Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1912-10-28
FOR CONGRESS
Hon. FRANK o. SMITH,
OF Calvert County.
TRUSTS AND LABOR.


Sugar Trust, the Tobacco Trust. the
Shelter Trust and a whole troop of
lesser trusts have made the extermi
nation of organized labor from their
factories the very foundation stone Of
heir labor policy.
The ability to defeat labor's right to
combine seems to have been regarded
by the trust magnates as a proper test
Of the efficiency of their capitaistic
combination.
What has been the result of the
labor policy of the Steel Trust? Judge
Gary. Chairman of the Worlds Great
est Trust-the Steel Corporation
says:
Il believe, taking everything into
account. the treatment accorded by
our corporation to it's employees com
pares favorably with that of any kind
of industry in this country, or in any
other country at the present time or
at any period in the history of the
world
Perkins, confirms Judge Gary's testi-
mony and Mr. Perkins testimony is
entitled TO great consideration. because
he not only has been Chairman of the
Finance Committees Of the Steel Trust
and the Harvester Trust; but he is
now. also the Chairman of the Execu
tive Committee of the New Party. and
head of its industrial department
Mr.. Perkins might almost be called
1.-THE Father of Trusts" because for
many years. while partner in the frm
of j. p. Morgan & Co., he was spe-
cially active in the organization of
these industrial combinations. And
his wide experience is not limited
merely TO promoting trusts. He has
had an important party in carrying on
the business of trusts after organiza-
ton. He has been director Of the
Steel Trust ever since il commenced
business in 1901. He was chairman of
its Finance Committee when it took
over the Tennessee Coal & Iron Com
pany. He has been chairman of the
Finance Committee of the Harvester
Trust ever since its organization and
also director of the great shipping
trust-the International Mercantile
Marines-ever since its organization.
He had also other wide business eX-
perience before these trusts were form
Nf no
New York Life Insurance Company in
the golden days before Charles F..
Hughes Investigated the life insurance
companies. He is now defendant in
the suits the Government has brought
for the dissolution of the Steel Trust
and the Harvester Trust.
Mr.. Perkins testified before the
Senate Committee TO the value of
profit sharing as a solvent for labor
trouble. and urged il as a reason for
legalizlng trusts. He stated that ordi-
nary employers of labor were too sell
fish to introduce proht-sharing plans.
But that the trusts stocks were so
widely distributed that the holders
would not be likely to interfere with
the wisely generous plans of the trust
officials. Then he added:
Il do not think that the question
between labor and capital is so much
a question of whether a man is paid
Sill or SLIGO day. as it is whether
he thinks that he is getting his proper
proportion of what is being earned.
Now let Us see what Mr.. Pekias
idea is of a fair share. He told of how
the Steel Trust had introduced a profit
sharing plan. and distributed since it
was sorganized $l2. 600. 600 among its
employees. AS matter of fact, the
workman received none of that Sl2,-
600. 600 1t was distributed among sup
erintendents, foremen. and others in
authority and you know how much that
aids the worl1ingman. AS the Steel
Trust had then been lin operation ten
years. and the number of employees
nearly 200, 600, the S12. 600, if it
has been distributed equally would
have given each man $500 year, or
so cents a month. That. apparently,
was MIR. Perkins idea of a Fair
Share" for labor. BY Louis D.
Brandeis.