The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-01-14
Most Conspicuous Supporter.

- 5ASa1 AAduy oI11hcS, duOpIeu prom
sharing and has had no serious labor
troubles since. About the same time
1886, N. o. Nelson, a millionaire brass
manufacturer of st. Louis, took ur
the plan and has since been its most
conspicuous supporter in the country
AS already stated, Nelson not only in.
cludes his employees, but his custom.
ers, in the division of dividends. He
has also given his workmen an ever in.
creasing share in the business, gradu.
ally withdrawing from ownership him.
self. The experiment has proved emf.
nently successful. One of Mr.. Nelson's
innovations was to found a town in
Illinois, which took it's name from LIE.
claire, the practical founder. of profit
sharing in France. It is one of the
boasts of this town that it has never
had any other government than the
state laws and yet has never known a
crime. In 1t there is no renting, each
workman owning his own home and
paying for it as he can. Nelson lives
among his employees in a house but
little more pretentious than theirs. One
of his cherished ideas is that it is q
bad habit for captains of industry to
get rich, since they have higher mis-
sion in serving the public.
I used to know Nelson about the
time he was in the St. Louis city
council, where he had something to
do with inaugurating the reform wave
that finally brought Joseph w. Folk
to the front. He is an unpretentious
man, ever in sympathy with all ad-
vanced movements and freely helping
every worthy cause and sincere indi-
vidual that appeals to him. One of
his pet ideas in the council was to sell
city franchises at public auction, but
in this he was defeated. He promoted
causes like the fresh air mission, free
steamboat trips for the poor, work
ingmen's culture clubs, travelling Ii
braries and kindred movements that
would add to the happiness and intelli-
gence of others. He once had a hand
some home in st. Louis, but gave it
up to live among his own people at
Leclaire. Here he has established
clean social amusements, reading
rooms, literary and discussion clubs,
public lectures. and has encouraged
the people to beautify their homes and
make an ideal village.
Nelson 0. Nelson was born in Nor
way in 1874 and came to this country
in childhood. He was educated i'm the
common schools of Missouri and served
as a private In the Union army during
the civil war; He started life as
clerk and made his own way. In 1872
he established his mandatory Of
plumbers and steam filters supplies
which he Is now turning over to his
employees.
Methods That Have Succeeded.
Profit sharing has taken many forms
with us, some of which have not been
notably successful The most common
plan has been that of selling stocks to
workmen. Whether it is because Of
suspicion of the stock market, lack. of
means or lurking, enmity to their en-
ployers, the men have not fallen over
each other in the scramble to invest.
The plan has by no means proved a
failure, but has gone SO haltingly that
there must be some inherent defect in
It. A method that has succeeded much
better has been that Of pensions and
rewards for extra service. One firm
divided it's workers into grades accord
ing to efficiency. To the most efficient
a large dividend, or rather bonus, was
voted, to the next grade one-half as
much and to the lowest grade nothing
at I'LL. Splendid results have attended
this plan wherever put into force. An
other plan that succeeds well is to pre-
sent the men stock in the company for
meritorious service. This is one Of
the methods Of Mr.. Nelson.
Regardless Of the particular form It
may finally assume, however, 1t Is GER
tain that the new idea Of profit shar-
ing will spread rapidly through all In
dustries and will inaugurate new era
in the relations Of capital and labor.