Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-29

should be taxed on q heavity inc'sno.
ing scale (Which. incidentally. oannot
be done to fully satisfactory desree
SO long as production is kept down Wy
the kind of priee-fixing' that nas peeA
attempted. All corporations uo'ns
an interstate or foreign business
which means all big temperatures.
Should, by system Of license or 81
Incorporation, come under naticnai
control, being made subject to some
national board at washington ana re
auircd to comply with the regulations
established by this administrative
board in compliance with congress
sional action; and so long as the cor
pcrations thus comply they shoulh be
left free from the operations or me
Sherman Jaw The law and reguia-
tons should be designed to carry out
tie purpose above expressed.
business cannot be permanently
successful nor can the commonwealth
! itself permanently stand on a safe
basis in a political democracy like
ours unless we conscientiously strive
10 make the working man in some real
sense a partner in the business in
which he works; that is. to make this
an industrial as well as political
democracy. Democracy can succeed
neither in peace nor in war save
through leadership. The effort to
level down instead of leveiins up rep
resents that odious envy of success
which is but another manifestation OF
the same evil spirit which in certain
very successful men shows itself as
an oGiouS arrogance toward the less
successful. The arrogance and the
envy are merely different sides OF the
same evil shield. In striving to secure
square deal for tie working man, TO
share Of the profits Of and gradually
a share along certain lines in the con
troll of. the business, We must keep
steadily in mind these truths or We
shall cause more harm than W. ZEN
edy.
Where Government Has Failed
Tie government at Washington mas
wholly failed TO do it's duty in connee-
ton with labor. and it is to this fail
ure that a large part of the oalami-
tous breakdown in the shipping pro-
gram is due. To say that we are oc-
Kind in the ship program is to de-
scribe disc ster in the terms Of an ac-
! cldent. 1t is now apparent that the
promise made wear ago as to the
shiobuilding program will not be more
than third fulfilled; and this will
! lmmea surably cramp our effort
| abroad; and for the last few months
trouble has primarily lain with the
+, labor situation, and this in turn has
been largely. and probably mainly,
due to the governments Ahaphazard
| lack Of settled and well thought -odr
plan. The government failed efficient
ly to regulate profteering by our own
capitalists. or to discriminate between
| those of our own. capitalists who did
well ami those who did ill "a situation
which is. OF course. merely aggravat-
ed by any abandonment Of the tariff
or other action in the interest Of prof
iteering by foreign capitalists and
manufacturers who can use the I'M
derpaid labor Of overseas against our
own industrial workers.. This inyit-
ed labor troubles; and the government
then feared to deal efficiently with tn.
evil conditions which it's own previous
neffciency had invited. England. on
the contrary. by dealing fairly and
fearlessly with both sides, has avoid
ed nine-tenths OF the labor troubles
! we have had and has been able to Az
cumulate Incredible quantities Of war
F, materials. Our government. has let
! both capitalists and labor unions use
the war merely as means to gain
advantage in the struggle with each
other. Such an attitude. on eithef
side, in this stupendous struggle, Tor
human rights and human safety -
treachery TO this country and to The
whole human race. Fundamentally il
is due to failure in duty by the gov :
! ernment; and an aroused public opin-
ion must compel the government tn
! do its duty, or else we shall find that
America has entered the war too late,
and has proved unequal to her task.
| The immediate need while the war
lasts. and while it is necessary In cv-
cry way to speed up production. Is for
! the government so to act rs regards
every industry connected with the
war as to secure the necessary reward
| for the capitalists and yet to stop al
excessive and improper profiteerlng;
so as to secure an ample reward for
the wage-workcr, and also to insist
that for the full wage a full days
work he done. In the past too often
capitalists in the name OF efficiency
! have specded up the work OF the la
bcrers to the top notch, and them !.
selves absorbed almost all the profits.
naturally this has produced a revolt in
which the workman has sought to
protect himself against exploitation
by limiting production and by reduc-
I ing the work OF all to the level OF the
work Of the least efficient. We CAM
not accept such attitude by either side
as proper. .5t
/ ). Issist on Efficiency
We have right to insist upon the
Utmost efficiency. But due proper
tion of the reward for the efficiency
must go to the wage worker; and ne
must have some representation in the
j business which will satisfy honest in
quiry on his, part that justice is be-
! that we proceed merely on theory. At
| the moment the Indiana State Coun-
J ell of Defense, under the presidency If
MI. Hays for example, illustrates pre-
cisely what | mean. The heads IF
labor organizations work on that
eminent, and with representatives of