The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1919-03-05
CIVILIZATION IN DANGER

whole institution might go with the
least tipple The wise old man made
an effort to secure the rule of reason
both in the ranks of labor and among
the men who employ labor. He spoke
as if he thought men no longer coun-
seled among themselves for their own
good. His outlook was not at all en-
couraging. The industries of England
are shaken with strokes.
What might destroy English civil
cation might also destroy American
civilization. 1t is also quite sure that
there is an unrest here remarkable
in it's tensity. The least touch off
goes into a flame and ends in,-just
the thing that is going on in New
York harbor. Sixteen thousand men
walked off jobs Tuesday morning at
the refusal of a demand for thirty
percent more wages, and with this
an eight-hour day.
All this came, too, with prices of
food stuffs dropping. 1t must be an
unwisely guided freak of a play for
labor to make. If prices had been
mounting still higher, to where it took
more wages to make things comfort
able and happy in laboring mans
world, nothing should be said against
the walk.out. But there is no tell
ing where the demands will stop:
The ship owners avow that they are
already providing a wage which is
next of kin to confiscation of their
vessels. They cannot exist, so they
say, and meet labor's demands. If
labor can show that at the prices they
are getting they cannot exist comfort
bly,. they need more pay. Let the
ship owners then get an increase on
their scale of charges, and place 1t
on their earnings as an increase that
goes to making the job worth while
for the employee. OF course, their
present claim is that they are already
collecting the limit for services
rendered
This strike is a show of enmity be-
tween capital and abOr,-nOthing ell
Sc. In rare cases, as in the case of
school teachers, the salary is still
not what it should be. Where strikes
are now being conducted, care ought
to be manifested by the leaders that
they are first making a just demand.
DuJ WIN
Lack of reason and fair play can
cost all our advances in free govern
ments. There is point beyond which
either side may not go. Labor and
capital are inter dependent. One can
not exist without the other, While
we have the work too do. let us be
sure that we do not create conditions
which will throw still more men out
Of employment,-an let us remember
that the laboring man is worthy of
= wage that will provide home and
the comforts of living.
There is still in all our southern
section work for all who may desire
to work, and there is in most cases
wage scale that will mean satisfactory
earnings. So long as we have this, let
us be glad. for England and some
other countries have no such bless
ings. Great armies of men have no
work in England all this too, follow
ing the loss of SO many men in the
var.
We are blessed with the most favor
aulc conditions in all the world.
That applies to the men in New York
VINO are now idling and who are con-
costing traffic all over this country's
greatest harbor. They have had good
conditions, generally speaking. We
ale brought to the point of asking,
what spirit is moving the laborers. 1t
cannot be self interest, or at least,
that cannot be the primary reason for
the strike. These are times when
great caution should be taken on
both sides to avoid just what is oc-
occurring in New York