Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-08-05
1.-THE pspissd Public"

1.-THE Dspissd Public"
We've got you by the throat.
You can't do anything about it. Now.
then. curse you, stand and deliver"
Some such philosophy appears to be
behind the present strikes OF the
public service corporations, such as
that which has been tying up the city
of Boston.
For this situation. we firmly be-
lieve. no other man is more directly
responsible than the President Of the
United States.
Mr.. Wilson picked the first brick
out Of this pavement when he backed
down before the railroad brother
hoods on the eve Of the election in
1915. That arresting spectacle Of a
President and Congress absolutely
dominated by four hulking labor
unions remains the first deplorable
scene In q lengtheniny series Of un-
enlivening pictures. From that day
forward we have been treated to an
increasing number Of labor troubles.
based on an assumption that the
public and its lawmakers are power.
less and have no resources save to
give. in and give in yet again. To
clinch this impression, much was
done by the Governments various
agents empowered to keep industry
moving during the war. Repeated
concessions designed to save q tenn
porarily disagreeable scene quite nat
urally crystalized the permanent idea
that the public had no other answer.
have seemed to be during the" war, 1t
clearly had its abiding drawbacks. It.
created the idea that there was no
power in the public or in the Govern
ment sufficient to insure the unin-.
terrupted service Of either the rail-
roads, telephones, telegraphs or any
other necessary public utility. in the
face Of unionized determination to
force fresh raise by laying the
whole country simultaneously under
contribution.-Lowell Courier Citi-
zen.
With American dollars worth less
than nifty cents and conditions daily
growing worse, one might be forgiv-
en- for asking: How long must we
submit to group control? We have
often referred to this vicious endless
chain Of costs going higher and
higher through union" labor and
administration connivance in the
sweating" Of nine-tenths Of wage.
earners and consumers.
Around and around we go. every
circle smaller and higher in the or
ganized labor domination and the
cost Of living. We started a gale Of
paper currency and are reaping q
twhirlwind Of imitation. Sane meth.
DDS Of dealing with the lowering Of
this crazy balloon. must be adopted
or some fine day the thing will blow
up.
Our Lowell neighbor refers to thu
shame Of our national government
when it spinelessly submitted to the
railway hold-pp men and started
the thing that has cost the common
people Of this nation untold billions
endless hardships and Inconvenience
and has got US nothing but an in
extricable mass Of trouble. But tina,
was only the beginning. The mos'
recent and damnable evidence q!
connivance by q federal department
to continue tie processes Of sucking
the public blood, is that Of the War
Department deliberately Withholding
its vast supplies no longer needed for
an army. from the reach Of Ameri-
can consumers. all in the interests
Of the gigantic meat trust now in
control Of the country's food supply
land the millions Of men for which
this food was purchased 40 an army
10 now largely back In civic life and
adding to the demand for what the
packers have to sell.
To put the matter bluntly, Just the
way It is viewed by the average man
Of reason and common sense, ana the
way he puts It: A political trust be-
gan, years ago. to engineer the labor
trust into its use. and it was found
necessary to harness up with the
meat trust to complete the cycle
We are now, enjoying the results Of
the deliberate determination Of
schemins Democratic politicians to
tie up the labor vote with that party
The power Of Sam Gompers in Wash.
ington il country known. That wa.
part Of it. The loading Of the rail.
way brotherhoods' dish with pudd'n
was another. Then connivance with
tie food trust to maintain prices and
thus stvs face to the need Of higher
and ut higher wages for every fav-
orsd group that is organized"
But what Of the rest Of us, who
.sys MT Organised? The rest Of us''
be damned. =. In substance, the a&-
tituds Of the political trust.
And thsrs " sre:-Innated cur
rsnry. snrsut that = reaching the
point az desperation. owners Of pub
lie utilities cedfrented By organized
,n.@ -sss 3 $50. 800 80 &c..