Show ON THE President of Cornell Cornel Corel University Delivers Delvers Address A dress at Oma Omaha Omaha Omaha ha Corn Exposition GREAT AUDIENCE PRESENT CONDITIONS IN COUNTRY COUNTRY FROM FR M MALL ALL POINTS OF VIEW Omaha Nob Dee Dec 16 At the th Nation National Naton al Corn Com e Dr Jacob Gould Could Schurman president of Cornell Cor 1 university gave an address on Our OUI National Outlook The h immense con concert concert concert cert hall han of the he exposition building was vas as crowded crowde President Schurman said sald The great geat gret majority of ot problems which r today interest American Amerian voters voter are arc ire economic problems It I Is economic con problems which are transforming re recasting casting and recreating oUr o r political par parties parties ties teso And herein our history is but fol following following following lowing the course coure history If I we look over ove Europe Erpe says s ys Mr Bryce In his American Commonwealth we shall find that the grounds on which parties paries have been heen built buit and con contests contests tests test waged wage since the Beginning of free governments have he been b en In substance but b t few In the hostility of rich and poor or of capital and labor In the fears fers of the Haves and the uie desires desire of ot the we perceive the most frequent ground though it is often dis disguised guised In the States the situation is intensified the existence of by nce great gret and increasing inequalities of ot economic conditions It I is i this thia phenomenon which fosters socialism amongst us usand usand Usand and the socialistic spirit is far itar more more widely diffused than the number of voters voter for the socialistic ticket would indicate Many any minds are rendered susceptible to the allurements of J so socialism g by resentment at existing con contrasts contrasts between our very vel rich and our Very iery ver poor while that equality which Is iste the te foundation of the socialistic state has ha something In it akin to the sense nse of justice and fair fall treatment which Is the deepest element in the moral morl nature of man The Socialistic Remedy i While I sympathize with the social socialistic socialistic wit desire to improve the condition of our bur classes I have have no faith in the socialists panacea panacea That forced fored unjust and unnatural equality for which he stands would destroy destroy the genius energy and nd initiative of the th in individuals individuals to to t which the Dro resa eg of is in the last Jast analysis a due dp And nd the s supposition that e estate state would c man ts ge great gret Ild l enterprises a t u t ns n private th te Individuals is refuted refute every every day by o ex ec e p rJ r e find nd observation f v t of t Jl Iris th ni nin hir n r in which thich ih l all countries 13 to te by b th political bl tf leaders i deh ld liti who wh constitute govern government g r ment for the te time being Nevertheless I am profoundly eon con convinced Cn vinced that and serious a new s problem Is arising for us In consequence of or the Increasing Inequalities of economic conditions And I suppose no n one could deny that that the contrast between the rich richand and the th poor would conceivably reach a point at which there was ws no alternative but revolution That Th t is to say sy the number of ot people in the country coun with without without without out property might become so large and id wealth so concentrated that it would not seem sem to the te voters voter worth while to perpetuate a form for of government under which such guch uch inequalities had been de do developed developed and were being bIng maintained And we ive e must not for a moment lose sight of the fact that the right to hold private property and the right to be bequeath bequeath it it as well wel as a the existence of the republic Itself depend entirely on n the sentiments of the the voters of the country countr The majority must be ably satisfied with wih our institutions or our institutions will I be modified modUle to meet their views and sentiments The Maxim of f Equality E U I r have hae no faith fait in the socialistic scheme of state ownership of f capital and equal compensation for all al On the theother theother theother other hand I recognize the lesson of or history that inequalities of fortune when they have become very iery Conspicuous ous and firmly established under the 1 aegis of existing Institutions lead to I revolutions rev ret A reasonable re equality of ec economic c condition c seems to be the tho les leo lesson lesson son taught by the experience of the ancient Greek republics as a their history has been ben Interpreted for us by the pen penetrating penetrating analysis and profound reflections rell o tons of Aristotle There 15 is one wise and just j st observation of human ife which the te Greek Grek drama contributed to t tour our New Nen Testament That evil corn com communications corrupt good manners was wa a maxim maim of which Paul cited to enforce his exhortations to the Corinthians Everyone recognizes r the truth and Importance of this observation observation tion to There Ther is however another er max maxim maxIm maxIm im of which I sometimes wish had also become a part of the New Testament for it Is a no less l s just re reflection reflection on human life e and an nn Indis Indisputable indisputable of the political l lal ex cx experience x of ot the Greek Grek This Thin other maxim m of that profound Greek Grek observer who taught Us that thal evil evi com corn communications corrupt good manners mann rs Is 1 this Choose Chose equality and flee fee greed geo If I this maxim were generally accepted and to a measurable merble degree deg applied to th the business of life Ute we should not be b confronted with wih the grave re economic problem which modern modem Industrial con conditions cn are ar continually accentuating aC nl The Socializing Spirit Spirit ULet Let Lct us not not however hoey r be bp guilty of misapprehension or exaggerated alarm alar Socialism as I r have hae said sid is an Impossibility Individualism Is the only workable orkabie scheme of or society and tid 3 i when tempered with wih a proper social s rl It ItIs i Is 19 the justet scheme scheme The Th danger however which lies les near nCr it is of be be becoming coming antisocial and of jf r breeding rev revolution r revolution Its It safety lies Hes les in renewed r n hap bap baptisms bap of the social olal spirit And n that so su social socia cia cial spirit while admitting inequalities inel ties tes and even great et inequalities Jr yet exercises an influence in in the tiie direction of greater geter qualIty equality It I thus becomes the DurBer and ad of exist existing ing in Institutions The Th men who fight It It the men who contend for unlimited in inequality inequality equality as a the te natural correlate of the te free fre Individual are the tP doughtiest champions of revolution However sin sincere sincer sincere be they th r are cere they tey may may b woefully shortsighted If It I the majority of voters are to be b satisfied with wt existing institutions certain certin certaIn tain tin changes cage of ot a character which I might bry describe as a though not nol socialistic seem fem to je me ne in inevitable Inevitable evitable Socialistic schemes like gov government ownership and control of rail railways ml railways ways ay have haye little attraction at for Cor the th American people They ThC recognize recognise rigl that thatto to buy the te railroads tIa stats state or the th nation would need ne to t borrow bestow bo w large IgeE I sums 4 f money mone precisely pr ds as the t e present own owners owners ers era Issue stocks stok and boM bON to secure capitol capital and if the railroads are to earn larn money floney mane to pay the interest Int i st on m tle e loans to pay pa reasonable wages waL to t their and passengers and to carry cam they thc o t be managed on business The Th only manage question therefore Is whether h ther the th management of ot railways by the he state or by b Individuals as now flOW would bo be b the themore themore themore more successful And a all al experience x is isso isso so far ft In favor of individual manage management management management ment ment I do 0 not believe therefore theron that the assumption of beleve the railways ys liy hy the te business government would be a a safe venture And Ad I am absolutely sure it Jt would add nothing t o the convenience comfort and prosperity of the thi citizens And it would have ha the enormous dis disadvantage advantage of strengthening und iid d con consolidating consolidating the power powei of ot o the federal soy gov government gO and of undermining good old American theory teor that the less le covern rent people have the better e ter Public arid and ard Private Reforms I see se therefore no hope or advantage advantage tage to the community in government of ot railroads This branch of socialism like socialism asa as a Irl seems to me utterly o unfruitful arid and a l even evel injurious but I reseat repeat that since we weare weare weare are Inevitably wedded to an Individual Individualistic system of government and since history shows that th t such governments purge themselves by b revolutions when the contrast between what Mr lr Bryce calls has cals Haves and the Ha become so vast that it Is no longer tol tolerable to erable erble it I is the part of Jf and prudent statesmanship to anticipate the tha th tendency of events and ad pt such tuch sal salutary al i measures as may correct l the evils tvis before the revolutionists knife is needed to eradicate erdi ate tham Nor is it I wholly or 0 perhaps even mainly a matter of statesmanship The Tho first frt requisite is the enlightenment of public opinion opinion And when action acton is IsCle called Cle for It I will wi that in ina InI ina a I community which has ha Informed Itself and a d reflected upon these thee problems more can cn be done for their solution by b the th wise action of ot private individuals than by all al the efforts effort of government though I am far from saying or believing there Is nothing which government can do in the premises Progress of Working Men When hen we w speak of the th contrast be between between between tween the rich and the por we have in mind at the latter extreme e the wage earners who own no property and whose livelihood depends depend on their daily daly earn earnings earnings earnings ings which though generally assured are sometimes precarious I am not say sayIng sayIng saying Ing that this class ca of ot our citizens Is not better off today than It has ever been ben In hi Inthe hithe inthe the past pat On the contrary I 1 believe belee it itis I itis is Certainly Karl Marxs predictions In regard to the effect which capital capita and machinery machiner were to produce on the labor laboring laborIng ing classes cases have been falsified by the events Not only have their wages been increased but the hours hour of labor have hare been leen reduced and the sanitary and other conditions greatly greaty improved Let a con concrete concrete concrete crete example give you OU the measure of the Improvement Improvement I have just been read reading readIng reading ing the Memories of ot the Rev RIo Robert Collyer Colber who has rendered high service serice tn to our ni ac n o nhA nf of rp ligion i i for f a great reat many i years s Mr r Coil Coll Collyer IJ yer cr wad IM WI ih iii Ii ge iH in H 23 nad at al ater atS S er df age uge with mahy a y i more rl chIldren t of abitt th thi saitie 8 le ages he M waa a put pUt id to In n a 1 t factory for fot thirteen hours a aua a aday aday day ua five dve days d s In the for week and eJ eleven elev fouts n on on Saturday From 6 hi In i the the th morning till ti 8 S It In Iii thi with itt only O ly ah iti hour for dinner r 1111 an rest res r sL he h stood st at at a spinning frame fr me and atul did his Work TI THe rile weaker f Jn lie He says were sd nd st tH pled that the memory of 01 their crooked limbs still casts for lor him a a sinister light on the Scripture text The Lord regarded not the legs of man What hat remarkable Im Improvement Improvement improvement provement Mr Collyer C lyer ha has seen in the condition con of during the sev se years since a boy of 8 S years ear of age he lie went to tp work in that York Yorkshire YorkshIre Yorkshire shire cotton coton factory factor Profit Sharing by U S Steel Co But while I gladly emphasize tile the im improvement provement which has been effected it is ismy ism ismy my m opinion that there should be b a higher goal goat for the future The magic of ot prop property property erty must somehow touch these classes classe There must mut be not merely they the must also have a stake in the community The govern government gover ment Blent however is powerless to realize that end for the government merely spends money It I done does do l not create creatE On the other hand hand this problem does not seem sem to fo me beyond the possibility of or solution at the hands of the great geat corporations of our time And I rejoice to say that a a hope hopeful hopeful hopeful ful beginning has already alread been ben made The he greatest and I suppose the te of all al our corporations has adopted the sagacious policy of making Its workmen stockholders stockholder It I may ma have been Influenced Influenced In part perhaps In large part part by for personal interest of of officers 0 and es in the work of ot an establishment Is the best sub substitute sub for individual ownership and con control control control which the modern modem corporation has eliminated But Bub if 11 the steel company was moved by a motive it is likely also that It 1 was influenced by some consideration of the welfare of ot the themen te temen themen men There Is 16 no n need nee of supposing that business men are absolutely heartless and egoistic even in the te pursuit puri of ot profits It ItIs I itis Is not necessary however for fOI me to an analyze anal analyze al e the motives of the steel corpora corporation corporation tion ton and to determine how much weight should be given either to egoism or to altruism when the scheme of profit sharing shang was adopted Whatever the mo motives mo tires tives te the workmen may mao now nw become own owners Owner ers era er of ot stock stok And In the year ve t 1908 19 two and anda a halt half million dollars dolar worth w rh of additional stock was ws by the te company to its workmen wa and nil all al taken while 20 more of the p have applied apple for shares which are to be provided provide Altogether nearly nealy workmen are now share shareholders shareholder holders holder in the te steel company And they te will wi have hae all al the te rights right and privileges of ot shareholders who are of ol course cure the own owners ow owners ers er of ol the thc concern That is i to say they will wl get their proportionate share of the te profits and have hae a 1 right to vote with other for the choice of di dl directors director rectors rector and all al other matters mater on which Shareholders shar may care to 10 express them themselves selves s l so Nor Is this the te whole story An Another Another Another other feature of this scheme adopted by bythe bythe bythe the steel company compan Is peculiarly satisfying Other shareholders shareholder are In a position to o face losses losse But the thc Is not for his wages are needed for the daily dan danbrea bread brea of ot himself and his family To meet met this situation the steel stel company guam guaran tees tee the workman against Joss JoS on his hII shares He Is therefore ln tnt the te happy condition con of receiving dividends when the te company pays pa a dividend and of ot losing nothing when other oth r shareholders shareholder suffer sutter loss Just as the |