Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-09-20
SECRETARY WILSON
RAPS BUSINESS men
FOR WAR PROFITS
Other Speakers Tells Of
Methods To Be Invoked If
War Is Won
(By George Martin)
Omitted Press Staff Correspondents

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
Atlantic City, N. j., Sept. 20.-Direct
responsibility for strikes and the spirit
of unrest IN the ranks of labor since
the war began was placed on the should
ers of unpatriotic profiteering of Am
erlcan businessmen by Secretary of La
Dor Wilson, today, addressing the war
convention of American businessmen
with the United States Chamber of
Commerce.
'"I have told labor" said Wilson,
"that this is no time for them to in.
sist on recognition of their unions, nor
to force changes of standards they could
not change in peace times; that this
Program %endangers the future liberty
of our people.
81 now tell you American business
men, that this is no time to stand upon
your prejudices, nor to insist upon pro-
fiteering, as many of your members
have been doing. If you couldn' t col
lect abnormal profits in normal times.
you shouldn't take advantage of the
necessities of your country in this time
of crisis"
Labor has been restless, Wilson said,
because word has gone forth that the
iron and steel manufacturers are max
ing 200 to 400 per cent profit and that
shipping, mining and men of other in.
dustries are making enormous profits
"This feeling haA seen Justified, -
Wilson continued, "My investigation of
the coal industry in the eastern states
proved it in one of many instances De-
cause we found prodL.cers were exerting
a five and six dollar margin on coal.
"You should welcome price fixing on
your product because it means a logical
standard to pay for labor. Let labot
and yourselves find a ground that is
acceptable, If not satisfactory, to in
sure the greatest amount of production
st the least cost in cash and labor
Avian A. Johnson, president of the
Baldwin Locomotive Works, bitterly at
tackled the Sherman antitrust law rs
interfering with the work of business
men in aiding the government N win
mag the war.
cot has been demonstrated" I'D sail
'fthat the Sherman act will not stand
the strair Of war;"
Not all the wholesale and retail mer-
chants of America are cooperating with
te government IS war program, Henry
N. Dennison, of the wal economy board
of the Council of National Defense told
a group meeting of the chamber.
Plans to bring these ''industrial
slackers' into line to effect further
war economies among retailers to the
public are being outlined and probably
will be included in the chamber s final
program 30 be adopted today,
Among the more radical proposals
affecting the buying public, particular
ly the women, were these:
Give buyer who carries purchases
home a lower price than the woman who
has them delivered.
Give the buyer who pays cash a ld&
err price than the one who has the goods
charged.
To eliminate the practice Of the WON
an "who buys a spool of thread, has it
charged and delivered miles away and
does something of this sort several times
a day." charge ten cents or more for
all deliveries up to 81 and provide a
free delivery once a day for supplies
aggregating more than 81.
A national campaign of public educa-
ton on these and other wal economy
problems, it was announced by Bentlv
2. Neff, of the National Mercantile
Dealers association, will be started thru
local commercial clubs, all over the
country by the United States Chamber
of Commerce.
This campaign will be backed, he said
by the Worlds Salemanship Congress,
Associated Advertising Clubs of the
World, the United Commercial Travel
ers and many colleges and universities.