The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-11-16
WHY INDUSTRY is
misunderstood
Geo. E. Roberts Tells How Co.
operative Character Of Cor
porations Is 0bscured.
RADICAL AGITATION RESULTS
Maintenance Of Present industrIdtSys'
tenn Necessary to Maintain Present
Standards Of Comfort for All
the People, He Says. sr

The modern industrial system is q
bottom a cooperative organization, bu'
this fact L. obscured by the complex
ity Of huge enterprises, George g. Rob
erts, noted authority on business and
finance, declared in a recent speech
before the American Bankers Associa
ton Convention at Atlantic City, N. ]
Tho primitive man know that the
harder he worked the more he would
have" Mr.. Roberts said. when man
exchanged work with = neiEhbor he
had the whole transa ction under
with thousands of others for q
great corporation he doesn't see any
definite relationship between what he
does and what he gets. He doesn't
know whether he Is getting q fair
share Of the Industrial results or not
and he suspects not.
THE modern industrial system Is
essentially cooperative, but you can
not have effective cooperation with
out understanding. Because people do
not see the Industrial organization as
whole we have the tendency for So
ciety to break up into groups and
bloos and unions and organizations of
one kind and another, many Of whom
are trying to advance their own inter
ests at the expense Of society as q
whole. The population Of this country
today could not be supported in the
state OF comfort to which It Is iaccus-
toned without the modern, specialized
organization.
BolshevIsm In Russia
1.-THE extremity of social disorgan-
ization has been seen In Russia, where
has been enacted the greatest tragedy
In the history Of the world. What hap
pened there will happen everywhere
unless there Is q development OF the
OF people to work together
and understand each other.
"In It's final form the revolution In
Russia was against what is called the
system, or the private own
ership Of property and direction of in
dustry. The results of the revolution |
are so calamitous in Russia as to give |
a check to revolutionary tendencies in
other countries. Yet the economic |
prin Of Bolshevism are infuenc-
Ing public opinion more or less every
where.
"The motive behind all this agita-
ion is the desire to establish equality.
The social struggles Of the past have
,een for political equality. Now the
demand is for equality in possessions,
equality in incomes, equality in tire
of Industrial affairs.
There Is no argument against the as
'irations Of men for better social con-
itions, but radical ideas result from
certain economic fallacies. One re.
ates to the employment and service
I private capital. Men read about
asst sums Of wealth belonging to indi-
iduals, and think of these sums as
evoted exclusively TO the owners. In
act wealth employed in production
)r the public market Is rendering
srvice to the entire community no
latter who owns 1t. -s4rs
1.-THE whole radical argument Is like
Iaiming that nobody ever got any
enefit from the development Of the
cam engine but the owners OF steam
lgines. OF course, the theory only =
,eds to be stated Tor the fallacy to
, apparent. The man who works for y
ages is benefited by every investment e
capital which increases and cheap
Is the supply of the things for which II
s wages are spent. "HDY II
GgaM O
The Service Of Capital -, >,
1T is a fundamental truth that all o.
oductive property although privately >,
med, is part Of the equipment OF So
yty, by which its wants are supplied. -,
The progress Of the past has been :.
com plished under the individuafistic -.
stem. The theory Of this system Is =.
Vt every one shall have for his own, -
nearly as may be, that which re- 4"
.ts from his own efforts. II is q sys-
n calculated to stimulate the militia. u
e, call out the energies and develop IL \,
, ability OF each Individual He Is u,
e as to his undertakings; there are ol
restrictions except that he must ~
* his own gains by activities that ll'
serviceable to the community as 4 III
ole, and he is inspired to labor, not
ply by the desire for personal ad- TN
ltage, but by the desire to provide 10
loved ones, by the impulse to self cif
ression, to realize and develop his pr
ural abilities, and by the ambition We
achieve, to win distinction and to In
der service.
1t does not promise equality. Un- rul
there Is equality in production, In BIZ
rice, in effort, in resolution and in wo
denial, why should there be equal mo
In the division of results? jor
The justification OF individualism, as
ever, is not merely in what 1t al ger
, to the superior individual, but in fall
results that inure to all. It is In I
interest Of all to secure the most eve
,ttve organization, the most effec- yea
management and the largest pos Ov,
, production. These cannot be had to
adopting the fiction that all have gtv
u ability for any position. or by wa,
other system than that which wb,
es men by their individual quail wh,
IONS" 4.