The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-03-19
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction in
Europe Follow the Great
World War?
PRIMARY CAUSE OF UNREST
With the Passing of "Small Business"
Went the Feeling of Community
Interest, Which Meant
So Much.
Article VIII.
BY FRANK coMERFoRD.


Not many years ago something hap
pened which changed the relations be-
tween employer and employee. That
happening has had q marked effect
upon industrial discomfort. Something
was lost out of the relation between
the, owner and the men who worked
for him. The human element, the per-
sonal touch, between the boss and the
workers stopped. With its passing IN
rest grew with great vigor. 1t was
new kind of unrest, too. 1t was last
ing, determined, resolute discomfort.
This came to pass in the day that
small business entered the twilight.
In the day of the small plant, bust
ness was owned and run by man, or
a number of men, doing business as a
partnership. These men lived in the
community in which their men lived.
They worked with their men. In the
front of the plant was the office of the
Boss. He was on the job. He wasn't
hired boss, ether-he was the real
bOsS-the owner, The sign under
which the business was run bore his
name. 1t identified him with the bust
ness. The Boss had his home in the
city in which the plant was located.
Ills children went to the public school,
frequently to the same school to which
the children of his wOrkmen went. II
he was churCh-going man-and gem
orally he waS---he and his family went
to religious services on Sunday to the
same church that many of his men and
their families attended. The men who
worked for him knew him, at least to
the extent of recognizing him when
they saw him. He knew many of Them
and recognized them with nod or
Good morning." when he saw them
on the street. Few people realized
how much this meant to harmonious
relations in the Industrial world.
When working men had a grievance,
or thought they had, they took 1t d.
rectly to the Boss. He talked 1t over
with them. He was reasonable and
fair. If the complaint was well found
ed 1t was given consideration, a rem
edy was found. The working man was
satisfied. He had had his say. He
was treated as q human being by a
human being. He felt he was part of
the busineSs--so did the Boss.
Regulated by Public Opinion.
In the day of small business, the
owner of factory or plant who paid
his men an unliving wage was a
marked man in the community. Pub
lie opinion chastised him for his self
ishness and inhumanity. The people
said he was a sweater, a slave driver,
and held him In contempt. They con-
trasted his good clothes, the style of
his family and his fine mansion, with
the rags his working men wore, the
: novels In which they lived. He was
pointed out, hated, desplsed. The
thought of the community was, that 1t
, would be better for him and his to
, give up some of their excess luxury
4 and give the men living wages. The
disgrace fell not only upon his head,
= but 1t followed his wife and children.
!, When they went to church they were
looked upon as hypocrites, for all the
people knew that every day in the
, week he was Insulting the Christ he
pretended to worship on the Sabbath.
Few men are so thick-skinned rs not
( to feel the lash of public opinion. 1t
s isn't easy to bear the hate of ones
I neighbOrs. cit Is natural for men to
[ ,,,npt tho unnI cnininp IF fhair fallntyc
In the day Of small business, public
opinion held lash over the inhuman
and greedy. kept hirers of men human,
but in the progress of the world the
small employer was doomed to go.
a The partnership passed off the stage
n and with 1t the personal touch between
employer and employees. The corpo.
d ration. a soulless body, was born of
S the law. 1t absorbed small plants and
small businesses. 1t collected under
single roof thousands of men. The
corporation. the combination, the trust
had come. This new order of doing
business on large scale was efficient
n economical. 1t eliminated waste and
duplication. II was great, smooth
running machine. 1t represented prog
ress in doing the worlds work.
II The corporation name did not dis
close the owner of Big Business. II
was an mpersonal, inhuman thing
Frequently the stockholders did no
live in the cities where the plants were
ic located. The real owners were un
ii known to employees and public. Man.
st of the large shareholders had never
y seen the plant. The men who worked
in the plants had never seen the mer
. for whom they worked. The man actu
IL ally running the business was only al
J. employee. He was paid large salar.
It and II was made plain to him when HI
was hired that his salary and his jol
depended on his ability to make profits