The Washington herald., 1916-05-31
Labor and Capital.

Labor and Capital.
During the recent labor troubles in Colorado
John D. Rockefeller, jr, delivered remarkable
address to the joint meeting of the officers and
the representatives of the employees of the Col
orado Fuel and Iron Company, only brief ex-
tracts from which appeared in the newspapers.
Mr.: Rockefeller said in part
! Every corporation is composed of four
parties. First, there are the stockholders; they
put up the money which pays the wages, builds
! the plants, operates the business, and they ap-
point the directors to represent their interests
directors, whose business it is to that the
chief executive officers of the company care
| fully and wisely selected, to plan out its larger
financial policies and generally to see to it that
| the company is wisely administered. And,
thirdly, we have the officers of the company,
whose duty it is to conduct the current opera
ton of the business. While last but by no
means least-for | might just well have
started at the other cnd-we come to the en-
ployes, who contribute their skill and their work.
! Now the interest OF these four parties IS a
common one. An effort to advance one in
terest at the expense Of any other, means loss
to all, and when any of the four parties
! in this corporation selfshly considers his own
interest alone, and is disregardul OF the in
terests of the other three parties, sooner or later
| ing square table with four legs) illustrates my
conception of a corporation; and there are sew
! era points in regard to the table to which |
want to call your attention. First, you see that
lit would not be complete unless it had all four
sides. Each side is necessary; each side has its
own part to play. Now, if you imagine this
table cut into quarters, and each quarter sep,
aratcd from the others, what would happen ?
| All of them would fall down, for could
stand alone, and you would have table. But
when you put the four sides together, you have
| a useful piece of furniture; you have table
| Then, secondly, | call your attention to the
fact that these four sides all perfectly joined
| together; that is why we have perfect table.
Likewise, it the parties interested in a corpora
tion not perfectly joined together, harmoni-
ously working together, you have a discordant
and unsuccessful corporation.
Again you will notice that this table is
| square. And every corporation to be successful
must be on the squarc--absolutely square deal
for every of the four parties, and for every
man in each Of the four parties.
| ! call your attention TO one more thing-the
table is level. Each part supported by its leg is
! holding up its side. hence you have level
table. SO, equal responsibility rests each one
iof the four parties united in a corporation.
When you have a level table a corporation
that is on the level, you can pile up earnings on
it (piling coins the table,. Now, who gets the
| in New York don't. Here come along the en-
poycs, and first Of all they get their wages (rc-
moving part OF the cons), every two weeks like
clock-woIk, just what has been agreed on; they
get the first chance at the pile. You men come
ahead of the president, the officers, the stock
holders, and directors. You are the first to put
a hand into the pile and take out what is agreed
shall belong to you YoI don't have to wait for
your share; you don't have to take any chances
labout getting il. You know that there has never
been two weeks period that you have worked
when you have not been able to get your pay
! from the company; whatever happens, so long as
! the company is running, you get your pay
! And then the officers and the superintendent
come along, and they get theirs; they don't get
| it until after you have gotten yours (removing
more coins).
Then come the directors, and they get their
directors fees (removing the balance OF the coins)
! for doing their work in the company.
And, hello! There is nothing left! This must
| be the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company! For
never, men, since my father and | became inter-
csted in this company as StockhodcrS, some four
teen years ago-neveT has there been one cent e
common stockholder has your wages paid
; to you workers; has seen your salaries paid to
you officers; has seen the directors draw their
! fees and has had not Cnc cent of return for the
money that he has put into this company in or
| der that you men might work and get your sal
aries How many men in this room ever heard
that fact stated before? Is there a among
Iyou2 Well, there are mighty few among the
workers who have heard it What you have
been told, what has been heraldcd from the At
lantic to the Pacific, is that those Rockefeller
men in New York, the biggest scoundrcls that
ever lived, have taken millions Of dollars out of
this company account Of their stock owner
ship, have oppressed you men, have cheated you
out OF your wages and done" you in every way
they could. That is the kind of dope" you have
been getting, and that IS what has been spread
| all the country. And when that kind of
talk was going on, there were disturbances in
this part of the country because the four sides
Of this table were not square and the table was
not level, there were those who in the streets of
New York and in public gatherings, were inct-
ing the crowd to shoot John D. Rockefeller Tr,
down like a dog That is the way they talked
The common stockholders have put $4,000
900 into this company in order to make it go, so
that you men will get your wages, you officers
have your salaries, and the directors get their
fees, while not has come back
to them in these fourteen years
'Pork" Once More Triumphant.
DESPITE the clarifying analNsis OF its meaning