Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-08-15
FRIDAY. AUG. Is, 1919

To Judge from the tone Of many daily papers
or people who read them about the worst paid and
most generally mistreated American laboring men
are those who follow railroading in its various
branches There are others as well in the United
States who if they do not make quite as much
noise aboat it are equally concerned with the r.
c.. L., as noticed in the Hot Air column OF the
Milwaukee Journal as follows:
"Cheer up, the worst is yet to comet!
The railway employees have told s'the government
and all the rest of u.s. where get off at and congress
few days has had tantrums than it had been
having, previously, the League Of Peace.
Most of us have become quite ustomed, during the
past five years. to being told today that we'd be blown TO
atoms cooked in boiling oil tomorrow, or next day. aJ
the very latest One does get usomed to such things
especially to such outcry even if they are little
hard on the nerves at first And WREN worst comes to
worst all inclined to to the conclusion that
we may well die fighting Idle in our track as TO De
starved, frightened to death. And there is real
practical philosophy in that sort of an attitude
We've lived on horrors for five years. Some have
lived them They walked among the live Goals or
the fiery furnace They know! Both men and women
have thus been tried not by scores but by millions
There are roughly speaking 125 100000 Of reasonably
sane headed Americans in these United States
About oneeghth of per cent of this great population
are engaged in raroading counting all the various en-
Payments, and and women. Less than 81 per cent
of our great population consists of organized labor adj
hitting the widest figures of their own leaders
So without counting the farming or small rural COM
munities who still represent than 90 per cent OF
the American people, the public as yet quite factor
in the affairs of this nation.
So much for facts and facts stubborn things
especially when they from the census bureau 80
be calm, and let's talk the matter over.
There is a large number of us who are not organ
ganized and can't get pay raised by just going
out on strike threatening to do But between the
trusts and the strikers we get little pay stipend of
our earnings stepped on and hattened, until mamma
and the kids about at the end of their rope Does
it make much difference to us Where or when, we geb
of?n
That's worth your attention for moment, Mr.
Food Monopolist and yours too, Mr.. Railroad Striker
There many millions more OF US than there are q
all of you put together. Maybe can have our say II
going to have class war; Our babies are as GEAR
to us as ours to you.
Already, in England, they are talking about organic
ing workers. professional men, scientists pro-
fessors school teachers, clerks, newspaper men ana
women bookkeepers and They are ready Tor Jhe
call here and as sure as they organize there be millions
of Them and good many of them suffer more just now
than the day laborer They don't earn as much, many
of them, and nobody what they think But Jhey
are thinking too Don't forget that!
One of the things they thinking about and think
ing hard is ssWe're unoganized in the door
iamb We get squeezed both ways. Mr. Armour on one
side and Mr. Stone the other go at each other with
out giving thought.
Maybe they will both recognize some day? AS
that high grade combination food tad" says-"Eyentu-
ally? Why not now?" Who's afraid9
1t should be freely admitted that this not the true
Way to ''make the world safe for democracy but line
phrases 90 gmmering under the test of dire necessity
The Minneapolis Tribune also recognizes that
organized LABOR is not the only class of people who
have to contend with the problem of living, as is
shown in an extract from recent excellent edl-
torial anent the threatened strike of last week
sBut revertng to the main issue, Congress and the
President agreed upon doing anything and everything
be done to meet the present situation In 6he
meantime the people themselves can probably DO as
much or than both branches Of the government.
The situation is bad enough but 1T has been made 20
look worse than it by exctabe people and designing
agators The people who suffering most by the ex
listing conditions saying the least about it, They are
the people of small fixed incomes moderate salaries
whcare greatly reduced relatively by the higher prices
little of the economy which they practice little Of
the enforced conservatism of war time, little less IN
diligence things thought of buying five years
ago. but which have come to treat as matters OF
little Of old fashioned common sense in spend
ing the higher wages and larger incomes will teach the
profteers all the way from the manufactures to the re-
taller that they have overpayed their hand that people
will not pay any price asked for more than real necessa
res and when the other things begin to tumble, even
the necessities themselves under the laws of trade and by
the aid of the prosecutor of the proftee will follow
suit In other words everybody keep busy and keep
cool
The greater portion of the population of every
small city and town in the United States can
truthfuly testify that while the high cost of living
has been felt as keenly in the country town as in
the city there are not many cases where the IN
come has advanced with the rapidty of that en-
loved by the employee who is in good standing as
a member of some sort of labor trust and, like Oil
yer Twist, continually asking for more