New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-23

unemployment, Of sickness and old age
has been relegated into the relics OF
barbarian. and everybody IS assured an
appropriate living, is assured employ
ment when capable TO work, and pro
tected against want, maintained in his
or her standard Of living, when not able
TO work, not as matter of charity, but
as an obvious and self-evident duty OF
society toward the individual.
Legislative Base Is Partly Laid
This can be done by effective social
legislation, as it has been done in other
countries: il is being actively consid-
cred within our industrial corporations
as well as by the public at large; some
work in this direction has been done
by legislation, more still within many
industrial corporations, and the develop
ment of this social activity would prob
ebly have progressed still further IN our
corporations If the dlsorganlzatlon oy
legislative interference had not hin
dered here, as in most other directions,
the progress OF industrial organization.
1t is obvious that Industry here
means not merely the manufacturing
industries, but equally includes trans
portation and communication, agricult-
ure. the animal industries, dalrylng,
tc.-in short, all the human activities
which deal directly or indirectly with
the necessities Of life.
The economic development Of the
world. accelerated by the worlds war,
has made such a cooperative INDUSTRIAL
organization Of our nation necessity
of self-preseryation.
As structural foundation on which 10
build such structures by evolution, IN
orrosnondence with our democratic
national temperament, we have our
political governments-Fe deral, state
and municipal-our large national So
cieties and our industrial corporations.
OF these, the political government
is the only one which is all-emoraclng,
is controlled by and responsible TO all
citizens, at least nomlnally. mere
fore, while its constructive power may
be practically nil, due to its form OF
organization, it has a vast inhibitory
newer. far greater than any other
mower in our country. We have seen
This. and continuously see it IN the
action toward corporations, in the ma
tional conservation movement, even ii
the power exerted by subordinate gov
ernmental bureaus.
Tbus. no organization which does not
include the political government as an
essential part of the structure can
hope to succeed. II,
The natural suggestion, then, would
he 10 have the Federal government
With its subordinate state and munlcl,
nal Governments, organize, control ana
administrate the country's economic in
dustrial system.
Control Sentiment Growing
Thus the political government would
acquire and operate all means OF
Transportation and communication,
railroads, canals, pipe lines, mail ana
express, telegraph and telephone. 1t
would supervise and control all cor
porations and their relations with
each other and toward the public. IL
would control the relation OF en-
pIoves within the corporations. by
mandatory arbitration; by unemploy-
ment, sickness and old age insurance;
control the hours of work, and work
ing conditions, etc. There is a con-
siderable sentiment in favor OF this
organization, and this sentiment is
growing in strength.