The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1921-07-23
THE GREAT DELUSION
That Capital or Labor Eitlrcr Ono
Can Independently Make
Progresa lFJ

In the present situation Of capital
and, labor there exists modern popu-
lar delusion--that most IL not all of
the value of finished product is
due to labor.
This Is a reaction from a former
delusion once prevalent that all the
value Of a finished product was due
to the master who controlled labor.
Neither OF these views is correct.
The communist. the l. w. w, the fa-
natic announce as a self-evident truth
that it is the labor alone which pro-
duccs; SO labor ought to control the
production and get all the profits.
As a matter OF fact the greatest
produce of values in the world is not
labor and not capital, for capital is
nothing but crystallized labor; it is
/ brains.
BY brains we mean not merely in
| tellectual capacity; the term should
include all unique Endorsements or
special gifts that make one person a
master workman.
Not long ago a workman expressed
himself thus:
I'm tired OF doing hard work for
low pay and having other fellows get
big money and do nothing but sit
around the desks. Why should the
general manager be getting $50 900
| a year when am getting only $500?
He doesn't work any harder than 1
do. and not as harl. 1 see in the
papers where one of them moving
picture actresses gets a salary of
s1,0OO,OeO a year. She amt more
than twenty five years old and hasn't
| much education. but all she can do
is TO look pretty. 1t amt fair"
The fundamental trouble with this
mans argument is that ne does not
recognize the fact all business and all
| civilization is based upon fair ex-
change OF service. 1t is not based
upon a system OF pensiouing every
human being.
lie gets S1,5OO a year for the sim
pie reason that the work he produces
is worth just about that to the people
who pay for it. -' .'.-..
The moving picture actress who is
said to get S1,OOO,0O0 a year is paid
on exactly the same basis She gets
an enormous reward because she en-
ables her employer TO make a profit.
II her employer were to pay her
less he would be unraif But his un-
fairness would not arise from the fact
that he was not giving her enough to
live on and that she could not support
her family and feed her dogs on less
than $1,000. 900. but would arise from
the fact that he was not giving her in
proportion to what she gave him.
People do not get paid in this world
in proportion to how hard they work.
They get paid in proportion to how
much their work is worth to the pub
nc lldl pays II lnlS SlIlplt TACT
were kept In mind it would puncture
the gas bag CT good many revolu-
tionary programs The manager of a
great steel concern the other day hir-
ed a man at a salary of $4,000 a
year. This worker is expected TO
work a few hours a day. He handles
no hot iron nor otherwise sweats his
collar. He gets down to the office
about 10 O'Clock and leaves when he
| gets ready.
Still this was a Just arrangement.
and ii would be unjust to pay this
worker less than $50.O00. for the sim
pie reason that his judgment of events
and OF trade conditions is SO accurate
and quick that he saves his employer
over half million a year.
The underlying law of modern life
and activity is that a man should re-
ceiVe wage based upon the value of
his services. He cannot long be paid
more than he produces.
OF course this law should be modi-
fled, as all laws should be modified,
by humanity and considerations ot
decency and fairness. But it Is the
law just the same.