The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-06-10
INIQUITY OF
"DEFLATING
WORKERS.
(By Samuel Gompers in American
Federationist.)


Federationist.)
No more heartless phrase has ever
crept into the human vocabulary
than the phrase "deflation of labor"
1t is well enough and proper enough
to speak of the deflation of mani
mate things. The meaning of de-
flaton is clear. The word brings
to mind the exact process that is
meant by the word.
Deflation means subtraction. 1t
means taking away something, or
letting out something, or reducing
the size or bulk of something so
that it will occupy a smaller space
than formerly.
Labor is human life. labor is
inseparabe from human beings
Labor does not mean a commodity.
Labor means the warmth of life and
the functioning of hand and brain.
1t means the men and women at the
work benches and in the street. 1t
means the children in school and in
the home. 1t means the family cir
Gle.
Debating labor means subtracting
something from life. More tragic
thing from life where there never
has been abundance, where there
never has been fullness, where there
never has been more than the
foundation, the essentials, the ele-
mentals.
Debating labor does not mean
taking from life where life has
been surfeited with an over-abund-
ance.
The real essence of labor defla-
tion Is that it is proposed to squeeze
from labor-from the life of the
working people-some vital, neces-
sary part of the experience of hu-
man existence.
This is planned as definite
scheme of action. 1t is a thing
lpon which men have deliberated
Courts recognize a difference be-
5ween deliberate murder and mur-
d, in TIE height of passion. The
crime Of deliberate planning and
execution is always the more helm
Gus.
The great financial and industrial
powers declare that they intend to
go about the country taking away
Il meal here, a suit of clothes there,
4 home at some other place, a bit
of freedom and sunshine still fur
Cher en-. From one home one thing,
from another home another thing.
1t is more refined and less brutal
in aspect than it would be to go
about pinching off arms and fingers
and ears.
Deflate labor, is the cry. Take
something away from labor, leave
a little less in the homes of the toll
ers, draw the window shades a little
tighter against the sunlight, let few
er children pass through the doors
Of schools, let fewer live to the
age of maturity, let fewer have
access to books and to the normal
pleasures and delights of life.
Shrink the waist-line and tighten
he belts. Deflate!
A real deflation of expanded
values finds justification. There is
reason in taking away the unreal
and the fictitious. But that is not
what is proposed by those who say
"deflate labor"
The deflation that is proposed is
a subtraction of real values, a tax
ing away of substance, sheer cut
to the quick of life.
And where the workers are con-
celned the deflation is a sword of
two edges. The number of dollars
is to be reduced and then the buying
power of the remaining dollars is
TO be reduced. What is proposed is
a double gouge into the life of the
to;ling masses. And so long as the
workers are ready and, willing to
produce the equivalent Of the stand
are of living to which they aspire
somehow there must be found a
way to keep open for them the OPP
portunity to maintain this standard
without the interference of an arbi-
trary power.
The willingness of labor to pro-
duce should be forever labor's guar
antee against shrinking the full
ness of life. Labor's contribution
at the workbench should be its in
junction in perpetuum against the
hideousness of deflation; the full
ness of effort should measure the
fullness of reward and the counting
room should have no voice and no
power to reach out the hand that
throttleS and chokeS.
The voice of labor is raised in
protest throughout the land against
the cruelty of the theft that is
proposed and that has taken place
at some points. Somehow there must
be found way to take from grasp
ing hands the power and the
strength to restrict the lives and
the development of the millions of
our toilers. And until the toilers
find a better way they will use the
weapons they now have, their will
and their determination and their
strength.
Deflation of labor is not to be
willed and executed by the few who
do not labor!