Cost of living Quote by Joseph Casper Husslein
““Mr. Nelson Morris, twenty-six years old, endowed with a salary of $75,000, admitted that neither he nor Mr. Ferris, who determined employees' wages, ever visited their homes. Mr. Morris said he had never looked over a budget showing the cost of living for a laboring man with a family. The plain truth is that this newer generation of industrial lords grew up in luxury, apart from the toilers who earn their profits for them. To them the workers are like machinery, to be bought at the cheapest price attainable, to be run at the highest possible speed the longest number of hours, to be scrapped when worn out and replaced by new" [New York Evening Mail , ca. 1918].””
About This Quote
Source Article: New York Evening Mail, ca. 1918
Industrial leaders lived in luxury while ignoring workers' living costs, treating labor as disposable machinery for profit.
In simple terms: Rich industrialists ignore workers' hardships.
Key Takeaway
Address worker welfare and fair wages.
Themes
labor rights
industrialization
class disparity
Mood
somber
urgent
Type
historical
advocacy
When to use this quote
- union organizing
- legislative reform
- corporate social responsibility
- public awareness campaigns
Key Concepts
exploitation
economic inequality
human dignity
Questions to Reflect On
- What responsibilities do employers have toward workers?
- How can society balance profit and humane labor conditions?
A Different Perspective
It may oversimplify complex economic dynamics.
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