Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-11-23
LABOR NEEDS NO
CODDL|NC IN WAR
Order Granting It Special Privileges
Involves an Unjust I'm
plication.

To the Editor Of The Star:
AS reported in your paper for the
18th instant. the bureau Of ordnance
and the quartermaster department Of
the Army have issued general orders
to arsenal commanders and manufac-
turers executing governmental orders
making certain suggestions relating to
labor. These suggestions are to the
effect that proper consideration should
be shown to labor in the matter of
wages, working hours. etc. preserib-
ing ten hours as the maximum work
ing day and recommending that the
minimum wage rates should be made
in proper relation to the cost Of living.
with other rules designed to prevent
the laboring class from suffering in
any way through the war.
One who Is unfamiliar with the
average workingman would derive an
impression from these suggestions
that he is unpatriotically unwilling to
bear his share Of the general burden
xens Of the United States: that he is
more concerned that he shall be prop
er1y cared for than that his country
shall win the present war. 1 cannot
believe that the laboring classes thus
constitute a contingent apart from all
the rest Of their llow-citizens-a con-
tingent SO engrossed with its own well
fare that it has little regard to bestow
on the welfare of Its country.
All other classes, high and low, rich
and poor, are meeting the situation
gamely-making sacrifices of all kinds,
accepting wages or salaries grossly in
adequate in view Of the great advance
in the prices Of necessaries. cheerfully
adopting all kinds of makeshifts and
substitutes, willingly working over
time, even giving additional time and
labor to help the country meet the
emergency that confronts it, In the gov
eminent departments the clerks. includ-
ing. doubtless. those employed in the
two bureaus, issuing the orders in ques-
ton, have been working overtime with
out thought of extra pay. glad to feel
despite the fact that they are notori-
ously underpaid. not only in respect of
the general cost OF living. but In COM
parison with laborers in the shops and
lishments. also banks. commercial
houses and others-the clerks who. for
hard wearing mental work, under
Badly lighted and otherwise uncon-
genial quarters. receive q mere pit
tance beside the wages of mechanics
and artisans. have accepted cheerfuliy
the additional work and longer hours
entailed on them by the unusual and
strenuous conditions.
Surely these orders. taking such ten
der care Of the laboring man lest he
suffer any Of the general hardship, do
him an injustice by implication. Many
Of these men. probably the great ma
jority OF them, are as ready to support
their share OF the burden for the coun-
try's sake as the bank clerk. the gov
eminent clerk, yes, and the department
heads. bankers and masters of COM
merce and industry, who have almost
without exception accepted their share
of sacrifice with great readiness and
willingness These orders imply that
the workingman is a Stacker" and
should be resented by the working class
as a unit. They should say, do not
coddle us; we are willing and ready
to make sacrifices with the rest We
are not fools or traitors-willing to
| to save us from disaster. We are not
babies-that we should be carefully
| guarded while all the rest are fighting
are not SO weak or selfish that we are
unable or unwilling to stand a little
hardship with other patriots. We have
| sense enough to know that II we re-
| fuse to suffer little privation now in
common with our fellow countrymen
ws shall bring disaster, perhaps ruin,
on our country, and shall then have to
suffer great privation involuntarily.
| or children that have to be petted and
pAtted soothing1y and condescendingly
on the back while the real men are
dealing with the danger that threatens
Repeal your order and show US that
| you have as much confidence in our
! intelligence, our patriotism and our
good sense as you have in those Of the
other citizens of the United States.
| Treat US like decent men who are as
ready to do our Bit for the country
| that we are all in honor bound to sup
| port as any other class Of citizens In
| the land" HENRY OLDYS.