The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-05-09

Stitute, Pittsburgh, April "a, MADE the
statement that at must be admitted,
unfortunately, that for long period
in the past, society failed to give la
Dor a square deal or to do anything
like it's duty by labor. But in their
frightful resentment against exploit
alton and in their determination for
the redress of just grievances, labor
should not permit itself to be msled
by plausible fallaces or self-seeklng
agitors." Mr.. Kahn added:
at must not give credance, for in
stance, to the absurd preachment that
practically all wealth other than that
produced by the farmer, is the pro"
duct of the eXertions of the working
men. There are, of course, many
other factors that enter into the crea-
ton of wealth. Thus, the directive
faculty, the quality Of leadership in
thought and action is not only one alb
solutely needful in all organized UNI
dertakings, great or small, but 1t be-
comes increasingly rare and, conse-
ouently. increasingly more valuable as
the object to which it addresses itself
increases in size, compleXity and dit
ficulty.
"The way to progress is not to pull
everything down to a common level OF
mediocrity, which means intimately
common level of wrctchedness, but to
help everybody up. $50.
at is not material success which
must be abolished; it is poverty and
justified discomfort which must he
abolished
eve cannot abolish poverty by di-
vision, but only by multiplication.
at is not by the spoilation of some,
but by creating larger assets and
broader opportunity for all that ma
tional well-being can and must be en-
HANGED.
81 wonder how many people real
ize that, if all incomes above $4,000
were taken and distributed among
those earning less than $4,000, the re-
suit, as near as is possible to figure
out, would be that the income of those
receiving that distribution would be
increased barely 10 per cent.
"And the result of any such divi-
sion would be an immense loss in ma
tional productivity by turning a pow
erful and fructifying stream into a
mass of rivulets many Of which would
simply lose themselves in the sand.
81 wonder how many people know
that the frequent and loud assertion
that the great bulk of wealth of the
nation is held by small number of
rich men, is wholly false; and that the
fact is, on the contrary, that seven
Fights of our national incomes goes
to those with incomes of $4,000 or
less, and but one-eighth to those with
incomes above $4,000.
1.-THE principle on which we should
deal with the labor question is very
simple" Mr.. Kahn continued:
1t is the principle of the Golden
Rule. think the formula should be
that, first of all, labor is entitled to
living wage. After that, capital is en-
titled to living wage. What is left
over belongs to both capital and labor,
in such proportion as fairness and
equity and reason shall determine in
all cases.
The application of that formula is,
Of course, complex and difficult, be-
cause there are so many different kinds
of labor and there are 80 many differ
ent kinds of capital. Not unfrequent-
ly the laborer and capitalist overlap
and merge into one. You have skilled
labor and unskilled labor and casual
labor; you have the small employer,
the large individual employer, the cor
porate employer, the inventor, the
prospector, etc. And then, circum-
stances and conditions vary greatly,
of course, in different parts of the
country and in different industries. 1t
is impossible to measure by the same
yardstick everywhere, but the princi-
pie of fairness can be stated, the de-
sire can be stated to do everything
possible to bring about good feeling
and good understanding between labor
and capital, and willingly and freely
to cooperate so that labor shall re
ceive it's fair share in the fruits of in
dustry, not only by way of wage re-
fort, in joy, in the happiness of life.
at seems to me that, in the main,
right-thinking men of capital and of
labor would concur in the following
points:
/. The workman is neither a ma
chine nor commodity. He is a part
ner with capital. He must be given a
full voice in determining the condi-
tions under which he works either
through organization in each factory
or other unit, or through labor unions,
or through both. Everything practi-
cable must be done to infuse interest
and conscious purpose into his work,
and to diminish the sense of drudgery
and monotony of his daily task. The
closest possible contact must be main
tanned between employer and en-
ployee. Machinery for the adjustment
of grievances must be provided which
will work smoothly and instantaneous
ly. Every feasible opportunity must
be given to the workman to be in
formed as to the conduct of the bust
ness of which he forms a part. He
must not be deprived of his employ
ment with valid cause. However it is
practicable and really desirable by the
workmen themselves to have repre-
sentation on the board of direction,
/ think that, too, should be conceded.
1t would give them better notion of
the problems, complexities and cares
which the employer has to face. 1t
would tend to allay the suspicious and
L.