Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-01-12
ROBBING THE WORKER
Onderpaying Labor Is Society's
Worst Crime.
MOST TERRIBLE OF WRONGS.


derlyine Cause of Poverty-Prosroso
of Civilization Retarded by the Greed
Of Employers.
Society has been guilty OF many
crimes since the dawn of civilization.
but nothing that IT has ever done has
been so terribly wrong. so horribly
unjust. as It's present system Of under
paying It's laborers. II man deyotes
his time to the performance of duties
that have been assigned to him by an.
other. he is entitled to just compensa-
ton. and IL he does not receive this
he Is robbed. Moreover. I'm such cases
the effect of this robbery Is felt both
more widely and more seriously than
any ordinary kind OF thieving-that
which is committed at the point of
pistol, etc.-for 1t Is not the man alone
who Is robbed nor the mans time
alone that is stolen. The thing that Is
actually taken Is the means to provide
for and educate his family properly.
that the children for whom he is re.
sponsible may live to be good, strong
men-mentally, morally and physically
good citizens.
or course 1t is easy enough to say
that every man is free to choose his
employment and that nobody is oblig-
ed to work for another at an unjust
rate of compensation. Theoretically
this may be correct, but in actual life
1T is the contrary that is true. There
are plenty of men today who are not
able to choose their means OF llyell-
hood or to select their employers. They
must work, because If they did not
work they could not i've and they
must take what they can get simply
because there is no opportunity for
them to secure higher pay elsewhere.
AS the direct result OF this utterly UNI
Just system there Is n great deal OF
poverty In this world that might easily
be prevented IL there was but some
method by which employers could be
compelled to pay II decent wage in
stead of being permitted to secure
workmen at the lowest market price.
Although this may sound like So
cialism, 1t Is anything but socialistic.
-AAhOAt1h ~ may cOuhQ iuuiCul, IL Is
not so radical that 1t Is not In perfect
accord with the conclusions presented
by Pope Leo XIII. In his encyclical OH
labor, and. don't imagine that there
is anybody who would dream of sug-
gesting that he was socialist or a
preacher OF socialism. At the same
time he did not hesitate to declare
that the compensation of laborer
ought to be sufficient ito support him
in reasonable and frugal comfort If
through necessity or fear of n worse
evil," he says. "the worklngman nc
cepts harder conditions, because an
employer or n contractor will give him
no better, he is the victim of force and
injustice"
1t Is only necessary that we should
apply these words to existing condi-
tons to prove conclusively that the
strong mass of society is guilty of
grave crime against the weaker por-
ton and especially against the unskiil-
ed laborers. to whom 1t gives employ
,nent at rate of pay that Is so far
below all necessary standards OF liv-
ing that no man can live, marry and
Z bring up family decently upon such
an income. By taking all his time it
shuts him out from the opportunity
to Increase his Income or better his po-
sition, and yet 1t falls utterly to pro-
vide him with sufficient means to sup
ply even Ills vital needs.
The worst of 1t is that In most cases
this condition Is due to the unwilling
ness of the employer to pay the decent
wnges. Ii he could not afford to do
this, there might be some excuse. but
when the men or the company offend
ing are amply able to pay higher
wages and decline to do SO through
fear that their own income may be so
reduced as to compel them TO forego
some luxurles which they now enjoy
the crime assumes an extremely seri-
Gus aspect.
Undoubtedly the time will come
when society will take these matters
into Its own hands and Will specify
precisely the lowest limit Mt which Il
man may be permitted to work, but
until the state actually awnkens to
realization of It's responsibilities and
passes u minimum wage law the duty
of being just will continue to devolve
upon the employer. In other words, IL
tE Employer Is sufficiently dishonest
and selfish to drive sharp bargain he
may continue to hire his workmen Mt
practically starvation wages. for there
is now no law to prevent him from en-
fering into this sort OF contract with
the unfortunate people who are at his
mercy. Not that 1t is any less the
crime. but until public opinion has
been sufficiently aroused to say, $50
far you may go, but no further" there