The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-05
VOLUNTARY RAISE OF WAGES BY
STEEL CORPORATION is AN
INDICATION
FOR LIVING WAGES
SOCIETY MAKES THIS DTsMAND AND
EMPLOYERS MUST MEET VT.
FIRST EFFECT on TAR
TIFF TrskERlNG
wv n G. FOHBVS,

or 1919 mare All aAlSa Ait'iN i'N'
They are!
!. The stopping ~ dividend pay
rnents on the common stock OF the
American Sect Sugar company.
z. The voluntary increase ia wages
hy the United States steel corpora
ton.
The first is the arst uns,eadying
shock from the tariff reform gun
the other is deeply significant Ht mat
readtustment Of relations t- tween
capital and labor. which Is WITH On
the wall in bold letters.
OnYelettes cannot be made without
breaking eggs Those, who contend
that the tariff can be thrown into
the melting pot and stirred ruth
iessIy by politicians without causing
any disturbance to business, arc al
lowing their optimism to pervert their
vision This uewsps per "a no calamity
hovler. Tts prosperity ts bound up
with the prosperity Of tho natioh IT
has rs much At stake 49, most other
concerns Il ls koeniy desirous of
see4nr good times. Yet ~andor c IN
pels the etarpment that the cessation
II the Beet Sugar divi@lna ig only
the first Of a series Of untowaFd m
t{asnts yhst may bc looked for wlt1,4
the neNt FIX nonths Ia consequence OF
terfTs uncertainties
Painful. Gut Necessary.
Easl,. conditions are $50 solid how
eyer. tnaf the general trade 81 thH
country should net he allowed 20 drop
or radically. II tariff revision la
gone about Scnsibl y--afti rxpeditl US
lp~--tlYe resUits should prove b ne
flefal 70 ali. Temporary clouds should
ait and leave an Industrial sky clearer
thar Ant eriea has ewcr yet enjoyed.
~
mind when dividends airs being drop
ped, or cut Operations are painful
bat IL skilfullr conducted. are TOR the
patients good.
Above all there should be no long
drawn out, alarmtst wrangiing over
proposed changes Undue delay VIII
be most injurious, for business can
stand up against almost anything save
uncertainty.
The UrI ed states has no more brill
nantiy manaet Enterprise than the
gtael eorporaJioH. Within the last
fwo or three yea its directors have
exhibited great readiness 10 heed pub
lie sentiment They haze not sought.
with ali their unparalleled power, 20
defy the people. They have listened
to reason. And in so doing they have
ns2s 1lsxsed far-seeiHg wisdom.
sFsytNg IN ty1FFeCF fsyits,
r Re decision 10 raise the wages of
S@ss poorest paid workers is gracious
response to. the general trend toward
p larger measure Of practical. APP
piled humanity In conducting the
courtry'e Business affairs
Admittedly the Steel Trust mas not
heen model employer FRI certain
respects Labor conditions in some
steel mills usei 70 be shocking. The
sweSve- hour dav and tho seven~day
week comporte& lily with the va0nted
freedom and wealth Of our republic.
gut the Steel corpoI atom 5tiret tors
nave heen making q genuine effort Ia
asol sh narbaritfes They hav" a.
raadv accomplished much AMI ARE
constantly siu11ug 20 do more.
carry no brief for the Steei truat
- any u fts heads. as more than one
article Of mine mas revealed but corr
mon justice dema nds that good action
be commended Just ~ strongly as Rad
3ates lie condemned
The action taken bY the company
should he Seriously pondered By every
American corporation, and largo EN-
geGsy@r III labor Every eonceru thst
r. systematically paying men or wc~
men less than a decent living wae
u erecting Tor Itself and for others
a reservoir 81 trouble that will one
dav burst i's hounds &nd work dc
Fassatlon.
Insist IN Living Wage
Iid ysu notice that the railway
arbitration commission advanced the
wages Of IN the lowest paid engineers,
irrespective of their duties, their skill,
ar this poverty az their employers
dc you recall that in Britain this
sa me principle OF an adequate mini
mum wage was also brought to the
esA H. "a -f.sat srtl M . E.
transportation troubles? Incidentally,
didn't you read the other day that
New Jersey corporation had fixed for
werner employts a living wage below
which II would not go no matter how
slender the Qualification Of the
workpr7
Society viii Insist that the lata1rer
be paid enough TO live on. Yes, we
are coming 10 that whether we like
tt or not. whether We dub II socialism.
~ sfsra n ~ e-tTsEisgzt4tara Nc s,Ss4ss
III as4lehadiad Hing hRnGhgd sgork-
sfs can continue Indefinitely to re-
petve for a fun days services less than
can Sustain them for q full day. be-
cause what js withheld by the era
ployer has 20 he made up By society
III one way or another.
The problem ~ not how TO raise
the pay Of those earning s25 or $50
week, but how 70 help those get
ting SIS or SO
venture 10 predict that the prin-
cipIe introduced by the able men who
composed the railway arbitration
comm ission. and the pie set by
the Steel corporation with he favor
ably viewed by many American cor
Dorations.
Gigantic lab0r questions VIII arise
during 1918 Trade unions are reach
sng a crisis in heir rareer- The pub
IL proposes t. take o hand in saving
what may a9d what n4ay not be done
40 throw the cpautsys machinery out
IT seat The pstlic VIII tolerate an
reasonable arraRan@c ard high har g.
pdueas. neither from caTita not labor
The. general good is coming 20 he
recognized ss inv FIRST saua Dc gninat-
lng consideration,
Action Has Significance.
The steel eorpo' ation's action don't
sou begin - see. IS nor without sig
nifcance. The public viii vote for a
living wage for even the most un-
skilled Of laborers so long as that
lahorers gives fun measure Of ser
vice. But the public may be less in
cIined 10 place upon it's own Shout
Gers fresh burdens simply because this
nr the next union may feel strong
MesFs An -