Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. MUTUALITY OF INTERESTS. It is often beneficial, and sometimes instructive, to submit tentative propositions to popular criticism. In this way errors in the construction of a scheme may be suggested which will clear the way to a better understanding of its aims and purposes. Thus my first paper on "Railway companies and their employees," which appeared in The Railway Age, more than a year since, has drawn out comments and suggestions which render a further discussion of the subject essential to its intelligent consideration. A large share of these criticisms were favorable, but here and there doubts as to the sincerity of the propositions have been expressed, and sometimes with unpleasant frankness. Recognizing the utility of popular investigation and fully appreciating the value of the views of practical men, it has appeared to me desirable to reinforce the propositions of my first article by additional arguments and explanations which may make the scheme appear more acceptable, both to employers and employed. A social question confronts the civilized world; a question which involves the adjustment of the relations between labor and capital, and it presents itself more conspicuously and in a more formidable shape than ever before. In Europe it is a more threatening factor of disturbance than in this country, and in that part of the continent where monarchical governments are the most absolute, the struggle is likely to be attended by tumult and bloodshed, which, under popular government, can be avoided. This conclusion is based upon the idea that underlying this question between labor and capital in Europe and adding to its strength and virulence, runs the current of protest against the political as well as social inequality of the people. And thus, that por...