New-York tribune., 1920-02-22

class called "Reds," who carry In
their minds a well-defned purpose
to overthrow our government and
industrial system and apparently
purpose to use the great laboring
classes as catspaW to accomplish
their ends.
am glad to say that believe
that these men are losing their in
fluence. The doctrines which they
advocate are un-American; their
declarations are frequently disloyal
and treasonable. What they say is
merely unfair and unjust denuncia-
Etion. Our workers on the whole
appear to be too level-headed to
give them much attention. They
do temporary harm, but for the
most part only among those who are
unfamiliar with our institutions and
who do not speak our language.
But the hopeful thing in the
whole matter is that little by little
our workers are recognizing that
our interests are mutual; that these
people who declaim to them Of their
wrongs do not pay to them the
money with which they support
themselves and their families; that
when it comes to real action the
management is the real and the true
friend, both able and willing to put
into effect in a reasonable way the
things which are for the workers
interest and benefit.
While l do not think that the
millennium has come or Is even at
hand, / believe that better day is
approaching and that with patience
and fair and judicial consideration
Of the matter in its broadest as
poets, this problem is going to be
solved.
The solution for tho unrest and
discomfort which exist among
workers Is to be found In the re-
moval Of the causes Of this unrest.
When we have accomplished this,
agitators will have less attention
even than they do now, and it is this
end that we are trying to bring
about
With the solution Of this prob
lem l believe comes the solution of
our problem as to the investor and
as to you gentlemen and to the
public. For if l can make our work
ers content, if l can make them be-
lleve in my fairness and my pur-
pose to do what can be done to help
them in their lives, if I can make
them understand that I really want
to discharge my duty to them and
at the same time to hold the scale
fairly as between their interests
and that Of the investor and the
public, then as contented and pros
porous unit we go far toward ac-
complishing the ideal result-a fair
wage to the worker, a fair return
to the Investor, and an honest prod
uct and fair price to the public.
But not even here do the duties
Of an executive position end: nor
is this quite the end of the problems
OF the manufacturer. There is still
another duty, one of which has de-
veloped considerably of late years
the duty to our government. Within
the years last past the government
not only has undertaken to super
wise and control the business activi-
ties Of companies like ours, but has
to a very large extent succeeded to
the position of our stockholders.
The government is a new bene-
ficiary for which the management
holds its property in trust.
You will be bit surprised,
think, when I tell you that for the
last year for which our accounts
have been made up, the American
Woolen Company has paid to the
Government in taxes an amount
more than twice the amount of the
nominal profit left remaining to the
company-more than five times the
amount of dividends paid to our
investors. You will be surprised. I |
think, to learn that this payment to
the Government was nearly two
thirds the total amount distributed
TO our workers by way Of wages, al
though the wages paid during that
year were the highest ever paid in
the history Of our company. From
this you will see what l mean when
L say that we now have a new
and somewhat unusual duty to a new
beneficiary.
Let me hasten to say, however.
that l am not complaining Of this
payment as a burden of taxation. I !
90 not so view it. l regard it rather
as the grateful contribution Of this
company to the great causes for
which we entered the world war: a
contribution to the ideals for which
we fought so successfully in foreign
lands: do not believe that this
contribution, which was made in
part by our workers-because In
certain way it came from their
wages, and which was made in part
by. our investors, because in a Ger
tain way it came from their profits
lis regretted by single one of
them. Personally, I do not regret
it, nor do I complain Of it. rejoice
IN it as a privilege, that our COM
pany could make such splendid
record Of contribution in the time of
our country's need. It is a splendid
record, and, believe with every
stockholder and every employee Of
our company, am proud Of it.
Nor is this all. Do you realize
what the mills Of the American
Woolen Company meant to the Gov
ernment in the war? Do you know
the fact that but for our mills
especially the great Aver and Wood
Mills at LaWrence-thet ia sk of c1oth