Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1916-07-21
FRANK P. WALSH TALKS
TO B. OF L. F. AND E.
CONTINUED from page Ia

right to live. and such an industry
should be taken over so that the
workers could conduct 1t co-opera-
lively for themselves, or the govern
ment could conduct II in order to
keep life in the people dependent on
that industry Our investigations.
however, show us that there is no
such industry in the United States,
that the industries that are the great
est offenders against the law of life,
are those that can we'll afford to pay
a living wage and do not do SO.
Enormous Dividends Versus the Liv-
ing Wage.
/ refer now to such corporations
as the American Fertilizing company,
one of the greatest interests in the
United States, owned by a man who
owned and operated other great basic
industries in this country-industrie
which we showed, with smaller cap
italization, earn more upon it, than
probably any other industry in this
republic. (Applause.)
/ point to both the telegraph com
panies, that of course are not under
any proper system of government,
doing everything to fight down or
ganization, in order that men and
women may bring profits to their
great concerns on less than a living
wage.
! point to the steel industry. And
] point to that industry that you men
in train service, by collective bar.
gaining, have rightfully wrested i'm
proved conditions from. But think
of the great body OF laborers on the
railroads of this country that do not
get living wages-trackmen, tele-
graph operators and others
/ point to the great mining indus
try. Notwithstanding so much hav.
ing been done, the great districts of
the whole United States show that
the men in that industry, on an ay-
efage, earn something like one hun
dred dollars more, per year, than a
living wage So, the problem of
the living wage goes beyond collect
i've bargaining. There is no union
that can honor it's true principles
the principles upon which it is found
ed, that would begin to bargain with
the operators Of industry, unless they
would demand as the first considera-
tion minimum wage that provided
life for its members. applause
wv a. FREEMAN HI SuDlHCt 10 AFD1-
trary Discharge.
Might | make one other sugges-
tion upon this point. Any working
man in any industry is not freeman,
socially or economically, unless, by
some means he is protected against
arbitrary discharge on the part of
his employer. applause. The
right of the worker to security in
his job is denied him so frequently
that It was believed by many people
that testified before our commission,
that 1t was a ground OF complaint
against the labor organizations of
America. / take the position, and |
believe that it is fundamental, that
no man is protected in his property
rights under the constitution of any
state in the American Union, OF the
Constitution of the United States, un-
less he is protected against arbitrary
discharge from his employment
(Applause.)
In your industry men are employed
at places perhaps remote from where
they began to live, from where they
were raised, and the moving and the
of necessities for setting
up household means production to
Of propfty which means the life and
of that man. If his Job is
taken from him and he has to go to ,
A distant place he. at least. loses the
Time he has used in getting the lob; ,
and unless he gets transportation :
ne los what it costs to take him and ,
MS belongings away, and in many }
,ases 1t means the breaking up OF /
his little home. =,
Tenant Farmer Slavery. {
am now going to talk about the {
workers. known throughout this s
as tenant farmers, who are I
in way such as has new
r been known in any industry in a
his country before. Every single s
ne of these men is a menace to the /
OBJ of every man sitting in this hall d
oday and every other protected s
worker in the country In some
tates and communities the average q
wing wage is estimated at some h
hing slightly over $500 per year. D
We found in the state of Texas that &
arm tenancy has increased in TWEEN G.
years almost fifty per cent; and Il
nat fifty-three per cent of farms b
perated under this tenancy system q
lereased from $1,000 families to k
10000. We found that family W
known as a working force-that p
he children are worked from the age ii
years and women under condi, OF
ons that are revolving to the al
leughts of civilized beings. We di
'und in these states in which the m
'nant farmer evil has grown so e
st that entire families-this work Sc
& force-make something less than nj
800 year, this amount being the tn
'oduct of the continuous hard labor al
the whole family. tn
Mans Property Right I'm His Job. DC
When, however, | speak of a mans he
operty right in his job l do not re-
7 to these people that are held UNI to
r this system of slavery or yearly pr
ntracts where the owner of the pa
rm dictates a certain crop that the tn
an shall raise, and that represents or
e economic conservation at the END ro
every wear. so that he must rub ii tn
and begin to total over again en-
}, do not refer to them, but / re- cit
to the property rights In then raj
c of hg ,I,s