The Butte daily bulletin., 1919-06-07
Frank P. Walsh, Ex- Chair
man of the War Labor
Board, Believes Right to
Live Is Paramount.

Frank P. Walsh, rugged fighter for
labor, appearing as counsel for the
marine workers of the port of New
York in the recent hearing of the ma
tional war labor board, crushed the
antlquated idea of autOcracy in a
memorable speech
in every trick, by sheer vigor and
personal courage Walsh brought the
cause of the workers through the
barrage of statistics and misrepre-
sentations as brilliantly as any labor
case has been conducted, and GER
tainly with more powerful argu-
mentS.
What Walsh wants as result of
his experience as chairman of the in
dustrial relations commission, which
laid bare the terrible conditions in
industry in this country in 1914, and
of his vain fight as chairman of the
national war labor board, is the elm
ination of all Industries that do not
yield enough wages for the workers
to exist in reasonable health and
comfort
$33 a Week Minimum.
For New York this sum, he thinks,
is $1,700 year. This amounts to
about $33 "A week The fact that fire
men, policemen, postal employees and
the great mass of workers do not get
this much makes no difference to
Walsh. He says that justice de-
mands it, and unless the state gives
justice it will be overturned.
1t is these views that he holds
placing property rights below the
n hnf h In t1@
personality of Walsh flame like a
meteor across the vision of the aver
age wage worker. 1t is the expan-
sion of these views that will proba-
bly, make the American labor party
a factor in the presidential election
in 1920.
Addresses the Big Chiefs.
William H. Taft, former president
of the United States, was presiding.
Next to him sat Basil NJ Manly, joint
chairman with Taft of the war labor
board, appointed to succeed Walsh
On Taft's left hand sat c. E. Michael,
an employer who, with w. L. Hutch
eson, president of the United Broth
erhood of Carpenters, had presided
at the sessions in which the testi-
mony had been presented.
uC ldUol 6lOup SdI OIl lie IlSuL
OF Taft. They included Adam Will
kinson, Fred Hewitt, Theobald NJ
Guerin, Matthew Woll, John Man
ming and Thomas Rickert.
Saying that the testimony pre-
sented in the case of the actual cost
of living in New York was the most
complete of any of the cases that had
yet been presented before the war
labor board, Walsh launched into
demand for minimum wage for the
harbor workers to maintain them as
decent human beings. He said:
Professor Ogburn of this board
was introduced as witness His
testimony was that in this community
the bare cost of subsistence was
$1,000 a year or $11J month. He
testified further that the budget
named and proclaimed by the Presi-
dent of the United States as one all
working men We're entitled to have
at least until peace was declared,
amounted to $1,SO0 year, little
over $1,S00 year.
Wants Actual Prices.
1--WE do not accept that budget as
proper living buget in New York
We accept Professor Ogburn's opin-
loi oH lHdI dIu VIC dulIlt ludt IL HAS
very great persuasive force, but these
men have conditions to deal with in
their employment different in that
perhaps from what others have and
they declare and maintain that they
should not be held to a theoretical
rate as to the cost of living of this
character; that it might be we'll to
use it as basis, but that hey have
right and do present to this board
their view specifically based upon
what they actually have to pay for
the articles and which they claim
should be used by this board in fixing
their wages
Walsh said 5000 more than the
lowest sum fixed by the expert was
necessary to maintain workers in
health and in comfort in New York.
I'VE maintain" he continued,
that in fixing these wages in the
harbor of New York the lowest
amount paid to any man should be
$1,000 year as mere subsistence.
If the principles of this board are to
be carried out as we hope and expect
that they will be in this case, the
lowest figure fixed for any man in
this harbor should be the sum of ST.
700 year.
Human Rights First.
AS counsel for the workers he re-
ferred particularly to the testimony
of Mrs. Grace klueg, a housewife,
and Miss Ann Hogan, working girl
who kept house for her father and
sisters, for his facts on the actual
living cost. He drew this conclu-
sion:
when the statement was made
that these men were relying upon
their government to have finding
made in this case giving them enough
for a man and his family to live on
in health and reasonable comfort the
answer from the boat owners side
was that that was 'arrant socialism
to claim such thing
ITO begin with, the question of
the living wage does not involve the
question of the ability of the boat
owners to pay, the idea being, as l
understand it, that if they claim that
this is parasitic industry (that it
is not able but must call upOn the