The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-02-12
THE BEST way TO
HELP The NEEDY
Pay Workers Enough Money
to Help Themselves.
p. WALSH, chairman
Of the United States commits
sion on Industrial. relations, In

Il am a great believer IN tat anu
agitation. l believe with the person
who defined an agitator as a man with
a strong voice who did not have q par
ty to save or a living to make, but tried
to tear every question open to the
( heart so that the light might flow free
ly in.
Now, 1 want you to understand why
| am talking to you, the people. while
/ am serving as chairman of the indus
trial relations commission. 1t is be-
cause the commission is made up OF
various elements. Some members rep
resent the capitalists-the employers.
Some members represent the labor IN
ions. l represent the people.
1t is serious business for the people
when the capitalist gets in a fight with
the labor union over the coal. A baby
of the people-the consumer-may
freeze to death while labor and capital
quarrel and the supply of coal is shut
off. For that reason l am in favor of
taking over the coal mines and putting
them under public control.
Now. they say in c%riticising me for
speaking while l am chairman of the
industrial relations commission that I
ought to maintain a judicial pose.
Well. l say that the two greatest foes
to the bringing about of an enlightened
understanding Of u economic rotten
ness are the judicial pose and the
trimmer attitude of so many of our
public officials. | mean the attitude OF
those who dodge the whole economic
issue.
Il would like to see every school,
house thrown open for public forum
meetings Of the people and a ballot
box in every schoolhouse on election
day so that they may educate them
selves on their economic plight. for
at bottom all u evils are due to low
wages. A great employer who knows
this is true testified that he would
just as 500 take every prisoner out
OF Sing Sing and put him to work and
trust him. This man knew that if he
put into the hands Of those men more
money than enough to keep them to-
gether body and soul they would for
the most part be normal human be-
ings.
MY topic. for tonight is the best
way to help the needy. The best way
to help them is to pay them enough
money to help themselves. Give them
a chance to work and enjoy the prod
net Of their toll. am accused Of say
ing the charities do not help. OF
course they help. If there was not
something that helped We would be
in the midst Of revolution.
III you want tn know what embez-
zlel fortunes we should take back 60
to the reports of. the department Of
commerce for 1918 and read the whole
shameful story Of Goa! and timber land
embezzlements. If l am to he called a
'confiscaticnist' for urging that such
fortunes be refunded to their rightful
owners. then I'll have to stand for
that designation. l am opposed to al,
violence. but when you try to push
the worker of the life raft then you're
bound to get violence. 1t is inevitable.
Il am for the minimum wage on
railroads and for telephones merely be-
came we have public comtnissf0ns
with power to order i'm minimum rates
OF 'wages. The real thing to do. "6f
cours is . take owe the railroad and
p~ostalize the telephone service. but
until that is done the public commits
sions al do the next best thing-they
can enforce minimum wage DEGREES.
1t is only one step from regulation to
public ownership. and Of course that
step will be taken ut the proper time"
The c%apitaiistie System.
Samuel Untermyer. the noted New
York lawyer. testifying before the
United States commission on Industrial
relations. among other things. said:
Notwithstanding its injustice and
many other shortcomings. l believe In
the %capitalistic system as U present
.olution. Capitalism is more powerful.
more rampant, more despotic and less
controlled by law or public sentiment
here than in any other country. but
socialism is a beautiful. iridescent
uAC0nAs WAASA OVC0 AOS WOlA Out u HEWC.
teal theory Of government. OF all the
blunders Of capitalism the worst is its
disregard Of the welfare Of its indus
trial workers. II it were less obses1ed
with its own Righteousness and sense
Of security the growth Of socialism
would soon come to an end"
For Woman Suffrage.
The members Of Boilermakers' un-
ion local 585. Boston. have voted to
place the organization on record az
favoring woman suffrage and to send
an invitation to the Massachusetts,
Woman Suffrage association to havesa
representative address the next meet
ing Of the union.
Mere Pay For Printers.
In Milwaukee pay f0r. hand compost
zion has been Increased from 81 10
SO per week and for linotype operations
from "a to SIS per week. FOR nigAts
workers thu increase = from - -
~ for hand maa ana from 81 9 l1a