Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-11-14

n ruins in what were once towns
and villages in Belgium and
France, the dull debris is already
taking on the outlines of streets and
building lots. The impoverished
owner returns to a staggeringly
hopeless prospect, but he spares no
effort to do his part toward the
restoration of his beloved city. The
hours of daylight are all too short,
his physical endurance incapable to
measure up to the effort of his am
btion.
In Germany, tremendous activity
is putting forth it's trained hand,
for organizing industrial operations,
and before the rest of the world
realizes. German goods will again
be flooding the markets of every
continent. To regain their lost
| trade, they aim to undersell other
| nations, especially the United States.
In order that they may undersell,
the German workman-to whom no
sacrifice for the Fatherland is too
greats already feverishly working
ten and twelve hours per day in the
| factories of that country.
There are not wanting those who
believe that much of the agitation
in this country, the fomented un-
rest, the demand for the six-hour
day, and five-day week, finds its in
! spiration in anything but sincere
desire to benefit American work.
men. 1t is certainly very plain that
whatever clogs the wheels of pro-
duction in any one country, making
| that production smaller in quantity
and higher in cost, reverts to the
great advantage of any other coun-
| try whose manufacturing costs are
| less. That is not to say it is desirable
to work IL hours day, nor that
more than eight hours a day is nee
essary in the great majority of oc-
cupations, nor further, that by
natural process of development and
invention, the work of the world
may not be eventually accomplished
in six or five or four-hour day.
But I do assert there never was
in the worlds history such need of
production as now, and IL all the
workers of the world, including la
Dor unions, in order to get supplies
back to pre-war normal, would turn
in and work diligently, with their
old pre-war> pep in what they do,
| for ten or even eight hours a day
| for a short time, the result would be
felt in lower prices almost immedi-
ately. Instead, the present attitude
| of labor unions is to arbitrarily de-
mand a decreased production at a
! higher cost. and base their demands
on the resulting higher cost, for
more, and more, utterly regardless
of the effects on the larger body of
workers who belong to no union.
| And the profiteerS are just as bad,
or worse. for they have wider
vision and a better realization of
what they are doing. 1t seems to
be a sort of industrial joy ride in
which each group is trying to out
run the rest, regardless of who, or
how. many, are run over in the race.
I think the sanest statement on
conditions to-day was uttered by
Secretary of the Interior Lane. when
he said:
"Oh, for a few days of real sanity,
when, with composed nerves and
calm judgment, and without bitter
ness of feeling, we could look at our
problems and meet them with our
traditional hopefulness and conf
dence."
What we all need is cooperation;
less selfishness for ourselves and the
group to which we belong, and more
regard for the rights of others. The
war has left us all more or less af-
fected by shell ShocK, with blurred
vision and shattered nerves. The
deals of the millennium cannot be
achieved or forced by any process of
legislation by government, or the
fiat of organized labor. 1t can only
come as fast as an overwhelming
public sentiment believes in and sup
ports it. This is a growth, not a
miracle. Any other way is futile.
lust as National prohibition was the
result of so years of effort and edu-
cation, and could not and did not
arrive until time had done its work
When labor officials, intoxicated
with success. attempt to paralyze
the industries and welfare of the en-
tire Nation with a coal strike. cou-
pied with the threat to call out all
union members in every other line
of industry. 1t becomes evident that
some labor leaders have utterly lost
their heads. and no longer realize
what are the real and best interests
| of their own members The atti-
} tude of some labor leaders during
the past few weeks has unfortun-