The sun., 1919-09-01

meeting he has several callers sched-
uied.
Plumb in his address before the or
ganized railroad employees in Richmon6
said r.
'"The President has rejected tho de-
mands Of the railroad shopmen for an
Increase OF wages. In his two state
ments Of August as he has pointed out
In impressive language the vital nature
AZ this decision. At his request, his
counter proposal has been submitted to
tho men; and their leaders are now
awaiting the result of their decision.
IF strike vote In returned II - hard
60 tell how far the action win go. A.
most inevitably the issue will extend be-
yond tho immediate field Of wage adjust
ments ana into the field Of economic re-
construction Great forces are at work
IN. the heart OF society, great economic
problems cry aloud for consideration:
and men to-day are full Of greater pur-
poss. Of higher resolve, than ever before
in the history Of the world.
"Time for Great Changes"
: lrstatesmanship. not politics, should
now rule the councils OF our Govern
ment: the oldest and best traditions Of
our nation, and oil its youthful energy.
should be summoned for the task In
hand. It IL time to call a halt TO petty
designs and superficial projects and to
strike out .braveiy in the direction Of
fundamental change. y "
Were American railway labor con-
fronte6 only by a wage Issue, It could
be compromised more readily than the
general public supposos The .sbrivate
owners OF the railroads were never
ayerse to granting wage Increases so
long as they could be assured OF in
4, creased rates suficient to cover both the
Increased wage and q profit on The ad-
ditional expenditure. Under Govern
Z rent control there has been a disposi-
ton to grant wage increases freely, with
the general public footing the bills
either by increased rates or by adj
ditional taxation.
- Now the employees are told, through
the Presidents offer to the shopmen.
that X their demands are temporarily
! withdrawn he will see to It person.
ally that their interests are safeguarded
In future. ~-ls rr Tf
But what, in effect, would this
amount to but q combination between
the Government and labor to exploit the
general public; Just as under private
control II was q combination between
capital and labor 10 exploit the general
pubiic7 In either case the public bears
the burden in increased transportation
of living. ..aa o.&se .c
Such a combination indeed the rail-
way unions are under constant tempta-
tfons to enter. The President invites
them to continue the practices Of the
old system. but we must be finished
with those practices. with that system.
for good and ALL
"Tired of. Being Bribed."
I'VE must refuse any longer to have
our interests guaranteed at the expense
Of the general public. W are tired OF
being pampered and bribed by offers of
future security, ana OF being requested
under the promise Of this false pater-
snaiism to foreeo not only our present
security but also our present just re-
quirep1ents and very necessities. We
must demand a more honorable and
democratic basis of agreement.
A. Thus the issue before American Ia
Dor is not intrinsicaliy a wage issue at
all. We are AZ well aware as rs the
President of the vicious cycle emanat-
ing from constant increases In the level
Of wages. We fully realize that wage
increases at such q time without recti-
fication OF the whole national and in
ternational economic system would re-
eult only in an additional rise In the
cost of living. Labor understands that
Il 10 only part Of the general public,
that It Is a consumer as well as q pro-
ducer and that as. a consumer 1t would
pay out proportionately under aai In
creased cost of living any increment
which 1t received In wages.
I'VE realize. furthermore, that this
dual function in society-a function
shared by all productive labor-gives US
dual right and imposes upon us a dual
responsibility As both producers and
consumers that right " the right to
share in the control OF our labors. 10 par
ticipate In the management OF our pro-
duction; that responsibility Is the re-
sponsibiiity TO serve society by our best
efforts, our fullest productivity and our
most earnest Judgment and convictions.
The President says the Government
has taken up with all its energy the
task Of bringing the profteers TO book
He adds: "A general increase In the
levels Of wages would check and might
defeat all this at Its very beginning.
manufacturers and producers of every
, sort would have innumerable additional
pretexts for increasing profits. and all
efforts TO discover and defeat profteer-
ing would be hopelessly confused
Disputes Wilson'S Claim.
TN what way could n rise in the wage
scale place the proflteer beyond the law?
How, under our institutions, could any
set Of circumstances bring 1t about that
all efforts to discover and defeat prof
iteering would be hopelessly confused
"Or. II this fear is justified, what guar
antee Is there that profiteering can be
discovered and defeated under the pres
ent wage scalef Is not the Presidents
statement actually terrible Indictment
Of the system itself under which prof
iteering Is possible?
THE Presidents whole argument to
the shopmen is based on the assumption
that he will succeed in lowering the
cost of living. From my own analysis
OF. the economic situation cannot have
faith In the measures which he SO far
: has proposed. They appear to be more
in the nature of temporary ameliora-
tons than of permanent remedies.
He Is ignoring. SO far as can see
the economic truth that the underlying
cause of the depreciation OF money
value il the expansion of currency and
the infiation Of credit the world over as
a result of the financial operations OF
the war.
HE speaks Of return TO normal times
and conditions as though thepe could be
: such a return while financial autocracy
:. is kept in power only through the infia.
: 'tion of prices and values wall Street
rs receiver for a bankrupt Europe, IL
!seifishly concerned in keeping up this
imitation: for our hazardous European
: investments are protected only II Europ,
pays exorbitant prices for what we sell
and n we ourselves will bear the burden
OF the exorbitant rates together with the