Evening journal., 1921-12-06
rustin. cal.. sent. %. 1e2l

Mr.. Samuel Gompers. Pres. A. f. L.,
New York.
Dear Sir: You are quoted as say
ing that "The present unemployment
situation is an economic crimen
Quite right, but who are the Grim
inais7
The farmer has been thoroughly
debated. His gross income has been
practically cut in half, and his labor
income almost annihilated. AL
though the farmer constitutes near
" half the nation and performs
more than half the labor Of the
country you do not seem to know
that he exists, or knowing that, you
consider that he was created to be
exploited by the labor unions, rail-
road brotherhoods and the middle
men. The farmer Is earning for his
labor income very much less than
in 1914 because his other costs are
double that OF 1914, due principally
to the refusal of union labor to share
in the de1ation.
You also say that wage reduc-
tions will not relieve the situation. "
In this you are, in my opinion, en-
tirely mistaken. You, like most city
men, Ignore the farmer as an eco
nomic and intergrsl factor in the sit
uation. IL, as yOu seem (quite nat
urally, presume) to think, the five
million labor union members con-
stituted Labor" or even were a ma.
jority OF labor, or Of the people OF
this country, you would be correct
In that case what the carpenter ant
plasterer extorted from the locomo.
tive engineer in high priced house.
and rents the Railway Brotherhood:
would in turn extort from the plas,
terer and carpenter In high priced
freight and passenger rates, and sc
on through all the union trades
However. union labor constitutes
only about one-fifth OF the labor AM
people OF these United States anc
their attempt to hold the "advan.
tages" gained by them during tn,
recent general insanity can have nc
other result than unemployment.
wish to call your attention to 6
few facts.
The farmer not only PERFORM
more than half the labor OF tn,
country, but he Is almost half tn,
people.
Income and Outgo.
His gross income Is cut in hal
while almost everything he buys Il
priced to him at double price. due tC
double wages for union labor.
does not matter which way he turns
he finds carpenters, plasterers, paint
ers, railroad operators and ali unioI
labor exporting double wages from
him. The result of this lamentabl'
outrage is that after he has spen
all his income he is only able to ge
half the things he wants or coulC
buy II wages were Debated in pro
portion as his total income has been
| CAS- l have explained before, hi
labor income has almost disap
peared.
II follows therefore, that so IA
as the farmer IS concerned he cal
only keep half as many men busy a
SS per day as he could at $4 pc
lay.
You complain Of high priced rentl
II building costs increase 800 pc
cent. as they did by 1920, can yo
expect rents to stay down? No'
building costs have decreased, du
to greater efficiency of labor an
lower material prices, to 200 pc
cent OF normal. that is to say I
$1,000 cottage for a poor man ma.
now be built for 5000. This is du
to the high price OF labor.
Now does this rob Henry Ford o.
John Rockefeller, or the poor man
And is either Mr.. Ford or Mr.. Rookie
feller to blame that the carpenter
and plasterer insist on double th'
wages of 1914? Let the cost o.