The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-08-29
TO THE sHoPMEN.

Washington, Aug. 24.-The presi-
dent in his, statement to the, repre-
sentatives Of the shopmen said:
Gentlemen.
81 request that you lay this critical
matter before the men in q new light.
The vote they have taken was upon
the question whether they should in
sist upon the wage increase they were
asking or consent to the submission
Of their claims to new tribunal, to
be constituted by new legislation.
That question no longer has any Life
in It. Such legislation is not now
ia contemplation. / request that you
ask the men to reconsider the whole
matter Id view Of the following con-
siderations, to which ask their
thoughtful attention as Americans
and which I hope that you will lay be-
fore them as / here state them.
Requires Self-Sacrifice.
tsWe are face to face with situ-
alton which is more likely to affect
the happiness and prosperity and
even the life of our people than the
war itself. We have now got to do
nothing less. than bring our Industries
and our labor Of every kind back to
normal basis after the greatest up
heaval known to history and the wia-
ter Just ahead Of us may bring suf-
fering infinitely greater than the war
brought upon us If we blunder or
fail IN the process. An admirable
spirit Of self H-sacrifice, Of patriotic de-
yotion and Of community action
guided and inspired US while the
fighting was on. We shall need all
these now and need them in a height
ened degree, II we are to accomplish
the first tasks Of peace. These are
more difficult than the tasks Of war
more complex, less easily under
stood and require more intelligence,
patience and sobriety.s We modified
our man power for the fighting, let
us now mobilize our brain power and
our eonsciences for the reconstruc-
tion. IF we fail, it will mean nation
Al disaster. The primary first step
Is to increase production and facili-
tate transportation, SO as to make up
for the destruction wrought by the
war, the terrible scarcities it created;
and SO as soon as possible relieve our
people of the cruel burden of high
prices. The railways are at the cen
ter Of this whole process.
AZ After the Prifiteer.
The government has taken up
with all it's energy the task of bring
ing the profiteer to book, making the
stocks Of necessaries in the country
available at lowered prices, stimulat-
ing the production and facilitating
distribution and very favorable re-
suits are already beginning to ap-
pear. There is reason to entertain
The confident hope that substantial
relief will result and result in in
creasing measure. A general increase
in the levels of wages would check
and might defeat all this at its very
beginning. Such increases would in
evitably raise, not lower the cost Of
living. Manufacturers and producers
of every sort would have innumer-
able additional pretexts for increas-
ing profits and all efforts to discover
and defeat profiteering would be
hopelessly confused. / believe that
the present efforts to reduce the cost
of living will be successful, if no new
elements Of difficulty are thrown in
The way; and confidently count up
on the men engaged in the service Of
the railways to assist, not obstruct.
it is much more in their interest to
do this than to insist upon wage in
creases which will undo everything
Continued on page six.