The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-30
DECLARES STATE
MUST INTERFERE
rrrroyEns. WHO RAY LESS THAN
LryAsLE WAGE. SCORED nv
PROFESSOR sEAGER.
MAJORITY ARE FAIR
MlxrMUM WAGE LAW WOULD HAVE
EFrECT OF ELIMINATING iN-
CArABLEs. wHoM SOCIETY
MUST CARE ron.

BOSTON, Dec. zS.---A cAustic ar
raiEnment Of those who pay their
employees less than livable wage
ana by this means drive them to
dishonest acts was contained In the
address of Professor henry *, Sea-
ger, president OF the American AS
ISOLATION for Labor Les asia aUu, be-
fore the members OF mat otSAnl%a
ton assembled la eonsent.on mere
Professor Sea&xr incIaosa Ia tals cat
egvry department. stores IN she eTeai
cil.es anu many Misunderstanding pIants
in the habit Of paying tHeIl iaooT.
mosLy female, LAC Sinai sum OF iouT
or hvs doiiars per week
He declared that the conditions
which control tne supplies OF sucn
workers give no pTUnIAse OF impro' e.
ment unieas the sale interteT.s by
prescribing minimum rates that wial
DO tolerated. sach interference Is
neceA&ary to American wumAAnood
and childhood, he said Professor
6eaGer aaaress In part follows:
Majority Are Fair. i.
In The InIled States today the
great majority Of our industries Jay
living wages TO the great majority OF
the workers they employ. starvation
wages, when encountered, are due to
exosptionsi circumstances which jus
tify extraordinary remedies.
Under these circumstances q rig
idty enforced requirement that living
wages IT least shall be paid 10 all
workers will merely put a stop 10
the prodtx OF the exploiting type OF
employer who pays his hands less
than they are fairly worth TO MIN, or
hasten q more economical distribution
Of the available labor force, or COM
pei society to face sauare!y and make
adequate provision tor classes which
cannot be and should not be required
TO be seif-supporting.
Minimum Wage Required.
"A minimum wage requirement
would cause the individuals who are
inca pablo OF earning living wages TO
stand out clearly aS unemployed lea.
Tor whose benefit society must or
g&nixe labor exchanges, provide am
pier facilities for Industrial training,
and develop wise systems Of social
insurance. These results should prove
nearly. II not quite, as important
a. the gain In efficiency. not to speak
OF happiness. for the workers IN
sured a living wage and the lessen,
ing OF that greatest disgrace OF our
civilization. prostitution In aid OF
wa6es."
In answer to the objections COM
monty urged against the proposal. he
maintained that the system was In
harmony with the spirit Of Ameri-
can Institutions, that II would not
lead to Socialism. but would help to
make Socialism unnecessary. and
that there WAS no ground In reason
or In the experience of the States OF
Aus,rsIasia having the system for
fearing that all wages would be-
forced down toward the legal mini
mum. Finally he admitted the seri-
Gus practical difficulties in the way
Of the enforcement OF minimum wage
regulations. but pointed out that great
progress toward the better enforce
ment OF labor laws was being made
all over the United States, and that
the most coeclusl @ answer TO prac-
teal objections Is the fact that other
countries are actually making mini
mum wage regulations effective.