Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-04-22
SHOULD THE WORKERS ACCEPT
REDUCTIONS?

This Is a vital question these days
and the propaganda which has been
turned loose on this question has had
bad effect on the general situation
Newspapers and magazines have de.
voted much space to the matter with
the result that the public has been
led to believe that the wage earners
are responsible for the general decline
of industry or bad business as il Is
generally termed. There seems TO be
fallacy abroad that the first to suf.
fer In living standard should be the
wage Garner and that the standard of
living of the employer or investor
should not be touched until il is abso.
lutely necessary In determining this
question the employing class, set up
the theory that because they furnish
the capital to conduct the business
with, that capital should have pri-
mary earning power over labor. in
other words labor is inferior to capital
to the extent of so much per cent. A
favorite argument OF capital and its
boosters is, that unless investors are
sure of a reasonable return on their
money they will naturally withdraw it
but with this kind of an argument they
and create an idea, that they, the in.
vestors, are the ones who make in
dutry possible. therefore they should
receive first consideration from the
earnings of industry. When the stand.
ard of living of labor or at least the
wage earning part of labor is ad.
vanced, capital sees to IL that the
earnings from investments go forward
~
fact can be found in the last five years
financial history of the country Dur.
ing this period the standard of living
of labor made rapid advances: or to
explain the point. let us say that labor
had greater spending power which
incidentally gave II wider choice In
living conditions. Financially labor
was no better off, because capital saw
to II that the pace was set to the limit
in price of what the worker bought.
The argument that Labor spent to
the limit is true, but let it be remem.
bered that business men made II nee.
essary that the limit be the full ex.
tent OF the pay envelope. II also
should be remembered that the la.
borer was and Is entitled to as good
living as the man he works for. and
the man who thinks different cannot
claim to be consistent with the fun.
damental ideas of Americanism Dur
ing the War and after Labor made
more real sacrifices than capital. LIE
Dor gave blood. time and money, it
bought liberty bonds which capital
now seeks to buy at a discount. Labor
was the goat in. every manner posi-
BILE Capital did not go to war, il
stayed at home and multiplied by bill.
lions. Capital protected it's owners
and while labor was fighting, capital
was planning the campaign which now
has the country in one of the greatest
unrests In many generations. Labor
is on its knees resisting the campaign
which capital planned during the war
and which means the enslaVement of
greater number of people than has
ever existed in this land. Labor must
resist the attacks Of capital for the
sake of our democracy and the longer
Labor resists the selfishness of Cant
tai, the easier it will he for the next
generation TO push forward to n
greater democracy. Capital must he
; the hrst to give way; capital must be
satisfied with less; profits must be
forgotten IN degree or TO a point
where those who own the capital will
realize that labor is the first essen.
tai TO the earning power of capital
Lssor IS the primary factor in indus
Try and unless labor is satisfied. cant
Ial stands very small chance of MAX
ing much Roadway. In the past Jabor
has been the first TO racede. but the