The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-04-30
ARMY or us. TO|LERS
IN MAY DAY DEMANDS
More Than Two Million Workers
Expected to Ioin in Request
! for Increases.

tor increases.
CONTINUED from First Pase)
stock OF his wages. hours, conditions.
and what his fellow unionist has accom-
pisshed," said Frank Morrison. secretary
OF tho American Federation OF Labor:
Tomorrow 2,293.5o0 working men who
have received no increases in wages
most naturally will think OF those iO6.-
800 men who have. and II Is but human
that they compare their lot with that OF
those more fortunate.
All Want Equal Treatment.
"You cannot convince man doing
certain kind of work In one city that he
IL no. worthy of the same hire as
brother craftsman in another city
Therefore, II may be expected that the
hundi eds Of thousands of men not bene-
flied by the Increases which become eff
fective tomorrow. will bestir themselves
ali tho more to improve their lot. Each
Increase In wages or reduction OF hours
must necessarily be used as an object
lesson and definite case In point" :.
Secretary Morrison said he expected
as many. II not more. demonstrations on
the part of unorganized men as union
lists.
tho unorganized men not only have
their Dissatisfaction over hours, wages,
and conditions, but they rankle under
the additional hardship Of denial of the
right to organize" he added.
Tile dissatisfaction may be controlled
with mailed first for a while. but 1t
always finds expression on May l. when
the uLionized men are making agree
mshts for better wages and hours. or
are asserting their demands for these
changes"
When Worker Gets Inning.
Federation officials sum UP the signif-
canoe of May Day to the working man
thus:
May marks the real beginning of
spring. 1t Is the time when the farmer
tills the soil and sows his seed, and
when the working man must do like
wise.
"On that day the working man. who
has had an Indifferent fall and winter
conditions. reviews the past twelve
months labor and return therefor, and
decides whether he can or will continue
10 work the same hours for the same
wages under the same conditions. or
whether he must demand changes. For
thirty years or more this has been the
custom among unionlsts throughout the
United States, and tomorrow Will be no
exception"
Secretary Morrison and other officials
concede tina. many reductions In hours
and increases In wages have been grant
cd during the past labor year, but they
say these changes were brought about
either through compulsion or were
granted voluntarily for the purpose OF
disarming working men. and In an at
tempt to tie their hands with regard to
other demands
All Classes Involved.
Tombrrow's demonstrations ares{ ex-
pected by Federation officials to involve
miners. cloakmakers. implement makers
shop workers, mill hands. munitions
factory workers, pachinists. laundry
workers. mechinists helpers. electric
workers. hat workers, street car men
tanners. and a large number of Other
classes OF working men.
Reports at the Federation office show
dissatisfaction and impending strikes
among all these classes of toilers. Ont
of the cases which has attracted especia
attention tie St the bd is 1sas ask
ing for more than 50 a week, their pres
ent wage.
Secretary Morrison's desk today wa
kilograms, all telling of strikes alread!
declared, impending walkouts. threaten
ed demonstrations, failures to interes
employers in demands. and denials o
the right to organize.
ALTHOUGH labor has made consider
able progress In the past year, the un
rest tomorrow will affect at least 1000, 90
working men," said Secretary Morrison
after reading the kilograms and clip
pings. -
at sounds paradoxical to say tina
conditions have improved and at tn
same time say that ten times as man
men will participate In the unrest I'M
year as did last But this Is fact;
1T Is due to the circumstance tina
ten times as many charters were grant
ed to local labor unions In 1915 as wer
that the unorganized men are ten time
as determined to have their demand
considered as they ever were before.
conditions are great deal bette
today than they were at TINS time Ia,
auctions in hours have been made, bt
these improvements affect very sma
percentage of the vast army OF wori
Ing men and women In this country.
What has come to the workin
classes during the past year has bee
wrung from the employers AFTER pi
ter contests just as distasteful TO lapo
as to capital.
'.In a number of cases, increases
wages and reductions In hours hay
come voluntarily, perhaps unexpected
in some instances.
but these were diplomatic ar
strategic rather than philanthropy
moves. Whenever one reads OF an en-
pioyer giving an employe anything will
out a struggle, II Is safe guess th'
the employer fedllZeu the tDlplOyt We
entitled to more and was preparing
demand his just deserts when the vo
untary concession was made.
Labor Asks No Charity.
sI.abor asks no charity.
"All It wants, and all 1t will accept
its Just due from capital: fair retu
for a fair days work.
"a living wage is not the cry toda
AUST the laboring man live on and o
with no hope except that he may sor
Gay make living wage?
1--WE believe he Is entitled to a Wis
of life which is not beclouded bv q
specter OF poverty. We believe he
entitled to. and that God Intended
should have. a wage upon which he al
his family can live in comfort.
To-day one-third of the working pc
ple In the United States live in povert
Between one-third and one-half OF Z
other working people live in discomfo
1--WE believe the working man shou
receive wage upon which he c.
properly support his family, bring
and euucate his children and take
place among hts fellow-men In I
world. He cannot do that now, work.
long hours for less than living wag
''That is why we have May Day lab
unrest. and that Is why we VIII contin
10 have II until the condition Ia rem
1iedb