The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1919-09-05
President Wilson Issues Ap.
peal To the Nation For,
Truce Pending Eco.
nomic Adjustment
PEACE OF NATION MENACEO
Let Us Mobilize For Reconstruction;
II We Fail 1t Will Mean National
Disaster" Public Is Warned-StilI
Higher Prices Inevitable Result OF
Wage Concessions.

ngton.-President Wilson is
! sued the following appeal to the ma
ton:
NV Fellow Citizens A situation
has arisen in connection with the adj
ministration Of the railways which is
of such general significance that l
statement concerning it, in order that
the whole country may know what IS
involved.
The railroad shopmen have demand
Ell large increase in wages. They
are now receiving So, 63 and 6S cents
per hour. This demand has been
given careful and serious considera-
ton by the board which was constl-
tuted by the Railroad Administration
to adjust questions of wages, board
consisting Of an equal number OF rep
reSentatives Of employees and OF the
operating managers of the railroad
companies. This board has been I'M
able to come to an agreement, ana
therefore has devOlved upon the Di-
rector General of Railroads and my
self to act upon the merits of the case.
The shopmen urge that they are en-
titled to higher wages because of the
higher wages for the present received
by men doing a similar work in ship
Yards. navy Yards and arSenalS, as we'll
as in number Of private industries,
but | concur with the Director Cen
eral in thinking that there is no real
basis for comparison between the set
tied employment afforded mechanics
by the railroads under living cOndl-
lions as various as the location anG
surroundings of the railway shops
themselves and the fluctuation employ
meut afforded in industries exception
ally and temporarily stimulated by the
war and located almost without eXcep-
ton in industrial centers where the
cost of living is highest.
Cost of Living at Its Peak.
The substantial argument which the
shopmen urge is the very serious in
crease 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 everywf ere being con-
ccrted and carried out. 1t certainly
viii! be lowered soon as there are set
fled conditions of production and OF
commerce, that is so soon as the treaty
of peace is ratified and in operation,
and merchants, manufacturers, farm
ers and miners all have certain basis
of calculation as to what their Dusl-
ness will be and what the conditions
will he under which it must be con-
Quoted.
The demands of the shOpmen, there
fore. and all similar demands, are In
effect this: That we make increase in
wages, which are likely to be perma-
nenr in order to meet temporary sit
uation which will last nobody can GER
tainly tell how long, but in all proba-
biIity only for a limited time. Ill
creases in wages will, moreover GER
family result in still further increasing
the cost of production, and, therefore,
rne cost of living, and we should only
hove to go through the same process
a-ain.
ANY substantial increase of wages in
leading lines of industry at this time
would utterly crush the general CAM
paign which the government is waging,
with energy, vigor and substantial
hope of success, to reduce the high
cost of living. And the increases III
the cost of transportation which would
necessarily result from increases IN
the wages of railway employees would
more certainly and more Immediately
have that effect than any other ell
HANGED wage costs. Only by Keeping
the cost of production on its present
level. by increasing production and by
rigid economy and saving on the part
If the people can we hope for large
decreases i'm the burdensOme cost of
living which now weighs Us down.
T No Time For Higher Rates.
The Director General Of Railroads
and / have felt that n peculiar re-
sDonsibility rests upon us, because IN
determining the question We are not
studying the balance sheets Of corpor-
atioas merely. We are, in effect, de-