Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-23
FORBES PLEADS
FOR FAIR WAGE
FOR WORKERS
Employer Who Wakes Rich at Ex-
pense of Employees Is Men
ace, Says Expert.
Bv 8. c, FORBES.

By 8. c. FORBES.
The employer who wakes rien
through paying workers less than a
living wage is a public enemy, q
p pauper charge 20 the country 9th
er people-small tradesmen etc
have TO pay what the employer with
holds for the unfortunate must OBJ
y tain food and clothing and shelter 10
. keep body and soul together
+ The man or company without brains
Z enough. organization enough ana cap
+ ital enough TO run q business at rea-
:. sondblc profit without starving en-
4 pIoyees has no right 10 remain in the
field The individual or corporation
) that can not pay living wage Is not
. fit TO be an employer. only the tittest
j. are entitled 70 command the services
of others.
The place Of the man who can not
= pay dccently for these services Is not
among employers but among en-
ployeos n he has not ability enough
: 10 be fair master, let him be con-
: signed to the rank Of servant
Tho employer who lives at tho eX-
pense OF other mon and women and
children. who fattens off their lie
/ blood, Is worse than robber. lie ls
murderer
: 10 h5bituany pay employees less
. than they can possibly exist upon Is
10 be guilty Of cannibalism.
& Economically. the practice is vi
cious since il enables those guilty Of
( Ii to compete unfairly with employers
liayin q living wage thus lowering
conditions all round.
] New York State has Just passed a
law providing for the COMPENSA-
T1ON by employers Of workers who
sustain injuries-an equitable and hu-
manc principle.
New York state has also concerned
Itself over HOURS OF WORK.
How long viii il be until the state
takes up the not less important ant sRd
TIoN FOR WORK?
This development is ming as in
: evitably as to-morrow's sun. Its COM
ing IS being FASTENED by conscience
less employers, individual and cor
5oFate
The common belief is that big cor
porations are the worst grinders or
workers. MY observation Is that small
companies firms and individuals arc
a least equally guilty, And the lat
ter are harder to reach. admit that
for example, one express company
pays an able bodied. experienced mum
less than 81 per week. But such cases
! hore and believe, are rare. ON INC
other hand. one manufactures tells me
he starts girl workers at s. and re-
fuses 10 give them an increase, no
matter how much more they are
worth UNTIL HE LEARNS THEY
( ARE PLANNING TO LEAVE HIN
He says this is the usual method If
running the kind of factories he owns.
tried 20 convince him that to per
sist in paving s. for service worth $40
Z was dishonest He did not deny 10,
but excused his conduct by claiming
that ne could not afford to do dif-
ferenth from his business rivals Yet
E This man lives i'm fine style~and U.s. j
understand wealthy.
] have before me as ! write half
= score of letters from employees com
platning of the utterly unreasonable
conditions under which they work.
The writers ask me 20 communicate
missioner and have him Investigate
with a view 10 enforcing the siN-dly
labor law This law. unfortunate'y
does not apply to some of the forms 1f
employ meut specified. The com
plants. i, may be interesting 60 re-
cord. deal with
Electric and gas companies
State hospitals
Railroad clerks working on piers.
Ice plants.
Ferryboats ducluding municipaD.
Private banks doing steamship and
other business,
Casket factories
Stationary engineers.
purpose referring the contents of
the letters To the Commissioner who
IS I'm sympathy with the siN-day labor
movement and i'm certain cases 1u
may pc able 70 better conditions
some of the letters are touching
One stationary engineer writes:
81 work twelve hours every night. ]
Z know uf this law, but was afraid Co
write. tor / would Doc dischareed I
they found out who reported "a, and ]
have q big family and DO not wish 10
lose my position Tor II Is not easy 10
1 get one. and ! would rather work "a
hour q day than see my family hul-
E CRY"
One writer suggests that hy rcduc-
ing excessive working hours employ
ment could be provided for numbers
/. Of those now idle
is ID necessary Go point out to cm-
! pioyers thut the surcst way tu pre-
vent paternallsuc legislation rs to gee
move al grounds FOR agitation for lt'
MANY of them by their lnhumlu
shortsiehted conduct, arc inviting ID.
II wrongs can not be rightod hy othor
means then legislation becomes
necessary evil The less governments
country can get along with slt.s-
: factpr.Iy. the better for an lHe
people