The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-05-01
The Bombshe|| That Henry Ford Fired

Henry fOrQ mas cracked the smell OF
hell. He who will may put his eyes
to the crack and look out. Everyone
in the world is putting his eyes to the
crack, though not every one is looking
out The whole world is talking about
Ford Wherever men and women toll
most, there is the talk most earnest.
Five dollars day for floor sweepers
think of it. Ten millions a year
given to employes-can we be dream.
ing? And daily hours cut from nine
to eight-will somebody kindly wake
us up?
Nobody can wake us up. We are
not asleep. All that we have read
about Ford is true. The great auto
mobile manufacturer is giving away
money by the million-not as Rookie
Teller gives it, to universities and
churches; not as Carnegie gives it, to
found libraries in his own honor
Ford is giving the millions back to the
men who hammered them out with
their bones. He might have kept
them all. He voluntarily chose not
to. For Ford, as a human being, am
strong. He is a man.
l should like now to have you look
through the crack that Ford has put
into the shell of hell as l look through
it-and then ask yourself whether l
have pointed out anything that is not
there. But to see through this crack
clearly it will be necessary for you to
keep Fords millions little away from
your eyes. A silver dollar, held within
half an inch of your eye, will shut off
the view of valley a thousand miles
long
said I was strong for Ford am.
l am strong for him because he wears
+ + + + + + f. i. i. !. !. + + + + !.
This great automobile manufac-
turer is giving away money by the
as Rockefeller money,
to universities and churches; not
as Carnegie gives money, to found
libraries in his own honor-he is
giving money back to the men
who made it.
+ + + + I. I. + !. + + + 1. j. i i i
no bristles upon his back. l am
strong for him because he is doing
what no other man of his income ever
back to his employees half
Of his profits. But am strongest for
him because he has proved many
things that Socialist writer's have been
.elling you for years. When we wrote
you yawned. You said we were dream
ers. Some of you said we were fools.
No matter what you said. The point
S, you did not believe us. We pic
ured to you a world for which you
lid not dare to hope. You did not be-
ieve a world so much better than this |
Gould exist. But you were wrong
ford has proved you were wrong.
You were wrong because you did not !
lare to hope enough. The human
ace never dares to hope enough. So
ong has it been harnessed to hardship
hat it scarcely dares hope at all. A
politician who promises next to moth
does not deliver that's |
sually believed. We Socialists, who
what the earth really holds,
re set down as idle dreamers or ma
cious demagogues.
1t is time now to get down to brass
acks. Money talks. Ford's money is
alking. We Socialists told you that
nder just system of industry even
he lowliest worker need not lack a
ecent living. Ford has not estab-
shed just system of industry, even
I his own factory. He is returning
My half of his profits. But the low
est man who works for Ford receives
OF less than SIS day That is $1,565
year. Ford is paying many of his
'orkingmen more than $4,000 a year,
he average annual wage of the Amer
IAN workingman is less than $500 a
ear.
The difference between what Ford
J paying and what the others are
aging and what the others are paying
ldicates part of the robbery that the
theirs are practising upon their vic,
ms. 1t does not represent all of the
obbery, because Ford is not yet pay
lg his employees what they earn.
ord's employees, like all other EN-
loyes, earn all that is produced in ex-
ess of what is actually produced by
lie proprietors themselves. Most
reat proprietors produce nothing.
ord is an exception. He is entitled