Who owns the stock in the street railroads? A few individuals--a
Widener, an Elkins, a Yerkes, a Whitney, or some other energetic
private individual.
One street railroad system, let us say, employs ten thousand men.
They struggle to add one dollar per day to their pay. We help
them with moral support and publicity, and they succeed. TEN
THOUSAND FAMILIES have each ONE DOLLAR a day more to spend, or
ten thousand dollars a day in all.
What becomes of that ten thousand dollars added daily to the
living-money of ten thousand families?
EVERY DOLLAR OF IT GOES INTO THE HANDS OF THE MERCHANT, THE
LANDLORD, OR THE SAVINGS BANK.
If the men had not got that increase in wages, what would have
become of that ten thousand dollars daily, or $3,650,000 A YEAR?
Would it have gone to the merchants of the great cities? Would
it have gone to build up thousands of comfortable little homes in
all the suburbs of the great towns? Would it have enabled
thousands of American boys and girls to stay in school instead of
going in their infancy to the mills and factories?
No!
If that money were not distributed among the people in the shape
of good American wages for good American work, it would go to
build big race tracks, where thieves and gamblers are
manufactured.
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