholders in the steel company.
And they will have all the rights and |
privileges OF shareholders, who are. OF |
course, the owners of the concern.
That is to say, they win get their
share of the profits and |
have a right to vote with other share |
owners for the choice of directors and |
all other matters on which sharehold- I
ers taaY care to express themselves.
Nor is this the whole story. Another |
feature of this scheme adopted by the |
steel company is peculiarly satisfying |
Other shareholders are in a position to |
face losses. But the wage-earner is