Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Mr. W.H. Moody

Dear Mr. Moody

This writing is in response to works such as The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I believe that Mr. Sinclair is unfair in his assessment of the various aspects in my packinghouse. Of course his views are very subjective, and he presents only one side of the issue. With this letter then, my intention is to explain several aspects within my meatpacking house. These include working conditions, my political dealings, my views on the Chicago poor and immigrant population, and finally my feelings regarding the rise of Socialism.

Firstly then, the working conditions in my packinghouse will be addressed. The workers in my place of business are employed under an agreement that I pay them for a certain amount of a certain type of work. They are free to seek other employment if their working conditions or the conditions of their contract do not please them. Admittedly, the type of work is not always pleasant, as Mr. Sinclair rightly describes. However, given the equipment and time constraints that I have available, all the kinds of work in my establishment do need to be done. My role is therefore to provide those who are willing to do such work with a livelihood. I am therefore preventing starvation for many people as a result of providing them with work.

Furthermore, I am entirely within the law regarding other aspects of the conditions in my factory: children under sixteen are by no means allowed to be employed in my place of business. Each child applying for work is screened carefully by means of identity and other documents. If any new laws regarding labor aspects come into existence, I will certainly and without question make every effort to comply. I am a law abiding citizen who, like many others of my kind, seek only to provide those less fortunate than I with a living while remaining within the parameters of the written law.

This brings me to my next point. Mr. Sinclair appears to feel that managers such as myself engage in somewhat shady dealings, both politically and otherwise, in order to further our own wealth. In defense of this aspect, I feel I should explain our position.

Mr. Sinclair himself admits that hard work alone is hardly enough to rise to wealth. The very nature of the American economy makes this impossible. If I did engage in less than pristine dealings, the reason for this is only to make my own fortune so that I could improve the lives of others. As I said above, I am providing hundreds of persons with the means to make a living and keep from starving. These people are of course free to take whatever they earn to start their own establishments. This is the beauty of the American Dream.

The point I am trying to make with this is that I am simply using the resources available to me to make a success of my own American Dream. Whoever else wishes to share in this or start something of their own has my complete blessing. I am not trying to keep anybody else from realizing their dreams. In fact, what I am accomplishing here, along with being part of what makes America great, is providing those who truly need it with the means and the ambition to do better for themselves.

I am therefore helping the poor to escape their terrible living conditions. Of course in Chicago and nationwide, the poor are forced to live under the burden of extreme hardship. Indeed, often fifteen or more of them are forced to live in a single room together. To provide more sleeping space, many of them sleep on the sidewalks during summer months. In this, Mr. Sinclair's assertions are entirely accurate.

I feel that the poor need to be helped to improve their living. I believe that businesses such as mine are their avenue towards better living conditions. As I said earlier, they could even use what they can save from their wages to invest in a better future for themselves and their families. This country is in a stage of great economic growth and potential. The poor, like everybody else, can use this potential to their own advantage. This is what I am helping them to do.

I feel the same about immigrants as I do about the poor, because they very often fall into the same category. Immigration is a manifestation of the great potential for growth within the borders of America. This potential is open for use to everybody who wishes to make life better for themselves. I have often heard of terrible hardships -- like those described in Sinclair's work -- in other countries. America offers immigrants the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and become successful. This is one of the things that make this country great.

Sinclair mentions the feeling of being part of the great machine that is American business. This is the spirit in which I am employing them. I want each of my employees to feel that they are part of my success and can use it as a springboard for their own. This is why nothing except the actual ability to do the work and the correct age are my requirements for employment.

Immigrants are therefore at the center of industrial activity in America. These people will soon become, if they have not already, the greatest asset to the future of the American nation. Indeed, America started as a result of immigration, and nobody should forget this. I am grateful for the force and the prosperity that they add to my establishment. I will therefore do whatever is necessary to help them improve their lives, because they are helping me to improve mine.

As for the rise of Socialism, I feel that everybody has a right to express his or her own views. When the history of the United States is taken into account, it becomes clear that it is a country filled with ideals and philosophies of various sorts. Socialism is one of the forces that go hand in hand with our industrial area. It is a manifestation of people trying to improve their lives.

When the history of America is examined, you will see, my dear sir, that the country has gone through several violent changes during its birth and growth. While some of these changes were indeed not in keeping with giving all who come to the country's shores a happy and rich life, they did however occur as a manifestation of the attempt to do so. Our industrial age is no different. Just like slavery stopped as a result of our recognition that it was evil, so poverty and poor working conditions will be improved as a result of improved legislation and socialism.