The Socialist press., September 18, 1915, Image 1

About The Socialist press. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1914-1916

Image provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections

                
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Published Weekly In The Interest Of The Working-Class.
No. 17
FAIRBANKS, ALASKA, « ept 18 1915.
Vol. II.
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The^ domination by the
men in whose hands the fin
al eontroi of a huge part of
American industry rests is
not limited to tiioir employ
ees, bur is being rapmiy ex
tendeu to control the educa
tion and ‘soeial service’ oi
the Nation.
This control is being ex
tender largely through the
creation of enormous private
! ly managed funds for indefi
| nite purposes, hereinafter
designated ‘foundations,’ by
the endowment of colleges
| and universities, by the crea
tion of funds for the pension
dug of teachers, by contribu
tions to private .charities as
! well as through controlling
or influencing .the public
press.
i The Rockefeller Founda-j
tion’s entrance into the field
of industrial relations, thro’
the creation of a special di
vision, it is declared, “consti
cutes a menace to the natio
nal weliare to which the at
tention not only of Congress
but of tne entire country,
Simula he directed. Backed
by the $100,000,000 of the
Rockefeller Foundation, this
movement has the power to
I influence the whole country
Un the determination of its
| most vital policy.”
i Mr. Rockefeller is charged
j with planning to utilise lite
Irature which was known to j
him at the lime to be untrue j
and misleading in a so-called j
“non-educafional campaign.’
There is developing, says
the report, a degree of con
i
trol over the teaching of bro!
feasors in our colleges and
universities, which consti
tutes a most. seriousgnenace.
Urges Congress
To Act.
Congress is urged to enact
a statute previewing that all
incorporated non-profit-mak
ing bodies, whose present
charters en p /wer them to
1 he evidence developed by the
hearings and investigations of
the Commission is the basi-' for
the following statements:
ihe control of manufacturing,
mining a ,<i transportation Indus
tries is to an increasing degree
passing into the hands of great
corporations througn stoca. own
ership, anu control of creuit is
centralis_d in a comparatively
small nuniuer ox eiiomious.y p,>vv
erful hnancial institutions,
ihe hiiai contiui ox xiiiiuricaii
industry rests, therefore in the
hands of a small numuer ox weai
L“
I
thy anu powerful nnancieis,
'ihe concentration ox owner
ship and control is greatest in
the basic industries upon which
the welfare of the country must
nnlly rest.
With iew exceptions each of
he great basic industries is du
min«ted oy a single large eorp-. r
ation.ftnd whci'e this is not true,
the control of the industry thro’
stock ownership in supposedly in
dependent corporations and thro
credit is almost, if not quite, as
potent.
in such corporations, in spite
of the large number of stock hold
ers, the control through actual
stock ownership rests with a ee
ry small mimh«r of pnrsons. For
example, in the United States
Steel Corporation which had in
1911 approximately 100,000 stock
holders, 1.5 per cent ot the-stock
holders held 57 per cent of the
stock, while the pfinal control
rested with a single private hank
ing house.
Similarly in the American To
bacco Co,, before the dissolut'on
' .10 stockholders., owned 60 per
cent of the stock.
I Almost withoul.exccptinb the
From the Morgan-Gary cable
therefore, the lives of mil ions
of wage earners are subject to
the dictation ol a small body of
mem
'.these industrial dictators for
the most part are toluiiy ignor
ant Ol aspect ol uie lnuus
tl'leS Widen lUcj CcllUOl,
the illialiccs, ttilu a,e lOntU,) Un
conceraeu Wiill re^aiu to Cue ;l«
ing anu WwiKUtg COilUlllullo Or
the eiiiii.oy vea in these ilmuotriea
Even U Li.ey Were ueepiy CoHcer
ned, the position oi tne employ
despots.
Eksis Not Social.
The documentary evidence in
the possession ol' the Commission
indicates that, the so-called “in
i
' vestigaiion into irdi stral rela
tions by the Rockefeller Founda
tion lives not as is claimed, either
■ a scientific or asocial basis-, -but
I
' originated to promote the indus
trial interests of Mr, Rom efel
l«r.
employees of the large corpora
tions are unorganized, as a re
suit of the active and aggressive
j "non-union policy of the corpo
ration managements.
rr , *. 's-\r s-1 \
iixient Ur control
A careful ami conservative stu
dy shows that the corporations
controlled by six financial groups
! and affiliated interests employ ii,
[651,684 wage earners and have
a tota' capitalization of $19,875,
200,000 These six financial
groups control 28 per cent of
the total number of wage earn*
earners engaged in the indus
tries covered by the report of
I our investigation. The Morgan -
j First ation'a! Bank group alone
1 coiitro s corporations employing
785,499 wage earners. That this
cout.oi is effective is shown by
j the following telegram from J.
if■ i,Aorgan to E 1.. Cary*
' E. H. Cary, New York.
leave received your cable of
yesierday. My own view’s are in
| accordance with tnose of the rin
i ancial committee m New York.
! Certainly until question of wages
I has Peen settled Dy tue coal and
: railroads, whicn stul in anoy
ance cuL setUemeut stems im
minent. \\ lioie question - wages
j should be settled Simultaneously
j by all interests if pussible. Ooing
j Baris Wednesday, vv di see there
| id. C. J*'., P. A. i>. Vv., arid wili
I cable you resent o' m erview. If
j possible and meets yoiu approval
think better.wait until alter in
terview. Perfectly deiigntful
One of the most striking find
ings by the Commission,
concerns the existence of many
ty, ical industrial communities
that are declared.,to present eve
ry aspect of a state of feudalism
with employers. controlling the
social and political life and a
bridging the fundamental rights
of citizens.
Fathers Do Not
Support Family.
American society was founded
arid for a lonir period existed up
on the theory that the family
should derive its support from
the fatiier. As a matter of fact
less than one-fourth of the fa
thers could support their fami
lies on the barest necessities
without the earnings of other
menibe.s of the family.
The most striking evidence of
poverty is the proportion of pau
per burials, the re, ugnance of
all classes ef wage earners of a.1
races is such that heavy sacrifi
caBwili bemadfi ta amid
The wealth of the country be
tween 1890 and 1912 increased
from 65 to 187 billions, or 188
per cent, whereas the aggregate
income of wage earners has risen
between 1880 and 1909 only 95
per cent. In fact <n the case of
manufactures the wage earners
percentage decreased 4,7 per
cent in that period.
i
i
At Least One-Third
in Actual Poverty
It is evident from the investiga
tions of this commission. ?s well
as governmental reports, that at,
least one-third and possibly one
half the population are in actual
poverty.
\
Mortality Of
American Children
Babies whose father earn
| less than $10 a week die at the
1 rate of 256 out nf Avei-v loon the.
perform mdfe fhan a single
specific function and whose
funds exceed $100,000,90$;
should be compelled to se
cure a federal charter.
The charter, it is urged*
should Contain provisions lirri
iting the funds, definitely
and exactly specifying the
powers, providing rigid ins
pection of finance* providing
complete publicity and provi
ding that nd line of work
not specifically mentioned in
the articles ox incorporation
snail be entered upon unless
Congress is directly informed
of such intention.
Congress is further urged
to make provision for a tho
rough investigation of all en
dowed institutions both secu
lar and religious, whes£ prd
perty holdings or income ex;
ceeds a moderate amount;
The third recommenda
tion touching upon the work
of foundations is that Gov -
ernmental activity along thO
lines of education and social
service should be increased
as the only effective means
of counteracting the in
fluence of the foundations ae
tongas they are permitted td
exist.
Socialist Work
In Legis
Assemblyman Smith of Wis.
caused the defeat of a bill aimed
at labor which provided a qualf
hcation for membership bn thb
county board that a man must
be a property owner for t^b
years in the district from which
he was selected,
Support Your Pap8?
Your support can rnakb tYtfs p&
ajfcjjktLit mifhthc—a potf