The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1919-08-09
THE SHOPMEN'S STRIKE,

THE SHOPMEN'S STRIKE.
The strike of the railroad shop
men throughout the west, while not
yet sanctioned by the officers of the
international unions charged with
handling the demands of the men at
Washington, is generally approved by
labor's sympathizers everywhere.
1t is in effect a protest against
the high cost of living. What does
it avail workingmen if their wages
are raised 10 per cent and there fol-
lows in the wage of this gain an in
crease in the cost of living Of 20 per
cent. The men on strike give the
government the choice Of reducing
the cost of living or increasing wages
to meet the present cost. There is
no other issue involved.
This is the first organized protest
that has been made against the
piracy Of the American profiteers
who have a strangIe hold on the
country and will not voluntarily let
go. 1t is sample of what may fol-
low unless steps are taken promptly
to relieve the situation.
Talk about Bolshevism in America.
The food pirates and other profitters
are making more Bolshevists every
dav that all the soap box orators can
make in a year. If you want to know
the temper of the average working
man these days talk with him. He
Is willing to take any step, be It
lawful or unlawful, to destroy the
power Of the men and interests
responsible for the present unequal
relationship between his wages and
their purchasing power. 1t is a seri-
Gus situation the country is facing,
and the most lamentable feature of
the whole thing is that the politicians
at Washington do not yet appreciate
it's gravity.
It would not take long for fear
less government officials to discover
who are primarily responsible for the
high cost Of food stuffs if they went
about their work with heart. The
Federal Trade commission knows
who they are. It has Informed con-
gress time and again of the culprits
They live in Chicago and their names
are Armour, Cudahy, Wilson, Swift
and Morris.
Only this week the commission re-
ported to congress that these men
mad exacted from shoe manufacture
ers an exceedingly high prices for
packers hides. The shoe manufac-
turers, caught with the same greed ,
put an unusual profit on the shoes
they made. While the retailers fol-
low with another unusual profit,
charging $12 and s14 a pair for
shoes that are being sold for export
at the rate OF $3.50 and Sc a pair.
The five big packers, not
satisfied with their profits in
meat, have gone into the food
business generally. One packer has
purchased at IS per cent premium
all the green peas being canned in
the great pea producing state of Wis
consin. 1t is said that Armour has
at present in his possession every can
Of salmon in the country, and whole
sale grocers must 60 to him to get
their supply. Thus it goes from item
to item, all the people paying daily
tribute to the five master pirates of
the country. through whose greed
babes are starving and adults are
going half fed.
While a strike at any time is re-
erettable there are some things
worse than strikes, and one of them
Is a people so humble that they will
submit to any system Of robbery
tolerated by the government in which
they live without making more than
mild protest. The matter of the hig!,
cost of living hits US all. The
masses are unorganized and are un-
able to adequately meet the present
situation. Labor is organized and
labor is powerful. 1t is up to labor
10 save the day and the country for
all the people. The railroad shop
men Of the middle west see their
duty and they are meeting II in q
manner becoming the red bloode
men they are. They are making the
fight for us all.
l.
G. ."sr ... >1...5