The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-09-22
THE PUBLIC PAYS"

In their effort to trump up some
sort of an issue against President
Wilson, our Republican friends are
finding fault with his successful eff
forts to side-track the big railroad
strike. They first charged that he
had allowed himself to be "held up
by the railroad employees and cowardly
yielded to their demands. That they
had made no demands of him and
that he acted on his own judgment
and conviction of the justice Of the
eight-hour day principle, made no diff
ference to them. Then they found
fault with his quickness to meet the
emergency, though prompt action was
imperative, as the strike had already
been called and the day set. The OBJ
jections were all so shallow and evil
IDENTIFY for campaign consumption, that
they failed of their purpose to dis
credit the President. The result
justified the means and the whole
country felt relieved.
Now they are taking another tack
to prejudice the public against the
eight-hour day legislation. They tell
us that it will increase the wages of
railroad employees and that the pub
lie will be taxed to pay the increase;
that the public will suffer. This is a
strange argument coming from a par
ty that always claimed it was the
special guardian of high wages for
American labor. The public certain
ly pays for any improvement in the
condition of labor, society and the
country at large, but the public is
also proportionately benefited by such
improved conditions. Increased wag-
es of laboring men add to their abil-
ity to improve their way of living and
increase the comforts of home. They
spend as freely as they earn; the in
creased wage flows back into the
channels of trade, and all business is
given fresh life and vigor. A larger
demand for food stuffs is created and
the farmer realizes on his products;
the shipper pays little more perhaps
in freight, but by increased demand
for his goods, wares, grain, meat, etc.,
it is returned to him in higher selling
prices. Business is stimulated in pro-
portion to the laboring mans pros
perity created by a wage increase.
This is a well known economic fact.
easily observed by the unselfsh and
thinking who look at general results
rather than Individual gain, which af-
ter all depends upon individual eff
fort and management.
But note the inconsistency of Re-
publicans in their argument. They
have always contended and legislat-
ed for a high protective tariff, be-
cause, as they falsely claimed, it in
sured higher wages for American la
Dor by prohibiting in measure the
importation of the products of for
eign "pauper labor" The difference
is that the eight-hour day will help
the laboring mans condition, but the
protective tariff policy didn't save him
from the competition of foreign
"pauper labor" for this alleged pau
per labor was shipped over here I'M
der contract by thousands, Cutting
the labor market and taking the
place of American labor, thus keep
ing down wages. Only the manu-
featuring concerns were benefited by
the tariff; with foreign products kept
out by the tariff or their price in
creased to the amount of duties paid, |
the home manufacturer could add the
cost of duty to the price of his pro-
duct, and thus exact a higher price |
from his home customers than he re-
ceived for his exported surplus. The
high tariff was special privilege to
the manufacturer, but it didn't help
the wage earner-and the public paid |
Republican objection to higher wag-
es for railroad men shows what a
sham their old pretended concern for
the wage Garner was.
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