Evening journal., 1912-02-03
AS FIVE IS TO ONE.
DO YOU SEE IT?
By John S. Hamilton.


If it were possible to have a law
passed compelling one man to do
five mems work, what do you sup
pose would happen2 Would there not
be broken down men, insubordination,
demoralization or revolt against the
law and those who are responsible for
the enforcement Of the law. and final
ly if it We're persisted in, confusion
and anarchy And before this revolt
would there not be suffering told and
untold and misery told and untold?
Andrew Carnegie in his testimony
before a congressional committee re-
Gently said that in 1901 when the
steel trust was formed the book value
OF the Carnegie properties was $751;
100000, and these were taken over by
the promoters Of the steel trust at a
price according to Mr.. Carnegie's
testimony Of S420,OO0,OOO and the
proud Laird Of Skibo naively volun-
teered the information that if he had
held out he could have secured one
hundred millions more, $4,000 900
multiplied by five equal $4,000 900,
leaving Si0000,0O0 for libraries. he
roes' medals, church organs and tho
like
The writer will not try to prove
that because here We find one dollar
doing FIVE dollars work, or five dol
lars doing one dollars work that to
all intents and purposes this is COM
pelling one man TO do five mems
work; but he does say and he be-
lieves that il cannot be successfully
controverted that efforts are making
on many lines. more or less success
fully. TO collect interest on five dol
lars more or less where onlv one
dollar Of value exiets has placed upon
the American people burden great
er than they are able to bear and
greater than they are going to bear
very much longer
Il would be interesting and possi-
bly, instructive to go into this far
iher and discuss this relation Of the
dollar TO the man. It would be profit
able perhaps TO show that under our
peculiar system thcl has developed a
remarkable connection between the
man and the dollar, and that while
the value of the dollar and the dollar
itself, is the creation Of the man this
creature of his has been given an inn
portance so that in a commercial way
at least il has become a yard stick
and measures his capabilities and
even morality, his all in all his life
itself. Il would be interesting to 60
into this but space will not permit
This week Louis Brandeis before
the House committee investigating
United States Steel the same COM
pany, let il be remembered, which
paid S42O,OOO, 900 for SS2OO0.O0O of in
ventoried value made the unqualified
statement that the condition of q
large proportion Of the employees OF
this same United States Steel Com
pany. was worse than that Of tho
slaves in this country before the
Civil War and the relations he saiC
between the employees and the EN-.
ployer represented by the directors o.
this gigantic combination took on al
the worst features of absentee land
lordism in Ireland and through theil
stock distribution schemes among
their employees they have brough
, about a condition exactly comparable
to the appalling rack rent evils il
the latter country. Thus. it will h'
seen, they are doing their best to col
lect the interest Of five dollars OF
one dollar and the mills share car
Think of this you good hearted peo
pie who long for the social and mora
betterment of thingsi Consider. pa
tiently if you can. a system tha
works a man seven days a weel
twelve hours day turning his val
liable life into dividends on phantom
= values and throws him into the junl
4 heap before he is forty his physica
4 har "a
fore that. Think about this you pure
e " selfish and ask yourself If yo
0 think it can last? Do you hope 70
O happy and pleasant place for you
children and other peoples childre
( when YOU are gone? Do you expect
h die and go 10 heaven, and escape tn
+ terrible consequences that must fol
low this?
DO you believe. no matter how We
you may be fixed. that you can affOr
= to stand idly by and allow this
go on? Is Il a matter of indifference
to you, do you think2 If you are III
teresfed about such things ask your
E self If it is either fair or sensible Z
tax men to pay the interest on nv
dollars or more where there Is only on
dollar of value and also ask yomsel
\, if You believe that men can bea
: such a tax even if the cunning Of un
scrupulous men has made the suffer
ers believe the law permitting an
- making possible such tax was pass
S cd with a philanthropic motive. Don
= get angry.
Il is perhaps as much your fau
as that of anybody else. Make Il
; your mind that as far as you are col
t cerned you are opposed to a systei
L that will permit of such things an
p that you will work. talk and vol
against It be the cost what II ma