Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-02-13
Church OPPOSES
REDUCING " faces
Increased Incomes for Labor and
Participation in Management,
Urged by Catholic Council.

Pledsing hearty support to all lcgiti-
mate efforts made by labor to resist
general wage reductions, Bishop Peter
j. Muldoon of Rockford, H.: Bishop
Joseph Schrembs of Toledo, o.; Bishop
Patrick J.. Hayes of New York City
and Bishop William t. Russell of
Charleston, S. c., representing the hipr-
archy Of the Catholic Church in Amer
lea in administering the National Cath.
Ollie Wal Council, have issued the fol
lowing as a part of an official pre-
nOuncement on economic and social re-
construction:
Wage Rates Should Be Sustained.
"The general level of wages attained
during the war should not be lowered.
In a few industries, especially some di-
rectly and peculiarly connected with
the carrying on of war, wages have
reached a plane upon which they can
not possibly continue for this grade of
occupations. But the number of work
ers in this situation is an eNtremci,
small proportion of the entire wage
r,.ining population. The overwhelmin"
majority should not be compelled or
suffered to undergo any reduction in
their rates of remuneration, for TWO
reasonS-iirst, because the average
rate of pay has not increased faster
than the cost of living: second, be
ause a considerable m.iority of the
W~agc-ealNcTS Of the United States.
both. mel and women, We're not rpcpiv-
ing living wages when prices began TO
rise in 1919. In that wear. according TO
Lauck and SydenStricker. whose work
is the most comprehensive on the sub
icct, four-ffths of The heads of fami-
lies obtained less than 500 dollars.
while tWO-thirdS of the female wage
earners were paid less than 400 dol
lars. Even if the prices of goods
should fall to the level on which they
were in 191J-something that cannot
be hoped for within five yeuS-tlle
average present rates of wages would
not exceed the equivalent of a decent
livelihood in the case of the asst ma
.jority. The exceptional instances to
liS L pitStiShIN III -pIliullS
the skilled workers. Therefore, wages
on the whole should not be reduced
even when the cost of living recedes
from its present high level.
Living Wage Minimum of Justice.
Even If the great majority of work
erS were now in receipt of more than
living wages, there are no good reasons
why rates Of pay should he lowered.
After all, a living wage is not ncceSSa-
rily the full measure Of justice. All
the Catholic authorities on the subject
explicitly declare that this is only the
minimum Of justice. In a country as
rich as ours there are very few eases
in which it IS possible to prove that
the worker would be getting more than
that to which he has Il right if he were
paid something in excess of this ethical
minimum. Why then should we assume
that this is the normal share of almost
the whole labOring population? Since
u industrial esOurce and instru-
mentalities are sufficient to provide
more than a living wage for Il very
large proportion Of the workers why
should We acquiesce in a theory which
denies them this measure OF the COM
forts of life? Such a policy is not only
Of very questionable morality, but is
unsound economically. The large de-
mand for goods which is created and
maintained by high rates of wages and
high purchasing power by the masses
Is the surest guarantee of a continuous
and general operation OF Industrial es-
adjustments. 1t Is the most effective
instrument Of prosperity for labor and
capital alike. The only persons who
would benefit considerably through n
general reduction OF wages are the less
efficient among the capitalists and tho
more comfortable sections of the con.
Sumers. The wage-earnerS would lose
more In remuneration than they would
gain from whatever fall IN prices oc.
CURED ms n direct result OF the fall I'm
wages. On grounds both OF Justice and
sound economics W. should give our
hearty support to oil legitimate efforts