The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-18
NEW YORK HAS
HALF OF POWER
OF EMPLOYING
Walsh of Industrial Board
Says Cause of Unrest Lies
in Manhattan's Rule.
FAVORS SEEING OF
SWOLLEN FORTUNES

when Frank =. Walsh, chairman or
The United States Commission on Indus
trial Relations, spoke at the East Side
Forum last night he said that one OF the
chief causes OF unemployment through
out the country was the fact that halt
the employing resources OF the country
was in the hands of people who lived
right here in New York.
Mr.. walsh's remedial suggestion was
that a national commission be estah-
Nshed TO hear the grievances of all un-
employed and to administer Industry
/ for the welfare of the workers.
He characterized the Carnegie tounda-
,ion. the Rockefeller Foundation. the Rus
sell Sage Foundation and the cleveland
Foundation as possible menaces 10 demo
/ cratic institutions, and added 20 ms
/ chara cterization suggestion that the
/ Government might take over such ac-
cumulat!ons OF wealth by taxation
similar to the income tax and that IL
might administer them for purposes IN
\ the usefulness OF which all the people
agree"
EVEN without changes in the laws az
! they are to-day" he said we can 90
much to solve the problem OF uneihploE-
ment and the kindred problems that so
with IT, We can for instance, take back
| for the people vast fortunes that nave
been embezzled from the people mean
the fortunes taken from coal lands u.
| legally filed upon In the West a thiet
never gets true title.
Government should Act
/ "Some companies have said they make
no profits or only dividend proht OF
per cent, yet In years when there was no
change in ownership and very little IN
t,.s mt IN
properties the value Of them was raised
! ON the books by many millions one
! S1eOOOOOO corporation have in MIND
| lodged taxes to the sum OF HS'OOo'opo
through control of local government
To the value Of slS.o00,Oo0 the Govern
ment owns that property ana could get H.
! L ought to take IL back.
us there any person who VIII not chai-
lenr. "a 500. 900. 900 foundation exempt
! from taxation and to be used IN a WAY
J the people az n whole do not dominate
There are S3OO.o00,000 now invested IN
these :1cnd:t!crs. and there are no INN
tatlons on those funds. Suppose all or
the foundations should concentrate their
resources in the securities Of one industry
where the tol!ers were making hght Tor
democratic control? They could crush
down the defences OF the hght Tor m
dustrial Justice. They bring the great
necessities OF life under their control
therefore we have instituted this In
ouirv. and il is not too much Tor me 10
say that We propose to go 10 the very
bottom OF these great requests or wealth.
I'VE cannot go on with aut"cracy u.
business The fact that majority OF
the omnloving power In America IL
lodged I'm Manhattan Island is menace
10 the perpetuity OF our institutions, TOT
It is but a step from the autocratic CON
troll of industry to tyrannical control IN
government"
$40 Week for Phone Girls.
Mr.. Walsh also told his audience that
II he had his way every telephone
girl in every city of tne United stat -
would get a minimum wage of Slo week
He said also that every time he had made
this statement in various parts OF the
country he had failed to see II reported IN
the newspapers. This minimum wage
would be fixed by n Federal administra-
tive commission which Mr.. Walsh. oasing
, his suggestion on the results OF the inNes-
LEGATIONS which his commission has heen
making. would have established 10 near
, all industrial grievances.
: This commission would also establish a
. minimum wage OF 81 and "A minimum
, workday of eight hours for all railroad
section hands. 1t would also see 10 II tha'
. the protective tariff was removed from
every article the manufacturers or pro-
ducers of which do not give their EN-
ployees their just share In the profits OF
= such manufacture or production. Also see
ing to il that laborlng men have their
: proper influence in determining the places
where and the conditions under whicn
they work this commission would stand
= at the back of a general governmental
( scheme by which the people would get
a hack the resources that have been en-
. bezzled from them by the large corpora
k tons"
i Mr. Walsh based his suggestion OF such
remedies on the principle that the indus
: trial unrest in this country will not enc
8 until men are animated by the idea of en-
o gaging in industry for service instead 4
A for profit In his opinion the industrial
= unrest which his commission is investigat
n ing Is solely question OF wages rea
= At the beginning OF his address Mr.
, Walsh spoke of the investigation OF tn
n Rockefeller Foundation as quite the mos
:. important thing the commission has ye
= undertaken. The objective OF 1t Is th
study Of the condition and the purpose
and the spirit OF absentee ownership.
He believes the country ought to know
how this foundation was acquired. wa
= this vast sum OF money now being use'
for benevolent purposes not produced b.
men who labor with their hands? Ant
J. IL it was so produced have these men no
d a right a say what shall be done witt
n it? IL Il Is doing a good work why shoul'
It the Government not do II Instead OF thi
II private corporation IT certain men ar
= driven by a passion for helping mankin
Ia should not the Government step in an
e prevent them from being imposed upo
y by this ungovernable passion"
on the discovery OF such conditio
's the commission justfies the necessity 70
D. inquirng into the success of the Rookie
e. Teller Foundation to the end that 1t ma
he be determined whether that foundatio
l. Is not a menace to the Constitution while
s, guarantees n republican form OF govern
ri ment, and to those principles of democ
s. racy to which the people OF this countr
'e are irrevOcaby committed"
of In the words OF Mr.. Walsh "autocrati
control Of industry is a step toward tyran
ncal government. and we are movin
J. fast IN that direction"
The investigation OF the Rockefelle
>. Foundation, TO which about one hundre
witnesses have been subpPnaed or In
vted, will begin in the City Hall at l
O'Clock this morning. The witnesses tC
, day will be Samuel Untermyer and Roge
m Babson, who will lay foundation 70
n the inquiry by outlining their Views o
the evils OF absentee ownership.
in The Investigation Is expected to la:
for ~ least two weeks. ..