The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-03-12
PROBLEMS FOR A
STRICKEN WORLD
CONTINUED from First Page

were measured by this definition %:
success. To make profits 1t 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
tect, one thought, was always before
him-keep down wages. De drilled
this idea 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-capitaIIzatIon.
Frequently these large Industrial |
corporations were greatly overcapital-
lied. A corporation representing an |
actual investment of $1O0,OOO,OOO was
organized for $5OO,OOO,OOo. 1t didn't
take financier to see that $4OO,OOO,OOo
of Its capitalization was wind, water
fake-a lie. The law that gave the
corporation a right to exist forgot 10
keep Ii under control. The stock
was sold, shares representing fiction
as well as those representing value.
The Captain Of Industry spoke OF the
$500 OOO, 900 Of overcapitahZation as
melon" The law should have writ
ten 1t down larceny. The selling OF
this stock was nothing more or less
than obtaining money under false pre-
| lenses. When a working man Cd
| tanned bread under false pretenses ne
| was sent to Jail. When honest meR
/ cried out against this grand larceny
| they were called muckrakers, agita-
tors, and charged with provoking un-
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 1t were efforts to rob them.
The state, the law, the government,
had given dollars the right to organize.
A corporation Is q union OF dollars, ex-
actly as a 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. It failed to provide rea-
solable control over these powerful
big combinations. The men asked fol-
the privilege of collective bargaining
1t was simple request, just one
= its meaning Is clear. The men wanted
the right to appoint committee tC
represent them and discuss with the
men who hired them the terms Of EN-
ployment. The directors, generally
] men who never saw the plant, tele
graphed the employee boss, the man
r ager, q direction to refuse the demand
for collective bargaining. There was
only one reply the men could make
q They made 1t. It was force-th'
= strike The last twenty-five year,
created waste and caused hate, which
= grew out Of the refusal of Big Bust
ness to concede to men a right the Law
conferred on 1t, the right to organize
capltaIIstIc DuplIcIty.
IS When the cost of living forced mel
III to ask for an Increase In wages the
1t were often met with the answer, "W
can't afford it, The men could no
r afford to work longer for the wage
they were getting, because they wer
unable to make both ends meet. TIL
pay envelope was not large enough
u The men pointed to the fact that tn
r answer given by capital was not true
To show their good faith the capita
> lists told the general public, "We ar
st only making 8 per cent on our capital
re men who loan money get 8 per cent.
e They did not tell the people they wer
r receiving 8 per cent on 100000, OO'
= while the real capital invested wa
~ only $1OO,OOO,O0O. The sweat of me
At was being used to pay dividends o
he $4O0,OO0,0O0. IL the dividends earne
~ were distributed over the capital act
be ally invested, $1OOOOO,O00, the pro6t
a. would have been shown In their tru
st light The reasonableness Of the d.
re mand Of the men would have been di
in closed. It was case Of crooked cap
4, talization, lying to protect it's fll-go
ten gains. Big Business needs ethics
Id Captains OF Industry need ideals.
Id Let me repeat, the law left the me
helpless. They had only one course
:" Fight, StrikeI Strikes cause grel
Of public Inconvenience. The Poop
ea smarting under hardships conden
y and blame the strikers. Strikes ha'
Az another effect that IS even wors
re They harden hate into q concrete ella
Is feeling. Strikes are responsible f
o. the attitude Of mind Of many workiI
10 men today who say, 'T Will do as lit
he work as possible for4the money I get
It Is a vicious circle Of hate. Co-ope
alton is made impossible, confidence