The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-12
Ch0ks OF the Calamity Howiers
and Get Back to Work.


Two breeds of economic false
prophets running riot in this country
ut this time are setting up din which
is tit for bedlam. The one clamors
that our crops are not going to SELL
our steel, copper and oil are not going
TO sell, our textile products are not
going to sell--nothing is going TO sell
until prices have tumbled to extremes
chat spell blue ruin.
But the simple horse sense answer
to this calamity bowling is that In
our own country there are more than
100,00o,000 persons who eat up food
every day, wear out clothes every
day, consume material every day that
goes into railroads, bridges, machln
cry, equipment, houses, tools and the
thousand and one things that have 10
be used necessarily and prodigiously
to support human life and maintain
our social conditions.
The buyer who refused to pay two
prices for q thing when he could do
without II was wise. He helped him
self, he helped his fellow man that
could not do without 1t and he helped
his country's productive agencies,
which are always better off wheii
their machinery is not clogged with
more work than 1t can do and whose
prices are not thus driven up to
heights that become prohibitive.
The man that refuses to pay a fair
price now for a thing he needs is an
economic stumbling block. Further
more. he cannot keep on refusing TO
buy when his wants compel him to
get the thing. For a nation to wait
In market OF heavily reduced prices
for the still lower prices of blue ruin,
even If 1t could wait, would be eco
nomic suicide, because the blue ruin
which brought prices down too low
would destroy all business all employ
ment--all everything.
The other calamity howler is tho
blatant labor union leader or his de.
luded dupe that rants about en-
trenched capital and employing man
agement cutting payrolls, shutting
down plants and suspending business
as IN organized conspiracy to starve
labor into long working hours, low
wages and industrial servltude.
The simple horse sense answer to
this second variety of economic luna
tic Is that any such programme would
work the insolvency of American in
dustry and business, whose only en-
trenchment is full payrolls, whose very
life blood is full production.
Whether II be railroad, steel
mill, flour factory, a department
store or q corner grocery, 1t cannot
earn a living for Itself. 1t cannot es-
cape rust, rot and dissolution unless
it operates. 1t cannot operate unless
II gets reasonable price for its prod
uct. 1t cannot get n reasonable price
for its product unless American work
ers, who include the vast ma ority of
the American people, get reasonable
wage, salary or income to create the
purchasing power necessary TO make
an American market for railway roll
ing stock or wheelbarrows, for gold
watches or brass pins.
What this country chiefly needs now
to rebound into industrial activity,
prosperity and power is TO get back
on the old American basis Of square
days work for square days pay,
with correspondlngly efficient cost
of production and fair prices that will
sell what is produced and give plenty
of work to everybody that wants 70
work. Anyhow, choke off the calam-
ity howlers and eliminate the idlers!