The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-07-03
MAKING LABOR THE GOAT.

MAKING LABOR THE GOAT.
When it becomes impossible for pro.
duction to pay wages to labor, interest
to capital and tribute to monopoly, one
Of three things must happen. Labor
and capital must take less, monopoly
must abate its demands, or production
must stop. In farming, as in most in.
dustries, labor and capital are getting
little at present. Although wages seem
high in terms of money, they are low
in purchasing power. And the same
applies to the returns to the working
farmer on his investment.
Nevertheless farm lands, exclusive of
improvements, are held at higher val.
ues than ever before, 50 high in fact
that unless farmer or farm laborer will
be content with more meager reward,
production must suffer. That this is
about to take place, or rather that this
process already taking place is about
to be intensified, is indicated by a
warning from the Department of Agri.
culture that falling off in farm pro-
duction is imminent. If the farmer
must pay rent or interest on a valua.
ton of $500 an acre, pay transporta-
ton rates based on watered stock val
ues, pay tribute to the coal trust, the
oil trust and host of other trusts
based on monopolistic privilege, and
pay taxes on everything he makes or
consumes, he will have little left for
himself if he must. hire help at wages
sufficient to give the laborer decent
living under prevailing high prices.
And since monopoly stubbornly in
sists on it's pound Of flesh, and legis-
lators stupidity insist on letting it re-
tain the power to exact, there is not
enough left for the landless 1aborer to
make farm work attractive. So the
Department of Agriculture is compelled
to report man shortage in the agri:
cultural Districts Of the Mississippi
Valley of 100000, or practically 20 per
cent, situation that threatens to-
cause a serious shortage in production
of foodstuffs.
So the Illinois Agricultural Associa.
ton must report that every county in
the state has a farm labor shortage of
from to- 100 men. And large part
OF this shortage represents desertion of
the farm by sons of the owner, or by
others directly interested.
Instead of putting the blame for
this situation where it belongs, on the
legal power granted privileged inter-
ests to exact tribute from producers
and on the ~fseal system that taxes
production and consumption instead of
privilege, we find that labor is made
the goat. If laborers would get down
to a lower standard Of living, we are
told, and accept Wages that will pur-
chase: about half what they would have
bought ten years ago, production could
continue and landlords, railroad mag
mates and trust barons could continue
to draw tribute from tax-burdeneS
farmers. But since the "greedy'
laborer refuses to sacrifice so much Of
his product, he must be charged with
killing the goose that lays golden eggs
for others to appropriate. That is
about the way comment runs in the
press today.
In the meantime landlords are irving
to boost land prices and rents, railroad
magnates are trying to boost rates so
as to get an additional billion a year
from the American: consumer, trust
barons are revising prices upward and
production downward, and legislators
are trying to devise new methods to
tax industry. and exempt land monop-
oily. For the inevitable result labor is
to be blamed, since it refuses to be
quiet under the SHINING process.
What is the proper course to pursue
Well, if labor objects to being skinned
and if capital wants labor's co-opera.
ton, there is nothing else to do than
compel monopoly to do without tri.
butte. There is no reason why preda-
tory privileges should not be abolished.
The rental value of land exclusive of
improvements should be taken for pub
lie use and, all taxes on industry and
consumption abandoned. Either that
or we must continue on the way to
ruin. No other choice is open.
CUMM1NS' PYRRHIC VICTORY.
Senator Albert e. Cummins has been
accorded, the Republican nomination for