Norwich bulletin., 1919-04-26
DEALING WITH THE LABOR QUESTION

rest of the community a great deal of harm. The welfare of the so-called l middle classes, i. c.. the men and VOL men living on moderate incomes, the | small shopkeeper. the professional man, the farmer. is just as important to the community as the welfare of the wage learner. If through undue exaetions, though unfair use of his power, through inadequate output, the ! workman brings about a condition in which the pressure of high prices be- comes intolerable to the middle classes, he will create class aninlos- | ity against himself which is bound to l be of infinite harm to his legitimate Inspirations.
 | It must be admitted, unfortunately,
 that for q long period in the past, so- ciety failed to give labor a square deal Tor to do anything like it's duty by la Dor. But in their rightfu1 resentment
 against exploitation and in their de- termination for the redress of just grievances, labor should not permit it. fseff to be misled by plausible falla- ifcies or self seeking agitators. It must not give credence, for instance to the absurd preachment that practi- ;cally all wealth other than that pro- Educed by the farmer. is the product of the eXertions of the working men.
 
 tors that enter into the creation of fwealth. Thus the directive facul- ty," the quality of leadership in thought and action is not only one ab-
 solutely needful in all organized un-
 dertalxings, great or small, but it be- comes increasingly rcre and. eonse- !quently, increasingly more valuable as
 the object to which it addresses itself increases in size. complexity and diff ficulty
 Let us take as an example the case of MT. Henry Ford. Through the or ganiZing genius and enterprise of a self made man. Mir. Henry Ford (not
 by monopoly, but in keen competition with, other nlanufacturers), the auto F mobile, instead of being d luxury o1 the few has been brought within the reach of those of modest means. } The cost of the product has beer vastly cheapened. The margin of pro- fit on each automobile sold has beer l very largely increased, the living conditions of employees greatly i'm ' proved. Work has been found for { 2 t,sfeat many more men than were enl. 9 ploYed Before.
 9 In other words, every single human : factor concerned in either production r or consumption has been advantaged V New wealth has been created at th : expense Of no one. It cannot be salt |, that it was created by the working |. | man, except in the physical sense. ! f was not created by either monopol S 1 or privilege. It was created mainl
 out of Mir Ford's brain and at hi s risk.
 @ By far the largest percentage of thi $ now wealth goes to pay the wages 0 e workingmen and other expenses Of tn e business. but out of what is left, Nil Y IFor(t's share is hy common report. i s excess of $t.090.eoo year, el 1. Did Mir. Ford earn s1,00U.00o i
 one year? If not. how much did h ,f earn? By what scale would yo Ii measure the proportion due to him C - the new wealth created mainly by hi IF faculties?
 r. ,. If he had not been allowed [ ,e earn tl7e large sums which he di e earn, how and where could he hay Y found the means to enlarge and in g prove his factory, so as to make pos c. Sible an enterprise which inmensel 10 cheapened the product to the consr n mer and largely increased the wage SC to the Workingman and the opportr y Unity for employment? Is there al q instance where conlmunistic or eve to merely cooperative undertaking to have produced similar results?
 there any instance where goVeTnTnef a tai management has produced sinil; to results?
 to The way to progress is not to pr to everybody down to common lev n, of mediocrity. which means ultimat l- fly a common level of wretchednes
 but to help everybody up. st It is not material success whi( be must be abolished; it is poverty al is justified discontent which must O. abolished l. We cannot abolish poverty by q ,r. vision, but only by multiplication. n-l It is not by the spoliation of som a. but by creating larger assets al st broader opportunity for all that nj ne ional we'll being can and must be el 1f. .la need.