The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-04-01

CRY went up that the sacred right of
private contract was being invaded
that the liberty Of mans relation with
man was being violated. Yet the
laws against usury came. and they
have remained. These laws insist
that a lender shall be limited in the
amount ne receives as interest on MS
loans. Today everyone comedies the
morality. the humanity and the justice
Of the usury laws.
Public Welfare at Stake.
Men investing money in business In
jure the public welfare when they
profiteer. We call it robbing the con-
sumer. How much greater the lar
ceny when the excess profits come
from the sweat of the producers!
Business should be honestly organized.
The capital stock of the corporation
should repesent money actually In
vested The investors are entitled to
a reasonable interest on their invest
ments, to an insurance against the
''rainy day." They are entitled to
set aside a percentage of the earnings
to replace the capital invested. After
this is done the balance belongs to
the workers. Into the business they
have put their lives; out of the busi-
ness they should get more than 1iv-
ing. Their lives are lived in their
work. they have a right to q say in
their own lives.
No one that I have met has the
plans and specifications for the New
Order" but everyone has In mind the
general outline. The government, the
working men and the employers
should cooperate in making the plan.
in building the Tomorrow"
A step in the right direction Is the
Industrial conference recently called
by the president. In the preliminary
statement of this conference, we find
much cause for hope. They have pre-
sented plan looking to the settle
ment Of Industrial disputes by arbi-
tration. The plan Is tentative in form,
the framework for the completed
structure. 1t contemplates the estab-
lishment of n national industrial court
of nine members, located in Washing
ton, with the functions Of court of ap-
peals. to determine disputes referred
to 1t. The country is divided into re-
gions. with regional boards OF in
quiry and adjustment. to which may
be submitted controversies between
employers and employees for settle
ment. The chairmen Of these dis
putants will have equal representa-
tion on the board. To insure conf
dence in the boards the members are
to be picked from panels Of employ
ers and employees submitted by the
secretary of commerce and the secre-
tary of labor. similar to jury panels
prepared for the courts. Each side
shall be entitled to specific numb.-
Industrial juries must be by unani-
nous vote.
For the Justice of Right.
It Is not compulsory arbitration. 1t
Is n plan by which employers and en-
ployees may settle their differences on
merit rather thnn by force. II has
nm advantage over the settlement of
Industrial disputes by the strike. in
that production will not be stopped.
class hate will not be developed. The
justice Of right rather than the force
Of might will settle questions. This
machinery will give public opinion a
chance to net intelllgently and effec-
lively. An interesting paragraph reads
"Whenever an agreement is reached by
the parties to a dispute. or deter
mination Is announced by n regional
board Of adjustment, or by nm umpire.
or by the national industrial tribunal.
the agreement shall have the full
force and effect of trade agreement
which the parties to the dispute are
bound to carry out"
We are facing the east. The new
day is breaking. A better under
standing between employers and en-
ployees is in sight Let no one stand
in the way of compromise and conces-
sion.
To avoid entangling alliances 1t Is
not necessary to abandon Europe. To
put nm end to war. some open agree
ment of nations is necessary. Secret
treaties must cease; the new intsr-
nationalism must be covenant In
snring the democracy Of the world
Americas place is in the vanguard
of the movement toward the "New
Order" We are a world power; we
cannot escape our place and our re.
sponsibIlity in the family Of naticns
I am sure We do not want to. Our
foreign policy is America for Amer
leans and All for Humanity" The
creed of our house Is Man In His
Brothers Keeper"
Copyright. 1899. Western Newspaper unss.l
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