The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1920-06-04
CONGRESS SAID
TO Be NEGLIGENT
INDICTED AS THoUGHTLESS. BY
GoMPERS-LoNG LIST OF
"MUSTS" ISSUED.
Sixty-sixth Congress as Backward
Going Body" Which Has Failed Ut
terIy in Dealing With the High Cost
of Living.

Washington.-With denunciation
of the Sixty-sixth Congress as ''back-
ward going body" which has failed ut
terly in dealing with the high cost
of living, Samuel Gompers, President
of the American Federation of Labor,
voiced "labor's protest against ram
pant tragedy" Calling upon the
working people of the nation to bring
about an "overturn in Congress" in the
coming elections, Mr.. Gompers out
lined program for the Congress that
will succeed the Congress of incom-
petence on the cost of living ISSUE"
That program follows:
81. Immediate adjustments of
wages, both in private employment
and in, Government service, to at least
meet the living costs that have out
stripped incomes by reason of this era
of frenzied profteering and gambling.
This must be. done without delay.
so. Immediate action must be
. taken to prevent continued increases
in the cost of living which determines
the actual value of wages and the
manner in which people shall live.
SO. There must be an end to the
enactment of the kind of legislation
typified by the Esch-Cummins railroad
law and the Kansas Court of Indus
trial Relations law. There must be
an end Of legislative repression, re-
striction and coercion. Not only must
Legislation of this character, but there
must be a repeal of legislation already
enacted. - ,., y
II. The Congress Of the United
States will do well to give immediate
and effective consideration to the pro-
posal of the American labor move
ment that control of credit capital be
taken from private financiers and
placed in the hands of public trust
to be administered upon principles vol
untaFs and cooperative in character,
This will strike a vital blow toward
, eliminating the abuses of profiteering
and exploitation.
50 The. Congress should provide
Immediately for full publicity for in
come tax returns
g. Regardless of whatever arti
fetal issues politicians may seek to
inject in the present political CAM
paign, one of the great issues about
which the masses of the American
people are thinking most. seriously is
the cost of living" .,t...
The Gompers statement constitutes
the leading article in the June num-
Der of the American Federationist, |
made public. 1.-THE cost of living has
become a paramount ISSUE" the article |
says, because the cost of living is
out of proportion to income. 1t consti- |
tutes, therefore, reduction of income |
for the average American family. The
present Congress may be indicted as a |
Congress which has been negligent of |
duty and thoughtleSs of the welfare of |
the people. The Government depart
ments as for example, the Depart |
ment of Justice, may be indicted for |
incompetency on the same grounds"
"An alert electorate will not overlook
this Indictment. There must be an
Overturn in Congress. Enemies must
be defeated and friends must be elect
ed. There must be sent to Congress
men who understand and men who
can be trusted. The record of betrayal
must, for the sake of the nations well
fare, give place to a record of con-
structive progress" the appeal con-
cludes.