The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-08-26
President Addresses Country
OnDemdnds OfRM ShOpmen

WASHINGTON. Aug 25.-Thc
/ text OF President Wilson's statement
I regarding the shopmens wage in
/ crease question. addressed to the
/ public, follows.
My fellow ciusrns.
+ a situation has arisen In con
/ neciiun with thr administration of
the railways which " OF sucn gen
rral significance that / think Il my
duty To make a public statement
/ concerning u, In order that The
whole country may know what IT,
| involved
The railway shopmcn have de
mandcd u large increase In wages
They are now receiving 5S, 6J and
! IS cents per hour They demand So
/ cents per hour. THIS demand has
/ been given careful and serious con-
| siderrtion by the board which was
constituted by the railroad admins
| tration to adjust questions OF wages,
A board consisting OF an equal mum
| Der OF representatives OF employees
and OF the operating managers OF
! the railroad companies This board
/ has been unable To come to an
Iagreemcnt and 1t has therefore de
volvcd upon the director general OF
railroads and myself to act upon the
merits OF the case.
No BASIS Of Compnris
THE shupmcn urge that ihoN are
1 entitled ln higher wages because ot
| the higher wages for the present re
ceived by men doing similar WORK
Fin ship yards. navy yard ana
arsenals. as well AZ In n number OF
private Industries. but concur win
| .he director general In thinking thai
| there IL no real basis OF comparison
| between the settled employment Al
| fordcd mechanics by the railrohdN
under living conditions as various ns
the location and surroundings or me
! railway shops themselves and the
| fuctuatlng employment afforded In
| Industries exceptionally and tempo
rarily stimulated by the war and To-
Gated almost without exception IN
industr' al centers where the cost OF
| living Is highest
''rhc substantial argument when
| the shopmcn urge II the very serious
| increase In the cost Of living rms
| is "A very potent argument Indeed
! But the fact X that cost of living
/ has certainly reached It's peak, ana
| will probably be lowered by the cf-
/ forts which are now everywhere
/ being concerted and carried out II
will certainly he lowered as soon
AS there are settled conditions OF
production and OF commerce, thht
/ IL, 80 soon as the treaty OF peace ~
/ ratified and In operation. and mer-
| chants. manufa cturcrs. IA m =,
miners all have a. certain basis pl
/ calculation as 10 what thci- bust
| ness will be and what the conditions
| will bc under which n must be con
/ Quoted The demands OF the shop-
men therefore, and all similar de-
mands are In effect this That We
make increase in wages, which are
/ likely to be permanent, In order to
| meet temporary situation which
I will last nobody can certainly toll
| how long. but On all probability
! only for a limited time. Increases
| In wages. moreover. certainly result
/ In still further Increasing the costs
| OF production. and, therefor the cost
| Of living. and We should only have
| to 20 through the same process
/ again. Any substantial increase of
wages I'm leading lines Of Industry
! at this time would utterly crush
| tho general campaign which the gov
! crnment Is waging with energy,
NlCOr ana EuhstAntlal nope or sue
| cess To reduce the high cost OF liv-
Ing. And the increases In tho cost
/ of transportation, which would
necessarily result from increases In
the wages Of railway employees, would
more certainly and more immediate
" have the effect than any other
enhanced wage cost only by keep
ing the cost of production on its
present level. by increasing produc-
tion and by rigid economy and saw
ing on the part ~ the people can
we hope for large decreases In the
hurdensomc cost OF living, which
now weighs us down.
Determines Taxation.
The director general OF railroads
and / have felt that a peculiar re
sponsihiiity rests upon MS because In
determining this question We are not
studying the balance sheets of cor
porations merely. We are IN effect
determining the burden OF taxation
which must fall upon the people of
the country I'm general We are act
ing. not for private corporations. but
I'm the name OF the government and
the public and must assess our re-