The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1916-02-03

The United States Steel Corporation
has just granted raise of ten per cent
in wages TO its employees, amounting
to $15,0C0,o00 per year.
This is certainly good news and of
course the subsidized press of the
country. will sing the praises of the
Steel crowds generosity, the rhetor-
ical boquet will be handed with num-
erous side lines of swash.
But the Steel Trust only gave in to
labor because it was up against the
certainty of fight at the time of its
greatest prosperity. To accept a bat
tie at this time when the Corporations
untitled orders are growing in volume,
when its export business is the great
est in the history of steel, would have
meant the loss of millions. That is
what the Trust is after-millions. 1t
is not matter of sentiment-it is not
a spiritual uplift affair-it is MONEY.
Labor has at last perfected organiza-
ton sufficiently until now it can see
itself-it does not have to supplicate
it no longer bends the knee. The
fifteen million dollar increase will do
much toward raising its courage still
higher when it asks again for more.
II is entitled to more No industry that
lays aside more than hundred mil
lion of dollars annually in net profits
has any right to expect that labor
which produces this profit will stop
short of demanding justice.
There never was greater reproach
to our capacity to deal with corpora
tions than the way our former official
dom at Washington lent its secret sup
port to any great labor exploiting
industry in any test of strength. La
Dor must remember that it owes much
to Washington in its fight to gain a
few more of the crumbs of its energy.
The Steel crowd lost out at the last
election-there is no longer a silent
partnership between monopoly and the
make the Steel people happy, this
going it alone without help. The
Government was expected to fix things
so that reason" took the place of ag-
gressive clamor for living wages. La
Dor must exert every energy to the
utmost to see that it does it share
in keeping out of Washington the
rule of reason" crowd and it must
demand an equal representation with
capitalistic forces in governmental
respect.
God knows the country has waited
far too long in its treatment of the
problem of wages and capitalstic ex-
ploitation. Instead of leading, we have
the humiliation of seeing what were al
ways called 'decadent monarchies"
half century ahead of us in progress
We have men high up in business
life, in politics and even in religion
asking the laborer to accept meekly
and lay down into slime of degrada-
tion We have college professors of
endowed universities hSnting about
competitive trade wars in the near
future to build up public opinion
to accept sweeping reductions in
wages on the grounds of alleged nee
essities to hold our own in commerce
Organization and militant and cour-
ageous fighting has done much for la
Dor outside the field of politics but it
mus also enter into the political
arena with all its united strength in
order to hold its equal footing with
possible enemies.
a President who does not sympa-
thize with organized labor's PROPOSE
tion can in twenty-four hours after
his inauguration start secret wires
to working that will bring about ten
per cent reductions in wages ron ono
crsl - the country to the orar5.
l1ow risny urion labor votaries l,o-
Ieve that his wage increase ~ t1c
Steel ccrpo, alton could have ~. "a ID.
tancd hid 3'rn n. Taft been Tresi
dent? Not many, feel sure When
whole industry is organized by
union labor and war threatened in the
labor field the whole outcome de-
penfs upon government favoritism
toward the employing class in the use
Of force. If the exploiting employers
cannot commit crimes in the way of
violence unchecked by government