Grand Forks herald., 1919-12-15

ss II NHSCS tue farmer - 1SS60!nH on
they 'bs capitalists or lapgrfns men,
that utfsSs they are willing to do
their partsin bringinS about a just and
equitabIe solution .of 4 our present re-
construction probASns th6y ARE going
t0sbeMithout the xoQd which they re-
Quire. II the farmer carries out this
do to industry what he believes indus
try is trying to do to him, the people
of America eventually will feel the
pangs Of famine. It makes no material
difference how high wages may be-
come II the men who earn these high
wages can not buy food because there
IL NO food. sss.If the supply Of bread.
milk or meat is curtailed by the farm-
er refusing to work more than six,
seven or eight hours day. America.
with all its wonderful resources and
opportunity will get a setback from
which it will take a long time to re,
cover. - /
"Mr. Farmer today is saying to the
miners and the mon employed IN I'M
dustry: You want mo to produce
more SO that you may buy food at a
low price: but while you are asking
this by your strikes and demanda
for shorter hours, you are producing
less and less Of the things I have 70
buy. am getting tired Of this. Why
should I carry the burden of recon-
struction while you compel me to pay
ruinous prices for the goods you pro-
duce! If you will produce all you can
I will produce all can, and we both
will be gamers, but If you produce as
little as you can then will do the
same and will suffer less than you.
Two can play at this game Of under
production, and, while do not care
to do so. If necessary will give you
a dose !of your. own medicine.
'"rhe farmer is justified in taking
this position.
eve cannot get away from this
conclusion: Whether We are engaged
ia industry ip mining or in agricul-
we can, for we are all interdepend-
ent. A man in industry is dependent
on the man who tills the soil for food,
while the farmer is dependent upon
industry for his clothing, housing,
transportation and for the machinery
he uses in planting. cultivating and
harvesting his crops. Everybody Is
man who works with his hands Is de-
pendent on the man who works with
his brain or his money. The man who
works with his brain or his money 10
dependent on the man who works
with his hands. The world is one vast
machine and every man in it must
carry his full load Of responsibility II
the machine ia to work without fric.
! ton. Therefore we an must cooperate
to increase production in every line,
! because such action win be mutually
beneficial.
..As production increases, the stand
ard of living rises and/as production
decreases the standard OF living is
lowered. The value of money is de-
termined by what we can do with It
and by that alone. A workers real
wage is the goods he can buy with
his labor. The fact that he makes. this
exchange through q money medium
does not alter the case, and the num-
Der Of dollars he receives for a unit
Of labor is not the true measure OF
his income. What good would billion
dollars do man who was alone on a
| desert island? 4
"Production alone can control pric-
es and the cost Of production depends
almost entirely upon the efficiency Of
labor and the cost Of raw materials.
Today we hear mon say; I'VE are no
better of now: than we were before
the war in spite Of the high wage we
are earning OF course they are not
An increase in income is no gain. un-
or production, for with the upward
:'>'1d Of production the trend of prfc.
e:. 8 down. Then and only then Is. ths
increased wage truly valuable. Iui
creasing the per capita production Of
useful articles ts the only means by
which the cost Of living can be forced
down and the standard of living rails.
ed. That means that every one Of US
whether he works with his brain o.
his hands, whether he Is engaged II
manufacturing, in mining or in agri,
culture, must do his utmost if the gen
eral prosperity Of all the people is t
be advanced.
"This does not mean that we necee
sarily must work longer hours, but +
does mean that In the hours we d.
work we must, by concentration O.
effort and greater efficiency, producl
as much or more Of the finish produc
than we formerly did working longe
hours. Then we, who are engaged II
industry. can say to the farmer: See
we are maintaining a high production