Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-02
LABOR ARBITRATION
BY INDUSTRIAL CODE
PROPOSED BY cox
Continued from First Page.)

of a democratic. Inauguration, Eu-
ropes productive power would be- so
stimulated and her buying power SO
stabilized that in her desperate need
to recoup wars destruction she could
be trusted to absorb the fruits of
Americas productive energy to limits
yet unexpected. r
Would Break Down Profiteer.
THAT is, there would be no danger
of overproduction, but the mere fact
that we should have at least sufficient
production would quite break down
the advantage for a long time en-
Joyed by the profiteer in his control
of distribution. which for the past
Few years has made the price situa-
tion intolerable to millions of small
wage and salary earners.
gut We would have done much
more than that. Industrially speak
ing. this country today is much in the
position it would be in civicaHy If We
were trying to get along without a
relying for the law and order only on
a few local and state courts, each
without body of common law or
precedent to guide it. Think of the
amount Of civic Stacking. civic sabo-
arise over an issue like the prohibi-
ton question if such condition OBJ
tanned. But because we have a Su-
preme Court and a fundamental body
OF law and principle, we settle the
prohibition question with perfect or
der. entire acquiescence.
Industrial Code Foundation,
1.-The Industrial code would give us
the same kind of foundation to
stand on, where today we have no
foundation. OF still more interest to
IA progressive, the industrial code
gives the economic world something
to grow on. These principles 1 pro-
pose are not final. They are intro
ductory. They merely form basis on
which American industry can grow in
justice. as American civilization grows
in Justice.
'The adoption of the industrial code
/ regard as the master stroke against
all the economic unfairness Of the
action could not get in its effect i'm
mediately. There are evils in the
present situation which demand i'm.
mediate correction.
Il favor. the repeal of the excess
profits tax; The competent statisti-
clans of the Department of Justice
have estimated that more than 20
per cent of the increase in prices is
due to the waste and extravaganza in
business which this tax has promoted
We need the revenue, certainly. to
pay the costs left over from the war,
the excess profits tax can be made to
yield by simple tax of from to a
per cent on the gross sales of the
producing agencies, tax which will
hold the cost of living just L, or u
per cent, and no more. above what
normal business conditions would
warrant.
And before we can remove all the
conditions which make our profiteers
possible we must strike to eliminate
them.
Rotary Fund for Housing.
II favor particularly the use of the
rotary fund to procure housing facili-
ties for the American people or for
whenever the market in building ma
terials is being manipulated by spec
ulative big business, whenever a
bona f1de shortage of such materials
exists to the degree that building OPP
erations are forced virtually to
suspend.
Il favor laws compelling cold stor.
age goods exposed for sale to be
| marked with a tag stating the price
at which they were bought. l favor
! laws limiting the period in which
| goods can be kept in cold storge.
. favor laws licensing and regulating
| corporations engaged in interstate
| commerce which will give federal
{; commissions power to stop profiteer-
| ing.
! II favor the establishment of a ro-
| tary fund by the government which
will give the federal government
/ power to purchase the entire stock OF
vital commodities. should evidence be
! produced through the proper channels
| that such stocks were being manipu-
| lated in the interest of high business
| do not believe it would be necessary
| to use the rotary fund for this pur-
| pose much oftener than it has been
necessary to use soldiers to preserve
| the Monroe doctrine. I believe the
! sheer moral weish of such Legislation
| standing on the statute books will
) kill speculative combinations for such
manipulation before they are born.
More than ever we should need
| this ti-profiteering legislation after
| our entrance into the league of ma.
! lions had brought the purchasing
| power of foreign countries up to nor.
NAL. In general. We want our pro.
| ducers of raw materials to receive
better prices as result of this
| change. But for a little while we are
going to need vitality such laws as
these to keep our big business com.
binations. too much advntaged by the
protective tariff from turning the
healthy economic recovery of thu
world to their own dishonest super.
proht."