The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-02-16

wv ASoSai vi W tAAitS NShiAtAOh ~
success. To make profits it is neces-
sary to keep down the cost of produc-
ton. The principal item in the cost of
production is the labor charge, the
wages of the men. The employee man.
ager set himself to his task. One OBJ
ject, one thought, was always before
him-keep down wages. He drilled
this Eea into his staff, his superin-
tendents, his foremen. The first COM
mandment of Big Business to him was
make dividends or quit"
Evil in over-capitalization
Frequently these large industrial |
corporations were greatly oyercapital- |
lied. A corporation representing an |
actual investment of $100,000,00o was |
organized for S500,000,000. II didn't |
take financier to see that $500, 100000
of its capitalization was wind, water,
fake-a lie. The law that gave the
corporation a right to exist forgot to
keep it under control. The stock
was sold, shares representing fiction
as well as those representing value.
The Captain of Industry spoke of the
$500 100000 of overcapitaliZation as
melon" The law should have writ
ten it down larceny. The selling of
this stock was nothing more or less
than obtaining money under false pre-
lenses. When working man OBJ
tanned bread under false pretenses he
was sent to Jail. When honest meE
cria loraanV
| they were called muckrakers, agita-
| tors, and charged with provoking I'M
| rest, disturbing business. If this did
not silence them, paid publicity told
| the world that the stock was held by
/ widows and orphans; that the attacks
| upon it were efforts to rob them.
The state, the law, the government,
had given dollars the right to organize.
| A corporation is a union of dollars, ex-
| actly as labor union is an organiza-
ton of men. The men organized as
matter of self-defense. They knew the
individual no longer had chance to
register his complaint with the owner
and that as an individual the worker
was utterly meaningless in such a
large scheme. When he complained
he was told, Take things as they are,
stop whining; if you don't like your
jobs, quit. There are thousands of
men waiting to step into your shoes"
One of the first things the corpora
ton did was TO deny TO men the right
the law gave 1.-THE right to organize.
In defiance of their attitude the men
did organize and forged the strike as a
weapon with which to fight for their
rights. The law had not kept pace
with the times. 1t failed to furnish
protection. 1t failed to provide a rea-
sonable control over these powerful
big combinations The men asked fol
the privilege of collective bargaining
1t was a simple request, a just one
its meaning is clear. The men wanted
the right to appoint a committee II
represent them and discuss with thu
+ men who hired them the terms of EN-
] | ployment. The directors, general,
! men who never saw the plant, tele
graphed the employee boss, the man
I ager, a direction to refuse the.demant
for collective bargaining. There wa:
4 only one reply the men could make
I They made it. 1t was force-th'
strike. The last twenty-five year
have been filled with strikes, which
created waste and caused hate, whicl
grew out of the refusal of Big Busi
ness to concede to men right the Lax
conferred on il, the right to organize
f. capitalistic Duplieity.
e When the cost of living forced me
r, to ask for an increase in wages the
/ were often met with the answer, wv
II can't afford it" The men could nc
n afford to work longer for the wage
he they were getting, because they wer
Is unable to make both ends meet. TIL
le pay envelope was not large enough
IL The men pointed to the fact that tn
10 answer given by capital was not tru
y To show their good faith the capita
ie lists told the general public, I'VE al
o. only making per cent on our capital
u. men who loan money get per cent
re They did not tell the people they wei
le receiving 3 per cent on S50O,OO0,00
ne while the real capital invested Wa
ne only S100000,000. The sweat of me
H. was being used to pay dividends c
OF $400,000000 If the dividends earne
ii were distributed over the capital act
IS ally invested, S1O0,000,000 the prof
10 would have been shown in their TT,
IS. light. The reasonableness of the d
nc mand of the men would have been di
an closed. 1t was a case of crooked cal
H. talization, lying to protect its ill-gc
ne ten gains. Big Business needs ethics
Captains of Industry need ideals.
se, Let me repeat, the law left the nj
en- | helpless. They had only one course
DO | Fight, Strike! Strikes cause gre
of public inconvenience. The peor
nd smarting under hardships conden
Ter and.b blame the strikers. Strikes ha
he another effect that is even wor:
st, They harden hate into a concrete ella
ng | feeling. Strikes are responsible
mt the attitude of mind of many work.