The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-05-18
BAD FOR THE WAGE FARMERS.
Judge oressepp says Municipal Own
srshIp Msald Lossr Wages.

Judge aresseup Says Municipal Own
srship Wsnld Le1sr Wages.
Government control and operation
would also be found, i think. to have
\ Instantaneous eject upon the Bpe-
eiaI interest OF the laboring man. La
Dor sometimes gets less tfan the en-
terDrise employing can afford to pay.
but labor never gets more. at least for
any length Of time. than the enterprise
can AFFORD to pay. Lowered efficiency
therefore means lowered wages. And
public ownership always has been and
always win be on this account attend
ed by lower wages. The men who are
motormen on the municipal street ran
ways Of Glasgow, for instance, get
little less than u cents an hour; the
motormen Of Chicago get from p to
"a cents an hour. The locomotive en-
gineer OF German government ran,
road gets $50 per month; the American
locomotive engineer makes easily three
times that much. And through the
whole schedule OF wages paid by pub
lie and by private enterprises the same
difference runs.
But there Is stHf another side to this
objection. what may be called its per
sonaI side. the effect OF public owner
ship on organized labor Much rs In
Dor Organizations have been abused
here and there by opposing Interests
and much as here and there labor or
carnations have abused their prfyi-
leges, It Is in labor organizations that
the laboring man fnds and wilI con-
tinue to ind the source OF bettered
conditions.
Asking for higher wages the one
man is unheard. But the many speak
ing as one make themselves heard. So
that the labor organization IS the. n
borers' industrial protector.
But the many speaking as one must
have some one to whom TO speak, some
concrete party with whom to deal.
Under government ownership that par
" would be the whole public. Let not
the ready sympathy Of the people for
alternative measures such as factory
legislation and the IKE be given too
wide significance. for even There
the task was long and hard, ror the
readiness of the public to side In at
times of labor strikes with the en-
ployees. In those situations the pub
lie is an outside party, not the other
party. Until in some public controlled
enterprise there is a demand by tile.
employee for higher wages or changed
conditions, some demand that win d.
rectly cost the public something In col.
lars and cents. the laboring man Is
without proof that the public can be
more easily reached than private on
terprise.
Something In this line: however. we
already know. Government servants.
from the highest'to the lowest, are. the
poorest paid people in America. Put.
man for man, against corresponding
grades In private enterprise. the Dresl;
dent of the United; States against the,
presidents Of the great corporations,
cabinet officers against the managers
Of corporation departments. postal
clerks ON the railways against express
clerks. iaborers against laborers, the
advantage In every case Isl with tile,
employee Of the private enterprise,
And this we know. too-that. though,
the matter has often been urged. the,
people at large wiz not listen 10 any
proposition for Increase of pay in, the.
government service. Given then, a,
private employer or the public as en..
ployer with whom to dead. the one a,
thousand times more accessible and In
tnitely prompterr to reach results Hian
the other. to my mind nothing ls,c,ear
er than that employment by the public.
would be followed by a.severe impair
ment Of the influence and efficiency Of
the labor organization and of the. good
it has done for Its membership.-Hon
Peter S. Grosscup in American aaga
zine.