The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-03-18
A NEW REMEDY FOR LABOR.
TROUBLES.

the country chronicled day by day
the visit Of Mr.. John ID. Rookie
Teller, Jr., to Colorado. The Colo
RADIO Fuel and Iron Company, in
which Mr.. Rockefeller and his
father are interested, had not long
before emerged from one of the
most bitter struggles in the his
tory OF the warfare between Capt.
tai and Labor in the United
States. The story of that conflict
was fresh in the memories of all,
and when Mr. Rockefeller did
what no one expected, and ven
tured unguarded into region
seething with suspicion and
enmity, gloomy prophecies were
common concerning the issue of
the trip. Events, however,
showed that he understood the
toilers better than did the proph-
cts. The miners were quick to
see that only a fearless man
would do what he dared to do,
and their sense of fair play
coupled with their admiration for
a dashing act paved the way for
a cordial reception. Mr.. Rookie
feller's tact did the rest, and the
visit became a triumphal prog
ress. He donned overalls and
went down into the mines; he
chatted with men, women and
children; he visited their homes,
partook Of their fare, shared in
their amusements, looked into
their schools, came into close con-
tact with them at every turn. and
familiarized himself with every
aspect Of their life. He met
hundreds Of miners and they were
astonished to find that the master
OF many millions, whose name
they had been taught to hate,
was man i'll every sense Of the
word, simple and democratic in
all his ways, full Of sympathy for
the life around him, as much at
home among the miners of Colo
RADIO as among the magnates Of
New York. One touch of nature
makes the whole world kin.
1t is not with Mr.. Rockefeller's
pluck that we are concerned, nor
with the picturesque triumph
which he won. Our interest is
with the new chapter which his
daring excursion has contributed
to the conflict Of Capital and
Labor. The causes Of that con-
flict are many and complex; they
are always with us, and there is
little hope that the fundamental
problem at issue-a fair division
Of the fruits Of industry between
employer and employee-will soon
receive a satisfactory solution.
Indeed, as Mr.. Rockefeller points
out, it is unlikely that, i'll view of
conditions that are constantly
changing, any final solution of the
problem of the fair distribution
Of wealth will ever be reached.
But while the intricate nature Of
the problem renders a remedy
difficult to find, there are certain
factors which are ever engender-
ing bitterness and confusing and
clOuding issues, factors which
could and should be eliminated
from industrial questions. When
Mr.. Rockefeller mingled with the
miners ON the scene of their
labors, the workmen had the
chance Of seeing that their
employer is not a monster Of
greed and tyranny, but a man
among men, whose vast enter
prises contribute to the develop
ment OF the country and the COM
forts of countless homes. The
capitalist, on the other hand, had
the opportunity of showing the
miners that their interests and his
were identical. A new light
dawned on thousands of work
men when he declared that for
fourteen years thirty-four mil
lion dollars invested in the
mines had not brought the owners
OF the stock one cent OF dividend.
Mr.. Rockefeller's visit was cam
paign of education and cancellation
on a large scale; but it was some
thing more. While he was win
ming the confidence of the miners,
dispelling prejudices and revolu-
tionizlng sentiment, he was
maturing a comprehensive plan
designed to place the relations of
employer and employee on a
permanent and peaceful basis.
The plan regulates the scale of
wages, the right to organize, the
right to hold meetings, the dis
missal of employees, the settle
ment of industrial disputes-in a
word, all tile various subjects OF
i dispute and sources Of contention
/ in the industrial world. That
the plan. abundantly met the
needs and the wishes of the men