The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-03-25

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public should learn that this eternal
contest alleged to be between capital
nd labor is not in fact contest be-
tween capital and labor, but con-
test between labor on the one hand
nd the public on the other, or be-
tween capital on the one hand and
ne public on the other. The public
navs the freight. We found out in
the constant increases which were I'M
posed in the matter of freight rates
in the war period that we, the people,
pay. Both capital and labor are IN
receptive state of mind. We, are'
therefore, in favor of such supervls-
ion of the railroads as, while allow
ing every railroad to manage its own
affairs, will guarantee that the public
is not exploited by capital, and while
allowing labor the greatest freedom
in either accepting or rejecting en-
ployment by the railroads, shall guar
antee that it is paid what. it is worth
nd nothing more. The public has an
interest in seeing that there are no
artificial rules to get pay not earned,
and mo employment of unnecessary
labor, when the public in the end
does the paying. Labor is worthy OF
IS hire, but the hire is worthy Of the
labor which the public pays for.
And in this labor matter, so far as
the railroads are concerned, we are
of the opinion that the right minded
people who assist in operating the
ilroads should court an investiga-
ton and seek a revision of present
schedules of pay. The people are not
unmindful that during the war period
when the young men of the country
were going down to battle the rail-
road employees, as kind of necessa-
rily privileged Glass; remained at
home. They did not serve the govern
ment at a fraction of what their
earning power. was worth, but they
constantly demaded higher pay, and
they received it. Only last July, we
believe it was, they demanded higher
pay in order that they might meet
the ever mounting costs Of living.
When they had gotten the higher pay,
they Immediately commenced an as
sault on the high cost of living. They
may not have thought about it, but
their fight was on the farming classes
of our people. The high cost Of living
which they wished knocked into
cooked hat was the prices which the
farmer in the South was receiving for
hiy cotton and cotton products, the
price which the Western farmer was
getting for the meat produced in the
West, the wool grown by the sheep
raisers and the leather turned in by
the cattle raisers. The railroad en-
ployees were not willing that these
people should continue to receive the
high rewards brought to them for
their labor during war times. They
demanded that it be reduced. And it
. happened that an administration
;'nich, to say the least, was more
han partial always to the railroad
hrotherhoods so shaped the financial
affairs of the country that the farm
have lost the accumulations of
the whole war period.
Having done that, we say that the
railroad workers should now reduce
the high cost of living for the farm
ers. The farmer pays the freight on
the fertilizers which goes on his land,
he pays the freight on the cotton
which the railroads haul, he pays the
freight on the wool, the hides, the
hogs, the beef and other things he
raises. When we have high freight
rates it makes the net amount to him
less, it means the high cost of living
is still with him. What is true of the
farmer is true of every man who
ships. By reason of the defation the
merchants have lost fifty per cent. of
their inventories, and every business
nan has had his income cut to the
quick, if in fact he has not suffered
serious financial losses.
Under these circumstances, and
when everybody else, and everything
Sc is going back to pre-war prices,