Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-12-08
MEANS CURTAILED BUYING BY
PUBLIC is CONTENTION OF
= LABOR LEADER
Says Demand Does Not Come From
Mass of People, But
From Capital
(By John L. Lewis

Editors Note:-John L. Lewis need
no introduction to readers of Ameri
can newspapers. For years he ha
stood out brilliant figure in the bat
ties that have been fought between
labor and capital, target for abus.
as well as unlimited praise. AS pres
ident of the United Mine Workers, ht
has been constantly in the public ey,
and whether one agrees with his be
liefs or not no one will deny that
what he may say on any problem now
confronting American labor will bt
said honestly and with as much force
as the man can bring to bear on &
subject that is his whole life's work.
The cruel theory held by minority
of employers in the United States that
the worker should be forced to labor
for the smallest possible wage that
can be forced upon him is the theory
that has caused the greatest and bit
terest struggles between capital and
labor
While the number of such employ
ers is small they are largely men who
are in control of the gigantic manu-
featuring and productive corporations
of America that give employment to
scores of thousands. They stand to-
gether under that dire banner, Low
er Wages and Higher Profits" slo-
gan that openly asserts their right,
or might, to seize from both producer
and consumre
Force Wages Down
These are the men that seek with
out rest, excuse or opportunity to
drive the scale of wages downward
regardless of how low that scale may
have fallen through general economic
conditions and these are the men that
fight most bitterly the upward trend
of wages and are the last to yield to
| g pressure that they know will crush
them if they do not yield. The condi-
tions of the wage Garner, his life, hap
piness and welfare of his family are
not considered. While America may
| be proud of the fact that these men
are in the minority as employers yet
it must face the fact that they are in
dominant commanding position and
by the very largeness of their opera
tion can and do cause a general de-
preston when ever they can force
lower scale and set an example
whose psychology is bad for their fell
low employers as well as the nation
of workers. They make their pro-
posals of lower wages not because
their business is endangered but be-
cause they believe they are in a stra-
tegic position that will allow them to
"put it over"
The cry, "Defation of W. .,es," does
not come from the great mass of the
American public, because the public
is aware that defation of wages would
leave industry strangled and impotent
!
ing power and smaller incomes for
the workers Smaller incomes means
curtailed buying power. Curtailed
buying power means less demand for
the products of farm, factory, mill,
mine and shop. Less demand means
restricted production. Restricted pro-
duction means less employment for
the workers and a further shrinkage
of their incomes and their buying
power. The public understands all
of this, and the public has no desire
to bring about the operation of such
a vicious and destructive circle.
Having Hard Time
We do not hear the cry for Debated
wages from the wage earners them
selves, for they realize better than
anyone else what defation of wages
would mean to them. They know that
Debated wages would bring upon them
hardships, suffering, privation and de-
nial of many of the real necessities of
life to just the extent 20 which the
defation process might be carried it
is strikingly manifest that the work
ing people of America are having a
hard enough time to get along upon
their present wages, without subject
ing them to the process of defation
Nor do we hear the cry for defation
of wages from those business men
from whom the working people buy
their food, clothing, tools and other
supplies Reduction of wages - and
that's what defation means-would
seriously affect the welfare of these
business men, for it would reduce the
volume of their business. People can
spend only as they earn.
If you will look around little you
will also discover that the demand
for defation of wages is not coming
from the class of employers who give
a humane thought to the welfare of
their employees. And there are many
such employers in this great nation.
These are the same employers who
are opposed to trade unions and deny