Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-22

Yet evidence is accumuInting tending
to prove that small groups OF craftsmen.
not only in TamaQua but elsewhere. are
coming to regard themselves rs "thc
people. and that their will alone must
bc considered.
Unfortunately. they are twenty five
years behind the times. The dav was
when the employers regarded them
selves as THE people and used such
strong words as determined" and
shall, but they have learned better.
They have discovered that in the man.
agement of their industries they are not
the only persons TO be considered. They
have begun TO recognize the interests
of their employees. and they are doing
their best to discover a way by which
the mutual interests of the wage payer
and the wage receiver can be advanced
They are regarding the man who re-
"elvcS wages not as mere machine.
but as one of 'the people with them
selves
Now. with this example before them
II is unfortunate. to say the least. that
any wage Carnors should begin to as
sumo that they arc the people," and
that the banker. the merchant aud the
editor are something else again. The
industrial problems will not bc solved
until they learn little more and are
little moro tolerant of the existence Of
thos" vino do not belong to their group
1t is nearly 1000 years since n wise
man protested against this sort Of SOC
tionaiSm when b" wrote
II the toot ShaN say. "Bccausc !
nm not the h0nd / nm NOT of the
bodV, i' II hCrctOrc not of the body9
iud y the ear ShGH san. "BCc1ySe !
nm not the CpC, nm not Of the body." D."
- II therefore not Of the body' II
the whoIe body ,Ccrc an enc. rhcrc
""rc N" hearing? H the ,choIc body
"cre nearing, whCrC rcrc smclIing?
Vet We find one member Of the indus
trial body insisting that it is tho whole
structure. The hand is saying. I'VE,
the people, ignoring the eyes and the
brain and tn" will which directs the
machine.
The specific purpose Of the Tana0ua
proclamation is to bring about tho clcc-
tion 10 the General Assembly and IN
Congress Of representatives committed
70 the interests Of the group which has
issued it, After declaring that "our
requests and supDIications have been
rejected with ScOrn and contempt" the
proclamation continues:
We demand a voice in government
affairs, We demand the referendum
whereby every cleCtOr may declare
| his choice upon questions affecting
public interests We demand equality
and representation which is guaran.
tecd by the Declaration OF Inde-
peudeucc the Constitution Of the
United States aud Of tho state of
Pennsy lvHuia. We produce all wealth
| and demand method Of determining
| its more equitable distribution.
If the mon who wrote those word,
would devote three minutes to serious
thinking they would burst ont laugh
| ing, for they would discover that 10 de
mand that they have a voice in govern
mCnt affairs is like demanding that they
| be allowed to breathe. 40 one ha,
denied them tho right to express THEN
wishes. They have that representation
! in the General Assembly and in Con
grcss which is guaranteed to them, sC
far as representation is possible under
majority rule.
But they do not seem 10 have done
much thinking. They have been ac.
ccpting the formulas framed By radicals
! in other lands, without stopping TO in
ouirc whether they applied in the
United States Their assertion that
they produce all wealth is Of piece
with their claim that they are "thC