The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-02-23
(From the Committee on Industrial
Relations.)

the high cost of living which is to
begin with an exhibit in New York
City next week, does not interest the
National Americanization Committee,
which includes such opponents of the
high cost of living as the Aston fam
lily, Ebert H. Gary of the Steel
Trust, Frank Trumbull of the Rail-
way Executive Advisory Board and
other distinguished citizens.
This National Americanization
Committee received knockout blow
from Frank P. Walsh, Chairman of
the Committee on Industrial Rela-
tons, when it held it's annual conven-
ton in Philadelphia last year. But
it has come again to the front here
in New York City.
1t is proposing, through the activ
tiles chiefly of Mrs. Vincent Aston,
to "Americanize the foreigners" by
being "neighborly" with the families
who are in a most poor and perilous
position because of the high cost of
living, because of low wages and high
rents, and because they have not the
power of organization for self-pro-
lection and self advancement.
In the meantime, Mr.. Vincent AS
tor and the rest of the Astor family
are taking $4,1OO,000 annually in
ground rent alone from the foreign
ers" and other inhabitants of New
York City. Mr.. Ebert H. Gary is
taking in his share of the $400,OOO,000
of this years profits of the Steel
Trust and Mr. Frank Trumbull,
speaking for all the railroad corpor-
ations, is trying to force through
Congress law to make it a crime
for foreigner" or any other work
err, to strike with his fellow workers
for higher wages, shorter hours and
better conditions of life.
Writing to this Americanization
Committee year ago, Frank P.
Walsh said:
81 am forced to believe that the
last thing your Committee desires is
the Americanization of the immi-
grant, and that instead you are at
tempting to set up paternalism that
will bring the workers of this coun-
try even more absolutely under the
control of the employers than they
are at present"
Further, the Chairman of the Com
mittee on Industrial Relations de-
clared:
"Nor can find any slightest indi-
cation on your part that you intend
to Americanize the immigrant by
striking at the system which permits
the idle few to amass huge fortunes
through their control of natural re-
sources, by which they are enabled
to exact a heavy toll in rents and
other unearned revenues from the
! foreign born workers who inhabit the
tenements of our cities and who are
dependent for food, clothing and shell
ter on the natural resources thus con-
trolled and plundered by men who
perform no service. Nor do | see
much hope of such action on your
part when some of the most active
members are among the most motor
ious recipients of unearned incomes
obtained through the exploitation of
! land and other natural resources. |
refer in particular to Mrs. Vincent
Astor, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt and
Mrs. Edward T. Stotesbury."
How true was this statement was
particularly illustrated lately by a
"strike" of one thousand families
among the "neighbors" of Mr.. and
Mrs Astor against the extortions of
landlordism, whose chief exemplars
in Manhattan and in the United
States are the Astor family. Any eff
fort on the part of the public to tax
unused and unimproved lands of the
cities into use, and thus to give some
IC4iCL VI oO4iipSJlClOil w IAOAiOpOlJ
landlordism, is most vigorously OPP
posed by the Aston family and other
wealthy Americanizers of the "for-
eigners."
With an estimated four thousand
vacant lots in the Bronx part of New
York, the Aston family upholds with
all its wealth and power a system
which gives to wealthy few the UNI
earned and speculative values which
are added to the land by the work and
thrift of the foreigners" and other
producers.
The active use of wealth and power
and one-sided publicity of Mr.. Frank
Trumbull and his associates of the
railroads and of the United States
chambers of commerce to make it g
or;,,,o for MON 70 ba affactiUa laho,