responsibility for the titanic disaster, article, 4 may 1912

8/3/2019 Responsibility for the Titanic disaster, article, 4 may 1912

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iT H E L IT E R A R Y D I G E S T .PUBLIC OPINION (New York) combined with T H E LITERARY DIGEST

PublUhed by Funk &Wagnalls Company (Adam W . W a g n a l l s , P r e s . ; B e n j . F . Funk, V i c e - P t e s . ; Robert J . C u d d i h y . T r e a s . ; Robert S c o l l, S e c ' y ) , 4 4 - 6 0 E . 2 3 d S t . , N e w York

V O L . X L I V . , N O . 18 N E W YORK, M A Y 4 , 1 9 12 W H O L E N U M B E R 1 15 0

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE "TITANIC" DISASTERWH I L E a c e r t a i n e l e m e n t of m y s t e r y m u s t a l w a y ss h r o u d t h e l o s s o f t h e Titanic, w h i l e c e r t a i n f a c t sa r e know n on l y t o t he de a d c a p t a i n a nd f i r s t o f f i c e r ,a n d w h i l e o t h e r s a r e h i d d e n f o r e v e r i n h e r r e n t h u l l t w o t h o u s a n df a t h o m s d e e p , m u c h a l s o i s b e i n g c l e a re d u p b y p a t i e n t a n dt h o r o u g h i n v e s t i g a t i o n , a n d t h e p r e s s a r e s i f t i n g t h e s e f a c t sa n d p l a c i n g t h e b l a m e . T h e w o r l d w a n t s t o k n o w w h e r e t op u t t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ; i t w o u l d h a v ef a l s e r u m o r s c o r r e c t e d , i t w o u l d h a v e a l lt o l d t h a t w o u l d h e l p t o m a k e o c e a nt r a v e l s a f e r h e n c e f o r t h . S o a c o m m i t t e eo f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s S e n a t e i s h e a r i n gt e s t i mony f r om s u r v i vo r s a nd o f f i c i a l s o ft h e W h i t e S t a r L i n e a n d a s i m i l a r i n q u i r yi s t o b e i n s t i t u t e d b y t h e B r i t i s h G o v e r n m e n t . A s t h e pa s s e ng e r s , o f fi c er s , a n dm e m b e r s o f t h e c r e w t e l l t h e i r s u c c e s s i v es t o r i e s , a n d a n s w e r t h e s e a r c h i n g q u e s t i o n s o f t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r s , t h e h o r r o r o ft h e Titanic's s i n k i n g , i t i s r e m a r k e d ,o n l y i n c r e a s e s , " w h i l e t h e n e e d l e s s l o s so f l i f e b e c o m e s m o r e a n d m o r e o b v i o u s . "

B a c k o f t he h i gh s pe e d i n a n i c e -i n f e s t e d s e a , a nd ba c k o f t he l a c k o f l i f e b o a t s , t h e r e w a s a n o t h e r r e a s o n , w h i c h i sd a i l y b e c o m i n g m o r e a p p a r e n t t o t h ep r e s s , a n d w h i c h t o t h e N e w Y o r k Trib-un e i s t h e o n l y t h e o r y u p o n w h i c h t h ev a r i o u s e l e m e n t s o f t h e d i s a s t e r a r ee x p l i c a b l e . T h i s i s , t h a t p a s s e n g e r s ,p r o p r i e t o r s , a n d o f f i c e r s a l i k e " w e r e o b s e s s e d w i t h t h e i n f a t u a t i o n t h a t t h e s h i pw a s u n s i n k a b l e . " T h e s a f e t y o f t h em o d e r n a l l - s t e e l l i n e r , w i t h h e r w a t e r t i g h t c o m p a r t m e n t s , h a d k e p t t h e B r i t i s hB o a r d o f T r a d e c o n t e n t w i t h a n i n a d e q u a t e l i fe - s av i n g r e q u i r e m e n t . T h e o w n e r s o f t he Titanic h a d b e e n c o n t e n t w i t h c o m p l y i n g w i t h t h e l a w ,t h o i t m e a n t r e f uge f o r l e s s t h a n ha l f o f t ho s e on boa r d . B e c a us e ,a s C a p t a i n R o s t r o m o f t h e Carpathia c r i s p l y p u t s i t , " t h eTitanic w a s s u p p o s e d t o b e a l i f e - b o a t herself." A n d t h e a l l e g e dl a c k o f v i g i l a n c e be f o r e t he c o l l i s i on , t h e f a i l u r e t o f il l t he l i f e b o a t s t o t h e i r c a p a c i t y , t h e h o l d i n g b a c k t h e n e w s o f t h e s h i p ' s

Copyrighted by Undei-wood & Underwood, New York.M E . JOSEPH BBTJCE I S M A Y ,President of the International MercantileMa rine Comp any, testifying before the committee of Investigation. He declares thewreck of the Titanic has taug ht him a lesson.

l o s s a l l a r e a s c r i be d t o t h i s pe r s i s t e n t a nd f a t a l bel i e f t h a t s hew a s " u n s i n k a b l e . " A s The Army and N.avy Journal ( N e wY o r k ) r e m a r k s : " O u t o f t h e f a b r ic of i t s d e l u s i o n a n d h o p e t h ep u b l i e c r e a t e d t h e ' u n s i n k a b l e b o a t ' a n d c o n f i d e d i t s e l f b l i n d l yt o i t i n s p i t e o f w a r n i n g s t h a t e v e n a c h i l d m i g h t h a v e l i s t e n e dt o . "

B u t p eo p l e a r e n o t c o n t e n t ^ t h k n o w i n g what i s r e s p o n s i b l e. " R e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s p e r s o n a l , " w ea r e r e m i n d e d , a n d t h e q u e s t i o n i s ," W h o ? " A n d t w o p e r s o n s a r e n a m e d :C a p t a i n S m i t h a n d J . B r u c e I s m a y .T h e c a p t a i n w e n t d o w n w i t h h i s s h i p , a n dm a n y a r e i n c l i n e d t o c o v e r h i m w i t h t h em a n t l e o f c h a r i t y a n d r e m e m b e r o n l y h i sh e r o i c e n d . B u t t h e A l b a n y Journala n d t h e N e w Y o r k Times a r e a m o n gt h e p a p e r s w h i c h c a n n o t a b s o l v e C a p t a i nS m i t h f r o m b l a m e . S a y s The Times:

" I c e w a s i n p l a i n s i gh t , f loa ti ng i c ea n d b e r g s . N o t o n l y t h a t , b u t C a p t a i nS m i t h h a d r e c e i v e d b y w i r e l e s s m e s s a g e sa t le a s t t h r e e w a r n i n g s t h a t i c e b e r g sw e r e i n h i s p a t h f r o m t h e Touraine, f r omt h e Ameriha, a n d f r o m t h e Mesaba. H eh a d a c k n o w l e d g e d w i t h t h a n k s t h eMesaba's w a r n i n g t h a t d e a d a h e a d o fh i m l a y ' m u c h h e a v y - p a c k e d i c e a n dg r e a t n u m b e r s o f b e r g s . ' Y e t s t r a i g h ti n t o t h e j a w s o f d e s t r u c t i o n h e s t e a m e da t h i g h s pe e d ; ." T h e c o m p a n y i s b y n o m e a n s t o b ea b s o l v e d . U n d o u b t e d l y t h e C a p t a i n w a sa w a r e of a d e s ir e o n t h e c o m p a n y ' s p a r tf o r a q u i c k v o y a g e . I t w o u l d p l e a s e t h ep a s s e n g e r s a n d b r i n g t r a d e t o t h e li n e .B u t n o o rd e r s f r o m t h e c o m p a n y c o m p e l ,a n d i t s d e s i r e s s h o u l d n o t p e r s u a d e , ac a p t a i n t o s t e a m t h r ough a f i e l d o f i c e b e r g s a t 2 1 k n o t s a n h o u r . T h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t he w r e c k r e s t s upon t heC a p t a i n d i r e c t l y , a n d s e c o n d a r i l y u p o n t h e o w n e r s . "itanic's

T h o The Times g i v e s t h e W h i t e S t a r L i n e , o r t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a lM e r c a n t i l e M a r i n e C o m p a n y w h i c h c o n tr o l s i t , a s e c o n d a r yr e s po ns i b i l i t y , mo s t of i t s c on t e m por a r i e s a s s i gn i t t he f ir st ,a n d s o m e t h e o n l y , p l a c e a m o n g t h e g u i l t y . C a p t a i n R o s t r o m ,

TERMS: $3 a year, in advance; four months, SI; single copy, 10 cents;postage to Canada 85 cents a year , other foreign postage $1.50 a year .RECEIPT of paym ent is shown in abou t two weeks by date on address label;subscription including the m onth named. Instruction s for RENEWAL,DISCONTINUANCE, or CHANGE OF ADDRESS should be sen t two weeksbefore the d ate they are to go into effect. Both old and new addresses mu stalways be given. DISCONTINUANCE: We find tha t m any of our subscribers prefer not to have their subscriptions Interrupted and their f l iesbroken in case they fail to remit before expiration. Nevertheless, i t Is not

assumed tha t continuous service is desired, but sub scribers are expected tonotify us with reasonable promptness to stop if the paper is no longerrequ ired. PRESENTATION COPIES: M an y persons subscrib e for friends,intending th at th e paper shall stop at the end of the year . If instructionsare given to this effect, they will receive attention at the proper t ime.Publ i shed weekly by Funk & Wagnal l s Company, 44-60 East Twenty-third Street, New York, and Salisbury Square, London, E. C.

Entered at ' the N ew York Post-offlce as Second-class M atte r .


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9 1 8 T H E L I T E R A R Y D I G E S T May 4, 1912

II

they recal l , admit ted when quest ioned, that under the law acaptain 's control over his ship is absolute, and then he added:

"But suppose we get orders f rom the owners of our ship to doa cer tain thing. I f we do not execute that order , we are l iableto dismissal ."Captains are supposed to use supreme care, but the Spr ingf ield

Republican observes that "they are also supposed to br ing intheir boats wi th speed and regular i ty or give place to a morec o m p e t e n t m a n " "Under this pressure, fel t i f not admit ted, a commandermust of ten be obl iged to take r isks not less real because intangible. . . . Speed in itself, tho expensive, i s safe enough; wha tis extremely dangerousis the demand for speedcombined with a highdegree of regula r i ty. Acapta in ought t o be absolutely free, in fact aswell as in theory, to usehis best judgment , evenif a four-d ay crossingshould be st retched outto a for tnight ."Special reasons fordesi r ing a quick and

splendid run on theTitanic's maiden t r i pare found by this dai lyin the compa ny's f inancial condi t ion. Inter na t ional Mercant i l eMar ine bonds , no t esThe Republican, " h a v epaid interest charges,but i nves tor s i n t hecompany 's pr ef er r edand common shareshave never had a d iv i dend." The commonstock sold as low as 5,par value 100, and thepreferred at 26 beforeth e Titanic disaster .Reorganizat ion is saidto be imminent . Th eWall Street Journal conf irms these statem ents , remarkin g up ona mov eme nt to st imu late spec ulat ion in the stock; " and par tof the plan of campaign was al leged to be a movement to interest the publ ic on the successful ma iden t r ip of the Titanic.Obviously, such plans m iscarr ied ."The cr i t icisms of J. Bruce Ismay, responsible head of theWhite Star Line and the company owning i t , for saving hisown l i fe, have been st i l led somewhat by sworn test imony just i fying his act ; bu t there is st il l an incl inat ion to make hima scapegoat . Sena tor Smith's insistence on keeping him inthis country to give test imony with regard to the disaster i sone of the mat ters to cal l for th caust ic comment f rom theBri t ish press on the conduct of the Senator ial invest igat ion.The Hear s t paper s , t he Phi l adelphia North American, and o therjournals see in his presence on the Titanic proof of his authoritythere .

At least , thinks the Bal t imore News, his -word would ha veweight wi th the ca ptain , who told him of one of the icebergwarnings . So tha t The News finds it "difficult to believe thatone word of caut ion f rom Mr. Ismay to the ef fect that theTitanic would bet ter come into New York behind schedule t imethan to hi t an iceberg would not have been taken even by themost autocrat ic captain as a hint not to be disregard ed." Bu tother papers are beginning to agree wi th the LouisvUle Courier-

C o p y r i g h t e d b y Un d e r wu o d & XJ n d er wo u d , Kc w Yu r k .T W O L I T T L E W A I F S F R O M T H E " T I T A N I C . "

"L ol o" and "M din o," who were placed in a life-boat by a man who stayed on th eship. A Mme. Na,vratil , of Nice, France, is coming to claim them as hers. Ma nyoffers of adoption have come to iliss Margaret Hays, who has been caring for them.

Journal tha t something is to be said for him. Mr. I sm ay 'sown statem ent is at least clear and consistent . He says in par t :"When I went on board the Titanic at Southampton onApri l 10 i t was my intent ion to return by her . I had no intent ion of remaining in the Uni ted States at that t ime. I camemerely to observe the new vessel , as I had done in the case ofother vessels of our lines."During the voyage I was a passenger , and exercised nogreater r ights or pr ivi leges than any othe r passenger . I was notconsul ted by the commander about the ship, her coiu*se, herspeed, navigat ion, or her cond uct at sea. Al l these mat ters w ereunder the exclusive control of the captain."I saw Captain Smith only casual ly, as other passengers did.. . . I was never consul ted by Capta in Smi th nor by any o therperson; nor did I evermake any suggest ionswhat soever t o any human being about t hecourse of the ship."The only i nformation I ever received onthe ship that othervessels had sighted icewas by a wireless message received from theBaltic"If the informat ion Ireceived had arousedany apprehension in my

mindwhich i t d id notI should not hav eventured to make anysuggest ion to a commander of Capta inSm ith's exper ience. Theresponsibility for thenavigat ion of the shiprested solely wi th him ."' ' E veryb ody iearn sby exper i ence ," observes Mr. Ismay, andhe bel ieves that in this

cr isis the steamship-owners of the worldhave l earned " th a t t oomuch reliance ha s beenplaced on water- t ightcomp ar tment s and onwireless telegraphy, andtha t th ey m ust equip every vessel wi th l i fe-boats a nd raf tssufficient to pro vide for every soul on bo ard , and sufficient mento handle t hem ." They have l earned , t oo , t ha t " th ere ar e a tpresent no such things as unsin kable ships ." As a f irst resul t

of this lesson Mr . Ism ay h as ordered tha t al l ships belongingto t he In t ernat ional Mercant i l e M ar ine C ompa ny shall befully equipped with l i fe-boats. In annou ncing this decision hesays :' ' I am candid to adm it tha t unt i l I had had ac tual exper iencein a wreck I never fuUy real ized the inadequacy of the rulesof our and other lines with reference to the preservation of lifein case of an accident in mid-ocean. I had gone along l ike the

rest of the steamship men on the theory that our ships wereunsinkable ." I determ ined to do this i rrespect ive of any presen t or futurelaws on the subject , ei ther in this coun try, in England, or H ol land,or any other foreign countr ies touched by the l ines of the Internat ion al Merc ant i le Ma rine Com pany. I am going to see to i tthat not only every passenger , but every member of the ereivon any ship of the White Star , the American, and al l other l inesof the Internat ional Mercant i le Marine shal l in the future beas safe as possible in case of another accident."W e are not wai t ing to merely comply with the law. We aregoing to disregard technical i t ies and give the most ample andcomplete protect ion to human l i fe, i r respect ive of al l legalrequirem ents. In the future there wi ll never ar ise a condi t ionin which the re is not room for everybo dy in the l ife-boats or on


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May 4, 1912 T H E L I T E K A K Y D I G E S T 9 1 9

C o p y r ig h t -e d b y U n d e r w o o d & U n d e r w o o d , N e w Y o r k .O N E O F T H E " T I T A N I O ' S " L I F E - B O A T S A P P R O A C H I N G T H E " C A E P A T H I A , " B A R E L Y H A L F F U L L .

t te unsinkable pneumatic l i fe-raf ts , that are not even capableof being upset in rough weather ."Similar act ion has been taken by other s teamship l ines , sothat t he New York Sun thinks i t "safe to say that never before

in the his tory of the mercant i le marine of any nat ion have l i fe-saving appl iances aboard shipbeen brought t o thei r maxi mum efficiency so quickly ashas been done by al l nat ionss ince the Titanic disas tertau gh t i ts t ragic lesson." Immed iately after th e fi rs t rep or tof the acciden t to the Titanict he s t eamship companies conferred with the Un ited StatesHy drog raph ic Office and al lcaptains were ins t ructed tot ake a new/ southern route ,which is intend ed to b r ingthem ma ny miles south of th eiceberg zone, tho adding 200miles to the westbound course.Moreover , notes The Sun, th eships "a re going out equippedwith more l i fe-boats than everbefore, and these boats areready for service."

A r emarkable ins t ance of t heeffect of the Titanic's loss wasthe mutiny of the crew of hers is ter ship, the Olympic, becau se of the firemen's distrus tof the col lapsible boa ts furni shed to complete her equipment , causing the scheduledt r ip f rom Sou tham pton to NewYork to be aba ndo ned las t week. In add i t ion to the s teps takenby the shipping companies , Great Bri tain, the Uni ted States ,and other mari t ime Powers , we read, wi l l make their respect iveregulat ions more s t r ict and wil l enforce more careful inspect ion.

C o p y r i g l l t e d b y U n d e r w o o d & U n d e r w o o d , N e w T o r lc .T W O W I D O W S A N D T H E I R C H I L D R E N .

Steerage surviYors who "will find the relief fund a godsend.

An interna t ional conference which will recomm end uniformlegis lat ion on the problem of insur ing safety of s teamers , an don s imilar mat ters , i s to be held in the near future.

While i t i s universal ly acknowledged tha t one v aluab lelesson taught by the Titanic disaster is the priceless worth ofwireless communicat ion at sea,it is no less gene rally felt t ha tthe wireless sys tem "has fal lenshort of its possibilities fromlack, of sys tematized organiza t ion and coop erat ion," as theBal t imore Sun put s i t , " in connect ion with the rec ent disast er . " T rue , t he Carpathiaheard the call of distress, bu tonly because the s ingle opera tor had by chance pos tponedhis usual hour of ret i rement .Another ship which might havecome up in t ime to save aU thepassengers failed to receivethe call from the Titanic b e cause the operator was as leep.Hence there is a s t rong demand for some regulat ion providing for wireless outfits onfreight as well as passengers t eamers, and r equi r ing tha tevery passenger-boat carry twooperators . The n, too, the confusion regarding th e m essagesfrom, the Carpathia, other ves sels, and s tat ions on shore,accusat ions of holding upmessages and of refusals ofoperators on r ival l ines to communicate cour teously with each other br ing for th such indignant

edi tor ial comment as this in the New York World:"One r eform made mandatory by the Titanic disas ter is theimmediate sys tematizat ion of wireless communicat ion at sea


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920 T H E L I T E R A R Y D I G E S T May 4, 1912and its regulatio n in the public interest. . . . Out of th e reve lation of lax and chaotic methods of wireless communication onthe ocean should come a reform which mus t secure its stricterregulation for the public benefit under international agreementsproviding for its more responsible control."

Meanwhile the Senate 's committee is carrying on a thoroughinvestig ation. It is composed of Senato rs Smith, of Michigan,Cha irm an; Perk ins, of California; Bourne, of Oregon; Burton ,of Ohio; Fletch er, of Florida ; Simmo ns, of No rth Carolina; an dNewlands, of Nevada. The purpose of the inquiry, accordingto Senator Smith, "is to get all facts bearing upon this unfortuna te catastrophe which we are able to obtain ." The detentionof Mr. Ismay, and of&cers and members of the crew of theTitanic, which has been criticized in England, is thus explainedby Senator Smith: " I t has been our plan from the beginningto first obtain the testimony of citizens or subjects of GreatBritain temporarily in this country, and this course wiU bepursued until the committee concludes it has obtained allaccessible and useful information to a proper understandingof this disaster."

Mem bers of the comm ittee, in part icular Mr. Smith, arecriticized because of an apparent unfamiliarity with thingsafloat. The British press sneer at them and express surprizethat the Senate did not leave such things to a committee ofexperts. Some of this ha rsh criticism our press find to bedeserved. The Springfield Republican's Washington correspondent admits tha t the invest igat ion is ludicrous, and tha t the chairman of the committee, in part icular , shows "remarkable persistence and fertility in asking puerile ques tions ." Th e Senat e's"hasty act ion" in s tar t ing the invest igat ion, which began themorning after the Carpathia reached New York, has been condemned by the English press and by speakers in the House ofCommons . Bu t our papers p ra ise such "p ro mp t i tud e" andit wil l , thinks the New York American, spur " the English themselves to quicker and more resolute action than they otherwisewould have been l ikely to take."The further assert ion that the United States Senate has noright to conduct such an inquiry, the disaster having occurredon a British ship on the high seas, is thus answered by theNew York Tribune:" T h e Titanic inquest is being held here because, as one of themembers of Parl iament suggested yesterday, many Americancitizens lost their lives in th e disaster. .' . . No r can therehe any valid denial of the righ t of this Gov ernm ent to investi gate the equip men t a nd co nduc t of foreign ships which

seek the use of its ports and the patronage of its citizens, andin so doing to ask questions of any of the ahen owners andof&cers of those ships whom it may happen to find within itsjurisdiction.".

HOW THE STEEL TRUSTVTREATS LABORTHE S TEE L TRU ST i s " l iv ingove r a vo lcano ," dec la redSamuel Gompers before the recent annual meeting of theAmerican Ac adem y of Political and Social Science; andhe went on to predict that the policy of employing ignorantforeigners at low wages would result in disturbances whichneither labor-orga nizations nor com bination s of corp orationscould control . At about the same t ime the Senate Com mitteeon Labor and Education, report ing on the proposed eight-hourlaw for Government Qbntract labor, denounced labor conditionsin the plants of the United States Steel Corporat ion as "abrutal system of industr ial s lavery," and declared that " i t isjust as much the Governm ent ' s du ty to protect ci t izens from suchoutrageous treatm ent as from the burglar and the highw ayma n."We now get ftu-ther light on this subject from the report of aninvestigating committee composed of Steel Corporation stockholders . This comm ittee, appointed in response to the demandsof Charles M. Cabot , a small s tockholder , considered the matterunder fom: hea ds "the seven-day week," " t he twelve-hourday," " the speeding up of workmen," and "the repression ofthe men." These were four of the counts in John' A. F i tch 'sindictment of the Steel Trust in the "Pit tsburg Survey"thedocument which moved Mr. Cabot to demand an invest igat ion.Other charges were that the low wages paid by the Trust forcedits laborers to l ive under unsa nitary and degrading condit ions, andtha t advan tage was taken of the ignorance of injured employees to harry them into accepting inadequate cash set t lements .

The stockholders' committee confesses that in some of theplants the men still work seven days a week, and that of 175,715laborers whose records were examined, more than a quarter areworking 12 hours a day . Bu t these inves tigato rs failed to findevidence of "speeding up," or of any hardship result ing from"repression." They declare the seven-day week to be "de tr imental to those engaged in i t ," and "are s trongly of the opinionthat, no matter what alleged difficulties of operation seem tohinder the abandonment of the seven-day week, they mustb e m e t . "

And in deprecation of the 12-hour day they report"

T H E S T E A M S H I P - O W N E E G A M B L ED W I T H D E A T H ,But Death held the cards.Barclay in the Baltimore Sun.L O S I N G H A N D S ,

T H E M O V I N G F I N G E B W H I T E S , A N D , H A V I N G W R I T , M O V E S O N .Ireland in the Columbus Dispatch.


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May 4, 1912 T H E L I T E R A R Y D I G E S T 921

"I I^:^MAI

T H E E T E R N A L O O L M S I O N .Macauley in the New York World. THE HELMSMAN.-Johnson in the Philadelphia North American.T H E P A C E T H A T K I L L S .

,"The actual physical labor involved in many of the posi t ionsis to-day much less than in former years, this being especiallytrue of the open-hearth and blast furnaces, where the intermittent character of the work is such that there is less callfor actual expenditure of physical energy than in many of the8- and lO-hour posi t ions. Notw ithstand ing this fact , we are ofthe opinion that a 12-hour day of labor, followed continuouslyby any group of men for any considerable number of years,means a decrease of the efficiency and lessening of the virilityof such men . The ques tion should be considered from a socialas well as physical point of view."When i t is remembered that the twelve hours a day to thema n in the miU mean s approximately thir teen hours awayfrom his home and family, not for one day, but for all working-days , it leaves but scant time for self-improvement, for companionship with a family, or for recreation or leisure."As to the "speeding of the workmen," they suggest that this

is confused in the minds of the critics with the pieoe-work andbonus system, which is "of advantage both to employer andemp loyee ." Th ey confess themselve s in doubt as to wh at ismeant by "the charge of repression of the men," and state thatthe Corporat ion "has made efhciency the one s tandard bywli ieh continuance of employment in i ts plants is determined."They repudiate the idea that antagonism to labor-organizat ionsconst i tutes repression, and go on to say:"As a committee of stockholders, we do not believe the finalsolut ion of the problems involved in this quest ion has beenreached. We do bel ieve the present method s are preferableto the old for all concerned, and that the Steel Corporation,in view of the practises often pursued by labor-organizationsin steel-mills in past years, is justified in the position it hastaken ."That the method of employment of to-day must prove to be

the best for the future is a quest ion on which there may wellbe a diiference of opinion. The intere sts of society and th ecommunity at large wil l not best be served by that type ofmind, whether it be employer or employee, which bases action onthe assumption that might makes r ight . On the contrary,the adjustment of the relat ions between employer and employeeis a task for men of sound minds, reciprocal natures, broadsympathies and courage, men who bel ieve that the future maybe mad e bet ter tha n the present . Ma y i t not be reasonab ly,hoped that such men, whether they be officials or wage-earners,may more and more be found working together to bring forwardthe day when employer and employee shal l enter into a commonadministrat ion of industr ial interests? ' 'This report was submitted at the annual meeting of the

stockholders . At the same t ime Chairm an E. H. Gary repo rtedthat a circular le t ter , " to which was at tached a copy of Mr.Cabot's article," was sent to 15,000 stockholders, of whomonly abo ut 90 replied. Of those replying, "22 per cent., forvarious reasons, would l ike to see a reduction in the hoursof labor," and "a small percentage desire a reduction in thehour s of labor even at the expense of divi den ds." Thes e, saidMr. Gary, "are general ly women and clergymen."Evidently "there are some impract ical persons holding sharesof the United States Steel Corporat ion," is the surprized comment of the Milwaukee Leader (Socialist), which adds ironically:"W ha t else could be expected from women an d clergymenwh at do they know abou t business? If men prefer to work12 hours a day an d seven days a week, why should th e s tockholders concern themselves, especially when dividends aresatisfactory? The workers are freetheir right of con trac tis guaranteed to them by the Consti tut ion and the SupremeCourt . They may also need the money. I t would be cruel toprevent them from working when their families may needevery cen t that th ey can earn. And besides, if the day 's workshould be shortened, they might waste their earnings in idlenessand dissipat ion."In the face of the admission that the twelve-hour day and theseven-day week are still enforced, remarks the New York World,"the mealy-mouthed philanthropy of the committee 's report isoffensive." And it goes on to say:"To talk of the actual physical labor being less than informer years , and mechanical improvem ents having cut down theexhausting drudgery, in no way excuses the present killing systemunder which the men work. An industry th at fosters suchconditions, with or without the approval of its stockholders,

is a cr ime against hum anity. If earnings and dividends arethe sole standard of how men in the mills should be treated,then twelve hours a day may be too short a shift, and fourteenor sixteen hours nearer right"No matter how firmly entrenched, the twelve-hour-dayschedule must be changed. Wh at other employers may docan not reheve the Steel Trust of responsibility for its ownman-k illing system. It is the worst offender becau se it work sthe most men. Other employers, too, must mend their policy."Referr ing to Judge Gary 's remark, "Personally I am notcertain th at twelve hours is a bad thing for the emp loyees ,"the Buffalo Express says:."As a general proposition, the value of a shorter work-day


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T H E L I T E K A K Y D I G E S T May 4, 1912depends on the way the individual uses his extra time, eliminating , of course, a considera tion of efficiency. M r. G ary 'sfurther argument that the highest off icers in the corporat ionfrequently worisied twelve and more hours a day is withoutforce, as they form an entirely different class of workers. The yare well supplied with this world's goods and can have everycomfort which raoney can buy. The y are not working for a bareliving, but, on the contrary, there probably is not one of themwho could not quit work to-day and l ive comfortably for theremainder of his life."

The same paper, however, thinks that there is "abundantevidence" that the United States Steel Corporation "is improv ing the condition s of labor in its mills ." And in the NewYork Journal of Comm erce we read:

"The fact is that the Steel Trust has managed to avoid agreat deal of labor trouble by seeking to establish amicablerelations with its own employees and make them satisfied, andrefusing to treat with an organization controlled outside of itsown employm ent. The evidence appears to be that this hasproved be tter for the men as well as the companies. For someyears there has been less indication of discontent among workmen in the steel industry than any other, and efforts at disturbance hav e come from* the out side ."

PRESIDENT TAFT'S DENUNCIATION OFMR. ROOSEVELTA DR AM AT IC CH AP TE R in the remarkab le s to ry of theTaft-Roosevelt fr iendship and estrangement began last^ week when the President broke his long silence underthe Colonel ' s at tacks and replied with a scathing denunciat ionwhich the Springfield Republican (Ind.) believes destined tobecom e historic. ' ' To any patriotic America n the occasion whichbrings out these damning charges, made by a President of theUnited States against an ex-President , must seem to be oneof the most deplorable in the history of our politics," remarksthe New York Times (Ind. Dem .); and the President himselfat one t ime interru pted his denunciat ion of "on e whom in thepast I have greatly admired and loved," to exclaim: "T hiswrenches my sou l!" He was forced to this painful course, heexplains in his Boston speech, because " I represent a cau se"and this cause was menaced "by the unjust , unfounded chargesagainst me and by the adroit appeals to discontent and classhatred that Mr. Roosevelt is now making to the public."Altho posing as the apostle of the square deal, says Mr. Taft,the Colonel has "garbled and misrepresented" the President ' slanguage, and has indulged in "loose and vague indictment,"thereby "clouding the real and cri t ical issues" and "misleadinga great man y good and patr iot ic people. ' ' Among other instancesof a departure from the policy of the square deal the Presidentcites Colonel Roosevelt 's charge that his successor is "in leaguewith the bosses," his linking of Taft with Lorimer in the Illinoiscampaign, his change of front on Canadian reciprocity, his"false charges of fraud in conventions and primaries," hischarge of the misuse of patronage, his denunciation of antitrust suits which Mr. Roosevelt himself instituted, and hischarge that the President s tands for "so-called interests andspecial privilege."As an example of Colonel Roosevelt 's garbling of his wordsand misrepresentat ion of his meaning. President Taft ci tes thefollowing sentences from the Colonel's Carnegie Hall speech:"M r. T aft fairly defines the issue when he says th at our Gove rnment is and should be a government of al l the people by arepre senta tive pa rt of the people. This is an excellent andmod erate descript ion of an ol igarchy." The President goes onto explain:"The excerpt which Mr. Roosevelt uses is taken from myspeech at Toledo. It is garbled . I did not say this ' should be 'a government of al l the people by a representat ive part of thepeople. I said ' i t is thus appare nt tha t ours is a government

of all the people by a representative part of the people,' andit is. The contex t siiows clearly wh at I mea nt. I had po intedout that the government was by popular vote, that the votersdid not include the women and children, that in number thevoters were less than one-fourth of all the people, and that theiract ion was the act ion of their majori ty; so tha t the Go vernm entwas controlled not by all the people, but by a representativepa rt of the people, to wit, a majo rity of the adult ma les. DoesMr. Roosevelt deny this fact? "Again, notes the President, Colonel Roosevelt "says that allthe bosses are in my favor and all of them a gainst him ." Tothis charge the President retorts:"The truth with respect to me is the same as i t is with respectto Mr. Roosev elt. Wh en I am running for the Presidencj-,I gratefully accept such suppo rt as comes to me. Mr . Roose velthas done so in the past; he is doing so now ."On the subject of the Colonel and Canadian reciprocity liemakes this interest ing statement:"Mr. Roosevelt now seeks to take advantage of the supposedfeeling among the farmers of the country against the reciproeitj-agreement with Canada which I made and induced Congress toadop t, bu t which Ca nad a finally rejected. I would not objectto this as a legitimate argument in a political controversyagainst me and in his favor if the fact were not that I consultedhim ten days before I made the agreement, explained to himin ful l i ts probable terms, s tated the arguments pro and con,especially the effect of it on agricultural products, and askedhim to confer with his colleagues of The Outlook as to its wisdomand public benefit and let me know his and their judgment.He replied approvdng the agreement in the most enthusiast icterms and complimenting me for having brought i t forward."To the charge that he has been "receiving stolen goods" andprofi t ing by "the use of dir ty instruments" to secure delegates,the President answers that "no instance has been brought tomy attention in which specifications of fraud have been sustained by any evidence wha tever." And to the charge ofthe shameless use of patronage to secure his nomination here tor t s :" I do not deny that u nder the present system of appointments Federal office-holders will be interested in politics and takepart therein, and will support those to whose ap pointm entthey at tr ibu te their preferment. Under present condit ions,

however, and under the policy which has been pursued in thisadministration, there are in office to-day at least 70 per cent,of those who were in office by appointment under TheodoreRoosevelt. In view of his cand idacy , it is nat ura l that a greatnum ber of these office-holders should favor him ra the r tha n me,and such is the fact , and Mr. Roosevelt can not be ignorantof it. In spite of the very great act ivity of a num ber of suchofficers against me, not a single man of them has been removed."In reply to Mr. Roosevelt 's charge that after his electionPresident Taft deserted the Progressives and became reactionary,he gives an impressive list of the progressive measures enactedduring his administrat ion, and remarks:"T his was all progressive legislat ion. Bu t I am not to haveany credit as a Progressive because it was accomplished throughregular Repu blicans. In all Mr . Rooseve lt 's histoi-y he neverfailed to use as instruments for his purpose those whom hefound in power. Indeed , throug hou t his life he has defended t ha t

course as the only sensible course to pursue. I have merelyfollowed his example.""One of the real reasons why Mr. Roosevelt ought not to beselected as the candidate of any party," adds the President , " isthe natural distrust that the whole business community wil lhave in respect to the measures which Mr. Roosevelt will propose in order to effect a revolution in the interest of socialjustice which he advocates so strongly and defines so vaguely."Mr. Roosevelt 's proposals for the regulation of the trusts without destroying them really amount, according to the President ,to "nothing but the establishment of a benevolent despotism."Returning broadside for broadside. Colonel Roosevelt repliedto the President's Boston address from a platform in Worcester,

responsibility for the titanic disaster, article, 4 may 1912

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