The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-01

strike out bravely in the direction of
fundamental change.
Were American railway labor con-
fronted only by wage issue, IL could
be compromised more readily than the
general public, supposes. The pri-
waite owners Of the railroads were
never averse to granting wage in
creases so long as they could be as
cured Of increased rates sufficient to
cover both the increased wage and
profit on the additional expenditure
Under government control, there has
been "A disposition to grant wage In
creases free4y, with the general public
footing the bills either by increased
rates or by additional taxation. Now
the employees are told through the
presidents offer to the shopmen, that
If their demands are temporarily with
drawn, he will see to IL personally
that their interests are safeguarded in
future.
But what. In effect, would this
amount to. but a combination between
the government and labor to exploit
the general public; Just az under pri-
waite control 1t was comb ination be-
tween capital and labor to exploit the
general public? In either case the
public bears the burden, In increased
transportation costs. in invisible tax
alton. In an increased cost of living
Constant Temptation.
Such combination. indeed. the
railway unions are under constant
temptations to enter The president
invites them to continue the practices
OF the old systam. But we must be
finished with whose practices, with
that system. for good and all We
must refuse any longer to have Our, in
terests guaranteed at the expense OF
the general public. We are tired or
being pampered and bribed by offers
of future security; and OF being re-
quested. under the promise of this
false paternalism. to forego. not only
our present security hut also our
present just requirements and very
necessities. We must demand "A more
honorable and democratic basis of
agreement.
Thus the issue before American
labor is not intrinsically wage issue
Mt all. Labor understands that 1t is
only part of the general public that
it In consumer as well as a pro-
Queer. and that as a consumer II
would pay out prorortionately under
an Increased cost of living any in
crement which it received in wages
We realize. furthermore. that this
dual function In society--a function
shared by all productive labor--gives
us a dual right and imposes upon us a
dual responsibility AS both producers
and consumers, that right Is the right
TO share in the control OF our labors
to participate in the management of
our production. .... el~
The president says that the gov
eminent has taken up with all it's
energy the task of bringing the prof.
teers to book He adds: A general
increase in the levels of wages would
check and might defeat all this at it's
very beginning. Manufacturers
and producers OF every sort would
have innumerable additional pretexts
for increasing profits and all efforts
RS discover and defeat profiteering
would he hopeiessly confused
:. In what way could a rise In the
wage stale place the prohteer beyond
the law How, under our institutions.
could any act OF circumstances bring
IL about that all efforts to discover
and defeat profiteering would be hope
lessly confused Or. II this fear is
justified. what guarantee Is there that
profiteering car be discovered and de-
fea,ed under the present wage SCALE
lis not the presid ent's statement act
ually a terrible indictment of the sys-
tenn itself under which profiteering is
poss!ble7
The presidents whole argument to
the shopnen is based on the assump
lion that he will. succeed in lowering
the cost OF living"
The president speaks of the return
to normal times and conditions, as
though there could be such return
while financial autocracy is kept In
power only through the imitation OF
rices and values. Wall Street, as re-
ceiver for bankrupt Europe. is sell
tisfty concerned IN keeping up .1las
imitation: for our hazardous Euro
pean investments are protected only
II Europe pays exorbitant prices for
what we sell and IL we ourselves will
bear the burden OF the exorbitant rates
together with the foreign purchaser.
Europe has exhausted and far ex-
ceeded her credit: her market yalue
has fallen away below par. She is
in the condition OF run down rail-
road property with limited earning