Evening star., 1919-09-01
Labor's Day of Opportunity.


workingmen facing an exceptional op-
portunity and a grave responsibility.
They have an opportunity to play the
part of helpful, constructive citizen
ship through restraint and eonsidera-
tion for the general welfare. They
are confronted with the responsibility
of holding firmly against temptation
to demand and exact compensation be-
yond the limits of safety to the in
dustrial structure of the country.
During the war the workingmen of
the United States discharged their
duties in highly patriotic manner.
They met unusual conditions in a spirit
of cooperation. They worked against
hardships and in difficult eireum-
stances. They adjusted quickly to
new requirements, shifted their skill
to new lines of production, gave full
measure of value for their wages and
helped nightly to win the victory that
so quickly came to American arms.
While they were thus engaged the
cost of living rose rapidly and to
heights never before known in this
land of plenty. Enormous quantities of
food and other necessities of life were
being shipped out of the country. Pro-
duction of the actual requisites of life
had been checked for the sake of the
making of war munitions. An actual
shortage was felt here and the eco
nomic laws began to work and the re-
suit was price limitations.
Part of this rise of prices was due
to the cost of production, of which
wages were commanding percentage.
In the haste of warmaking and the
need to subordinate everything else to
the one object of putting our troops
overseas in the shortest possible time
and in the best possible shape for sue
eessful campaigning, there was little
reckoning of the ratio of cost and
profit, of burden and compensation.
Now the process of readjustment is
in course. Pending the ratification Of
the treaty which will establish formal
~ condition of peace, the govern
ment is making every possible effort
to restore the balance, to bring down
artifcally inflated prices, to effect a
more equitable and economic distribu-
tion of necessities, to punish profiteer
ing. Much has been accomplished, but
not enough, and the root of the evil
condition has not been reached. To
reach it more time is needed, but above
all there must be a truce, as the
President declared the other day, to
the contest between wages and costs,
piling up the burden without effect
ing any cure of the disease.
More production is needed. Every
man must work to the utmost to make
his labor count for the rationing of
the country and the supply of its
needs With larger production there
will come a resumption of balance.
But this larger production will not be
insured by advancing eompensations,
which will merely add to the costs
and continue the vicious spiral of ever
increasing increment.
Here. then, is labor's opportunity, to
accept the truce, to make the most of
every working day, to enlarge the
product, to restore the reserves, to
fight the evil of profiteering by max
ing it impossible for the profiteer to
work his wicked game of extortion by
confronting him with an abundance of
stock.
Economy, industry, reason. These
three will win the fight against high
prices. They will win quickly if every
man pitches in earnestly and vigor-
ously to make the most of every day
and every hour, gives over thoughts of
striking for higher wages that can only
pile on the burden that bears upon all.
The strike is the worst possible agency
of self help. 1t slackens production,
demoraiizes industry and takes heavy
TIL from the pockets of all men.
This is the turning point, this day
set apart as labor's day. There are
hopeful signs. Reason is manifesting
itself in the industries. The truce IS
about to be declared. The American
workingmen, ably led, we'll organized,
intelligent, patriotic and proud of Their
craftsmanship and skill, will surely
stand the test.