The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-06
Concrete Facts About
Millions of Subscrib-
ers a n d w h o le-
hearted Support
Given by Unions
By AGNES c. LAUT.
IT buyinp Liberty bonds?


Is labor Loyalty toiling to win the war,
or is it using the war as a club to bring
capital 10 its knees?
These questions have been asked may
say that labor considers each of them to
be an insult, and for reasons that | shall
presently give in labor's own words. 1
may add that in all the chaos of the pres
ent industrial situation the brightest CLEAN
on the horizon, the star arising in the
east TO lead the world to a new partner
ship between capital and labor, seems to
me To be the educative influence of the
Liberty bond campaigns teaching labor TO
become, an investor in capital, a partner
with capital, ratherthan an enemy pulling
the economic world down in ruin.
Recently l went through a great ammu-
milton plant roofing more than seventy
acres and employing minimum of 5000
men and women, maximum of 10000
engineers. chemists, professional special
lists who had spent five or six years school
ing themselves for their work and at least
ten more years in subordinate positions.
gaining experience in their work, receiving
salaries all the way from $50 to 800 a
week; but the skilled, fast workman in
that same plant was a very inferior type
indeed who was not clearing $15 week
and the ajority of the skilled wOrkmen-
all under 30 years of age-by working
overtime and double time on Sundays
were pulling down from 800 to $3.50 a
week
Work Kept Up at Tense Point.
The work was not at a fevered pace, but
from end TO end of the factory it was
tense to the point Of being almost ter
rife. Those men and women knew they
were part of the war. They were put
ting something very vital to the war over
the top.
They knew they were the reserve be-
hind the firing line; and when they caught
a German spy punching concealed holes in
something they would have lynched him
but for the rescuing hands of the police
There was not doubt, not for the frac-
ton of second, whether that section of
labor was loyal or not. 1t would have
organized firing squad or lamp post
brigade in about two more minutes
That is all right. Labor in that factory
is loyal and it is probably typical of
nearly all big war plants; but is labor
buying Liberty bonds? Is it carrying its
share of wars financial burdens2
The charge has been made that labor is
not, and the charge usually takes this
form: When the Last Liberty bonds were
sold countless professional people, men
and women earning far less than these
muntion workers, borrowed money from
the bank or let other debts stand or drew
fUm savings to buy bonds. Did labor do
the same? The answer has been made, it
did not, and in proof the finger has been
pointed at increased savings deposits in
all the bank centres where there are NUM-
ton works.
The deposits by big wage earners did
not show any shrinkage when the last
DOuuS were ltuncueu. lHeTeIOrc IL WAS
charged labor was not buying Liberty
bonds; and if capital was buying Liberty
bonds and labor was not, then our system
of war finance was simply an invisible
CONSUMPTION Of wealth.
Vague Way Charge Was Made.
The funds you and borrowed to buy
bonds, the debts we incurred for bonds,
were simply withdrawn from general cir
culation to so back through war spend
ings into higher and higher wages for
labor, which was not buying bonds at all.
If that was not eonscription of savings
and self-denial for the benefit of labor
what was it! That was the vague way
the charge was made.
1t caused burning resentment against
the higher and higher wage scale; but, as
one of the greatest munition employers in
the country declared: 1--WE have to win