Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-06
Is 1T SURPRISING!

The organs of the predatory in
terests cannot understand why the
young workingmen of the nation do
not respond to the call to arms. They
behold with a feeling of amaZement
compounded with Indignation the re-
fusal of the National Guard of Texas,
Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma to
render military service on the Mexi-
can border; they cannot understand
why our recruiting officers have only
been able to secure about 5000 men in
three months. They point with pride
to the 100000 patriots who marched up
Broadway, New York, and the 100000
who trudged along the streets of Bos
ton; and yet the country's call for
10000 has not been answered.
To the man in the street the ques-
ton naturally arises: Why don't
those New York and Boston patriots
visit the recruiting station and enlist?
There is nothing gained, no purpose
served, no victories won parading the
streets of peaceful cities to the strains
of martial music. Why don't these
valiant patriots march to the Mexican
border and take the place of the Ma
tional Guard who declare they are too
poor to leave their work to kill men
they never saw and against whom they
have not the remotest grievance?
Furthermore, those New York and
Boston patriots and their hirelings
practically own the country in fee
simple, while the workers are in des-
titute circumstances; consequently the
former have everything to fight for,
while the latter have not.
According to the report of the COM
mission on industrial relations the
wealth of the country between 1890
and 1912 increased from SOS 600, 000, 900
to $1S7, 900 100000, or 1SS per cent,
while the aggregate income of wage
earners in manufacturing, mining and
transportation had increased between
1889 and 1909 only 95 per cent, from
s., SIG, 900, 900 to $4,916 100000 in 1909
Furthermore, the wage earners' share
Of the net product of industry in the
| case of manufacturers was only 40
per cent in 1909 as compared with As
IN 1889.
1t is evident both from the investi-
cations of the industrial relations COM
mission and the reports of the various
departments of the government that
a large part of our industrial popu-
laitOn is living in a condition of &C
tual restitution. How large this pro-
! portion is cannot be precisely deter
mined, but it is certain that at least
one-third, possibly one-half. of the
| families and wage-earners employed in
/ the mining and manufacturing indus
| tries earn less in the course of the
| year than is necessary to support them
in anything like a comfortable and re-
spectacle condition.
| In 1909 the immigration commission
made an extensive investigation of the
earnings of 619,595 employees Of all
classes in our basic manufacturing and
mining industries and also as to the
i income and living conditions OF 1925
families.
| 1t was found that the incomes OF
almost tWO-thirds of these families, Ga
per cent. were less than $3.50 a year
and of almost one-third, 81 per cent
were less than $500, the general aver
age being 1921 1t was also shown
that the very least family could live
upon in anything approaching decency
is 500
Why in the name of political and in
dustrial justice should these people be
asked to enlist in our army and navy
or their burden made heavier by taxa
ton for preparedness" at time when
the president assures us that I'VE are
threatened from any quarter? But
worse than all, the pirates of preda-