South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-04-16
THAT LABOR PROBLEM.
South Bend. Ind.
April IA, 1921.

April IA. 1921.
Editor News-Times:
Your yesterday mornings edition
contained an article by r. +. Smith
IN The Public Pulse" section.
really don't think it is worth an an
swer. but having nothing else to
do, / will endeavOr 10 answer him,
: and also give him a little informa-
f5ion, which. according to his article
ne sadly lacks. In his article he
shows poor judgment. an illogical
mind. and ignorance Of the subject
of which he Is trying TO write.
There was a time when a bushel
Of wheat constituted pay for a days
work. but that was when rents were
not what they are now, when for 50
one could get a real pair Of shoes
and for $40 a real suit of clothes.
also a few minor details such as
dozen of eggs for six or eight cents
a pound OF butter for 10 cents. etc.
BY comparing farm to railroad Ia
Dor. Mr.. Smith shows poor judgment
because. as he says. the railroad Ia
borer has To live from the grocery
shelf or a 50 a day basis. while on
the other hand the farm laborer
gets his with his pay. A farm la
borer today can earn about $3.50
day and with that comes his board
and lodging. A railroad laborer
earns Cbegging Mr.. Smiths pardon
for the correction about $3.50
day and not as ne claims. So
Counting eight hours as a days
Tork But out of that $3.50 the
4 railroad laborer has TO buy his
J board and lodging and at today
prices for these commodities. which
is the better job I don't quite get
the drift why Mr.. Smith picks or
ganized labor in general and rail
road labor in particular.
Does Mr.. Smith know that until
the later part OF 1917 the railroad
man was working for the same rate
of paw that he was working for i'm
1912 During this time the pays
OF the other trades etc. had in
creased 80 10 100 percent and the
cost Of living had increased in pro-
norton. Even the farm labOrers
we're making more money than they
we're in 1916. Where Mr.. Smith
shows ignorance Of the subject he
is writing is i'm stating that Pres't
Wilson granted the railroad men an
unreasonable increase i'm pay four
years ago last fall just before the
election. due 10 which organized la
bor would have run their legs off
TO the polls 20 vote for him. L
might inform Mr.. Smith that the
railroads were not taken over by the
government until the latter part of
1917. and IL was not until then that
the railroad men we're given the in
crease of wages. Prest Wilson was.
as Mr.. Smith probably knows. by
that time elected 90 his second term.
and had served nearly year of it.
This was the railroad mans first
increase in pay since 1914.
Before labor organized and before
they grew 10 the strength they have
now. labor received very little for
what A. did. II could either take
what n got or leave the job and
starve 70 death. and that would have
been easy enough. because when a
laborer left one place and went TO
Aanother ne was asked why he left
-. last place. II he said ne was
! discharged he was told TO go else
where for a job: II he said he left
because he was not getting enough
money he was told that he could
not get as much there, So 10 was no
use OF him going 20 work there. All
this was because the la.ge manufac-
turing concerns and corporations
with ALI the labor they needed and
concerns and corporations had
agents IN Europe who supplied
these concerns and corporations