Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-03-04
SOUNDSLIKE
VOICE FROM
THE TOMB
Wall of Man of Means That
Workers Should Reduce
Wages
tBy II. l. G.)

Tha editorial in the News-Gazette
:, February %, under the heading.
..lr,hat shall We DO" sounded like a
..eiee from the tomb. The gentleman
= large means and larger influence
nnts up a line OF talk that has real
dog.in.the,manger sound,-either ne
ean't do anything, or he doesn't want
- do ANYTHING. and by his pessimis-
,ir mournful, prophesies would dis
s,ede others from doing anything.
The laboring class of people in the
rxvin Cities are not losing any sleep
aeuring profits. What they are in
,srested in, is wage scale that Will
Teen them from applying to the
rnited Charities for CASTOR clothing
;, send their children to school In,
and enable them to eat three square
,oeals a day, 365 day. in the year;
and If there Is an employer doing bus
mess In the Twin Cities whose busi-
ness methods are of such a nature
mai he can not make fair profit
for himself and pay living wage to
his EMPLOYEES, then that employer
should 90 out OF business.
The drop in building material is SO
very small that II Is hardly worth
mentioning. Has anyone heard OF
any drop in that greatest OF all fac
tors In the building game. money?
WHY is il the laboring classes. the
nroducers OF all wealth, must have II
continually dinned in their ears and
naraded before. their eyes by men OF
large means and influence, that they
should be satisfied with just enough
of what they produce to keep them
alive?
There are ten banks in the Twin
cities Banks are not run on hot air.
Nv going over their statements which
are published from time to time, II Is
plain to be seen that they are not
short of cash. Seven or eight thou
sand students in the two cities spend
ing thousands per week. not an empty
dwelling house in either city, people
living in cramped. unsanitary guar
ters because of housing shortage and
nothing can be done to relieve the SIT
uation until the laboring class con-
sents to eat less, wear less, put the
children in the family to work as
wage earners and in that way reduce
their wage scale, thereby enabling
the gentlemen of large means and
larger influence to build at price
that will pay returns" Surely the
Twin Cities are in deplorable condi.
tion and no relief in sight unless the
mechanics and laborers reduce their
wage scale,
With regard to the laborer, ii should
be made clear that he can not reduce
his present scale and be fair with him
self and those who look to him for
support. Their Is no profit in the la
borers' wages and while he Is making
living and profit for the employer
he considers himself entitled to
enough of what he produces to sup.
port himself and family in comfort
and decency, and certainly no fair
minded man would want to deny him
that
To the writer of that editorial
What Shall We Do? | want to ex
tend an invitation to attend the next
regular meeting of Local No. IA, Build
ing and General Laborers. to be held
in Labor Hall, Tuesday night, March
8, and we will furnish him some facts
on which he can write another edi
torial on the building proposition; the
invitation is also extended to the gen
tleman Of large means and of larger
influence.
The question asked in the editorial
was whether Ii would be better tc
work for reduced wage or not work
at all, is just another way Of putting
that old chestnut, "A half loaf is bet
ter than none," can best be answered
by asking another: Why should any
decent, law-abiding working man OF
woman in the Twin Cities be asked tc
reduce his wage scale when that scale
is already so low that 1t barely keeps
the wolf from the door? Why mus
all the reduction that is being asked
for in order to start business come
OFF the class least able to bear 1t? How
about the doctors, the dentists. the
bankers, the money enders,--havt
they been asked to reduce their wages
so business can start? Have the land
lords reduced rents? Have the rates
on the little insurance most OF US try
TO carry been reduced-not SO that il
is noticeable. If the present stagna
tion in the building industry can mo-
be relieved in any other way than b,
a reduction in the laborers' wage scale
we are certainly in for a long periot
oil watchful waiting.