ORGANIZATION OF EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES 1 65 



contradicted. But a little reflection will enable us to see that in the city of 

 New York there is a great demand for school textbooks and it may be 

 that the publishing houses which are nearly all in the educational book 

 trade feared that in some way the adoption and use of their books in the 

 schools of the city of New York might be interfered with by their activity 

 in publishing such a work. 



This was a case where there was a very good chance for a publisher of 

 strong character to assert his individuality in his business. He might 

 have undertaken the publication of the work for the sake of principle even 

 though he knew it would endanger his profits somewhat. Here was a 

 chance for a person of strong will to deal a blow at what he considered a 

 huge mechanism of corruption. It seems that many a man in managing 

 his own private business would not have hesitated to avail himself of this 

 opportunity. There are some men who will seize the opportunity to do 

 what they think right without thinking of the loss it may cause in their 

 business. But the manager of an organized concern cannot do this. 

 As has been stated, his position depends on the size of the dividends he can 

 make the stock in his corporation earn. He is therefore not going to 

 undertake anything that will jeopardize the earning capacity of his com- 

 pany. When business is carried on in this way, the only object is the 

 making of money. The chance of striking a blow for moral progress by 

 the way in which business is managed is very nearly lost. The only 

 thought of the manager is the increasing of the dividends, and little 

 attention is paid to the moral effect of the conduct of the business. 



Now, there cannot be much question that the organization of employ- 

 ers is tending to reduce business management more and more to set rules. 

 It tends constantly to the elimination of the individual element in the 

 management of the business. The responsibility for any questionable 

 methods is scattered among the various members of the organization 

 and lost, just as is the case with the stockholders of corporations. Stock- 

 holders seem to feel that they are entirely relieved of responsibility for 

 anything. The manager shifts the responsibility to the directors; the 

 directors shift to the manager. As a result it is knocked back and forth 

 like a tennis ball and has become exceedingly hard to locate. 



Now, the men who will organize as an employers' association are the 



