Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1912-09-03


ing to make new things out of old
And yet the predictions of the leader
Iof the new party are as alarming a
the predictions of the veriest stand
patter There is the stimulating breatl
of hope in every part of the platform
OF the new party except that which
touches the tariff and the trusts.
In fact. there is this very singular
feature about the platform of the new
| party. 1t has two sides and two tones
II speaks warm sympathy with prac-
tically every project of social better
ment to which men and women OF
broad sympathies are now turning
with generous purposes and on tha'
side il is refreshing to read. But that
/ is not the part of the platform thai
, reads like "A program. 1t is a procla
nation of sympathy rather an indi-
cation of the direction in which the
leaders of the party would fain some
time move. The program lies else
where where the tariff is spoken of
and the trusts. In that portion of the
land "A very definite indication of what
Us intended to be done and by what
means.
1T may be interpreted in the light
Of some interesting things Mr.. Roose-
welt has recently said:
"Mr. Roosevelt declares his devoted
adherence to the principle of protec-
tion. He declares that he is not troub-
led by the fact that a very large
amount Of money is taken out of the
pocket of the general tax payer and
put into the pocket of particular
classes of protected manufacturers
but that his concern is that so little Of
this money gets into the pockets of the
employees. | have searched his pro-
gram very thoroughly for an indica-
tiOn of what he expects to do in order
to see to it that q larger proportion
of this prize money gets into the
pay envelope, and | have found only
one suggestion.
There is a plank in the program
which speaks of establishing a mini
mum or living wage for women work
ers and | suppose that We may as
sumo that the principle in the long
run is not meant to be confined in its
application to women only. Perhaps
we are justified in assuming that the
third party looks forward to the gen
eral esta blishment by law of a mimi
mum wage. II is very likely | take it
for granted, that if minimum wage
was established by law the great ma
jorty of employers would take occa-
sion to bring their wage scale as near
that minimum and it would be very
awkward for the workingmen to re-
sist that process successfully because
It would be dangerous to strike
against the authority of the federal
government.
Moreover. most of the employers.
1t any rate, practically all of the most
powerful of his employers would be
wards and proteges of that very gov
eminent which is the master of us all. |
The government is to set up n COM
mission whose duty it will be, not to
check or defeat 1t. but merely to reg |
llate it under rules which ii Is itself
10 frame and develop. SO that the |
chief employers will have this tre-
authority behind them. when I
hey do they viii have the license of /
he federal government to act, includ-
ns the right to pay the wages APP I
proved by the government.
"And it is worth the while of the .
working man of the country to recall .
What the attitude toward organized Ia
,or has been of these masters of con-
olidated industries, whom the federal
government is to take under its pa
ronage as Well as under its control. 1
hey have always been the stout OPP
'onents of organized labor and they
laNe tried to undermine ii in a great
many ways. Some of the ways they
lave adopted have worn the guise of
and good will and have
'een used for all | know, in perfect
ne the faith. Some of them have set
p systems Of profit sharing, Of com \,
sensation for injuries and bonuses,
nd even pension, but every one of
hese plans has merely bound their IL
'orkingmen more tightly to them
elves. Their rights under these va {
lous arrangements are not legal
lights. They are merely privileges {
fhich they enjoy so long as they re-
lain in the employment and observe
he rules of the great industries which
mploy them. If they refuse to be
'eaned away from their independence
1ey cannot continue to enjoy the
enefits extended to them.
when yon have thought the whole ,
ming out therefore, YOU viii see that ,
lc program of the new program le- ,
allies monopolies and Systematically
Wor<ingmen to them y,
nd to plans made by the government ,
9th with regard To employment and
18th regard To wages. BY what means
Scept upon revolt, could we ever
reak the crust of our life again and :
ecome free men, breathing an air of
ur own; choosing the living lives that
e wrought out for ourselves Per 1
aps this new and all-conquering 4
between money and gov J
rnment would be benevolent to us, '
erhaps it would carry out the noble i
roeram of social betterment, which a
many creduously expect of il, bur )
no can assure us of that? Who viii [
i've bond that it will be general and [
racious and pitiful and righteous?
hat man or set of men can make us I
cure under it by their empty prom /
e and assurance that it will take care II
us and be good.
Democratic leaders turn away =
ON any plan to legalize monopoly <
id give a federal commission leave
say how much of it there should
because they know exactly what
lat would mean. What they pro-
use is the restoration of freedom. n
hat We need is the regulation of a
,mpetitiun and the prosecution OF :
hat has created monopoly. When r.
~ have regulated monopoly You :,
ave in effect restored it," y
UDGET SYSTEM TO 5