The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-08-26

My Fellow Citizens:
A situation has arisen In
connection with the admins
tration Of railways which Is OF
such general significance that l
think 1t my duty to make
public statement concerning it.
in order that the whole coun-
try may know what Is involved.
The railroad snopmen nave
demanded large increase in
wages. They are now receiving
So, SO and 6S cents per hour.
They demand IS cents per
hour. This demand has been
given careful and serious con-
sideration by the board which
was constituted by the railroad
administration to adjust ques-
tons of wages, board con-
sisting OF an equal number OF
Representatives Of employees
and of the operating managers
Of the railroad companies. This
board has been unable to come
to an agreement, and 1t has,
therefore, dcvolved upon the
director general or railroads
and myself TO act upon the
merits of the case.
The shopmen urge that they
are entitled to higher wages
because Of the higher wages
for the present received by
men doing a similar work in
shipyards, navy yards and
arsenals. as well as in num-
Der Of private industries, but /
concur with the director. gen
eral In thinking that there is
no real basis of comparison
between the settled employ.
ment afforded mechanics by
the railroads under living con-
ditions as various as the loca-
ton and surroundings OF the
railway shops themselves, and
the fluctuating employment
afforded in Industries excep-
tionally and temporarily slim
ulated by the war and located
almost without exception, in
industrial centers where the
cost of living is highest.
The substantial argument
which the shopmen urge is the
very serious increase In the
cost of living. This is very
potent argument, indeed. But
the fact is that the cost OF
living has certainly reached
its peak, and will probably be
lowered by the efforts which
are now everywhere being con-
certed and carried out. It will
certainly be lowered as soon as
there are settled conditions Of
production and OF commerce:
that is. 80 soon as the treaty
of peace Is ratIned and In
operation, and merchants,
manufacturers, farmers, min
ers, all have a certain basis Of
calculation as to what their
business will be ana what the
conditions will be under which
1t must be conducted.
The demands or the shop
men, therefore, anc all similar
demands are in effect this:
That we make increase in
wages, which are likely to be
permanent, in order to meet a
temporary situation which with
last nobody can certainly tell
how long, but in ar, probability
only for limited time. In
creases in wages, moreover,
certainly result In still further
increasing the costs Of produc.
ton, and, Therefore, the cost OF
living, and we should onry
have to go through the same
process again. Eny substan.
tial Increase of wages in lead
ing lines of industry at this
time would utterly crush the
general campaign wnrcn the
government is waging. with
energy, vigor ana substantial
hope of success, TO reduce the
high cost of living. And the in
creases In the cost Of trans
portation which wourG neces-
sarily result from increases in
the wages Of railway employees
would more certainly and
more Immediately have that
effect than any other enhanced
wage costs. Only by keeping
the cost of production on it's
present level, by increasing
production and by rigid econ
omy and saving On the part of
the people, can we nope for
large decreases in the burden
some cost of living which now