Evening journal., 1918-02-21
CREATING A EOLSHEVIKI
An Essay on Wages
lFrom the New York Trlbunel.

Take an extreme supposition and Sc,
what will happen
BY edit at Washington all wages
everywhere in the whole country ar,
doubled at once The craftsman who
got so cents an hour yesterday viii gel
81 today; the clerk who got 500 a weel
until last night receives from thi.
morning forward $40. The housemaio
who was paid $50 a month shall have
500. The executive person whose sal
airy was $4,000 year is advanced io
s20O00 The President Of the United
States who got $50 0OO will henceforth
be paid 100000 q year
What now? Is everybody twice as
well OF as before?
OF course not. On slight reflection
any one can see that people on fhe
whole are no richer They have more
money But they have no more of
anything ele The supply OF things we
exchange money for cannot be in
creased by edict or magic. OF food
fuel, clothes, houses, ribbons. lewelry
music, hardware and beer the dlan-
tjty in existence Is the same as before
wages were doubled. There Is only
twice as much money 10 spend for the
same amount Of goods. Spending the
money will not increase the total sup
ply Of goods; itswill affect prices only
and cause them 10 rise
All Of this is so obviously true that
it seems naive to make a reasoned
statement Of it You can prove H..
theoretically statistically and historic
ally.
Yet it does not follow that the uni
versal and unceasing demand for high
or wages is red upon false premises
wholly or that the benefits arc an IL
usory.
What is true Of people collectively is
not true Of them individually The in
dividual has no theoretical statistical
or historical experiences He has only
personal experiences. He knows by
these that II his wages are raised he
viii be Immediately benefited. There
may be disadvantages. but they are
deferred. II you prove to him statistic
ally that the result Of doubling wages
by edict will be to double/prices, so
that nobody In the end will be any bet
ter off, he asks
How long will It take for that to
happen?"
You arc hazy as to that It might
gappen In one day. provided it were
work holiday, with all the shops open.
so that nobody had anything to do. but
TO spend the money
mo matter he will say. "Go ahead
and double WAGES I'll look out to spend
my money early"
lie puts The premium where it be-
iones-tfat Is, upon improyidence Such
is human nature IL prefers TO spend;
thrift is the hateful virtue.
The point Of view of the group Is
like that Of the individual No matter
If in time a general rise in wages is
nullifled by a rise in prices. Let time
produce its statistical compensations
The union that can first get its wage
rate up viii be able to spend the money
10 immediate advantage Before the
cycle Of wage Increases Is completed.
or, that is to say, before prices have
overtaken the FIRST and strongest
unions wages, that union can demand
another increase. and get the adyan-
tage again.
Here we come 70 another principle
The union puts the premium upon
strength. Weakness is s4penalized I'M
providence and strength Thrift and
weakness Tho world has been con-
trolled by those values since archaic
time
1t Is proved at this point that a rise
In money wages increases the wage
earner's immediate command over
goods at the expense OF the weak and