The Washington times., 1921-01-05
Today
Labor a Commodity,
An Intelligent Wife.
No Ford Bolshevism.
Reducing American Wealth.
ARTHUR BRISBAN
Copyright. 1910


without saying 1t In so many
words, seems to classify human
labor as IAN article or commodity
of commerce." and workmen COM
bining to obtain fair wages In re-
turn for their lives, which they
sell TO their employers, are classed
by the Supreme Court with trust
managers conspiring to monopo-
lize markets, crush competitors
and exploit the people.
Under the latest Supreme Court
decision, which marks a big step
forward in the open national
crusade against union labor,
unions are held accountable under
trust laws, although the Clayton
act expressly exempted them.
Section Of the act says: The
labor of a human being is not an
article or commodity OF COM
merce."
The decision OF the court, OF
course, was not unanimous. When
the Constitution says that the
bodies OF laborers are no longer
commodities, to be bought and
sold, It is difficult to understand
how the labor of the worker can
be called commodity like sugar.
iron or copper. What is the diff
ference between a mans body and
his labor?
II you control the labor, do you
not control the body? If a mans
labor is not free, If he may not
combine with his fellows to pro-
tect it and obtain its full value. OF
what value is his so-called bodily
freedom?
Mrs. Orren Fowler Sheafer. in
telligent San Francisco lady.
thought we'll OF her husband,
Orren, and had great respect for
her most intimate lady friend, Mrs.
lily Fowler Ferris.
Realizing that she must say
ood-by to life and to her husband,
RS. Sheafer bequeathed her hus-
and to her good friend, Mrs. Fer
IS, and Mrs. Ferris is now the
econd Mrs. Sheafer.
How much more decent, human
nd generally respectable this is
han a last will and testament in
which a man so often says in sub
,tance, ITO my faithful and be-
loved wife, so-and-so, l leave so
many millions, but if she wants to
be happy and marries again, she
can't have a nickel"
Such a will puts a premium on
immortality, and proves that the
husband who makes the will never
deserved a good wife. That kind
If a husband is only short dis
ance from the man in India that
ad his living widow burned with
is dead body, or the African saw
sc that had an. assortment OF wives
laughtered and thrown into the
rave with him.
Wise Mrs. Sheafer at least knew
ist how old and how pretty the
econd Mrs. Sheafer would be, and
he picked out a lady that would
AXE good care Of her linen. all of
which is comforting to a lady
bout to die.
Foolish gossip in Detroit, an
nounced that fifty thousand OF
Henry Ford's workers were try
ing to seize his plant. work it
themselves and introduce bolshev-
ism.
The fifty thousand simply came
to be paid off on the temporary
closing of the plant. One solitary
policeman easily took care of the
bolshevism, for it had no exist
cnce.
Henry Ford, long before bolshev-
ism was invented, paid his men
the highest wages voluntarily,
without strikes or demands, and
at the same time made his profit
by huge productions, giving full
value to the public.
Bolshevism won't take root and
sovetism won't grow where work
crs are we'll paid and the public
fairly treated. If bolshevism ever
disturbs this country it will be due
to a type of man different from
Henry Ford.
The South is planning to cut cot
ton production one-half. There
seems no other way to raise the
price of cotton to point that will
pay cost Of production.
But there ought to be some bet
ter way of solving a great prob
lem, and the Government ought to
find it.
What would happen to the
world if farmers cut down the
production of milk, beef, wheat
and corn 80 per cent, to make a
living?
Or what would happen II all
factories OF clothing, pianos, steel,
everything, cut production one
half?
The world needs every pound
Of cotton the South can produce
and three times as much. Hun
dreds of millions are nearly naked.
II is simply question of adjust
ing credits.
Cotton is crop that can be
kept indefinitely, that will always
have its value, like gold or silver.
There should be enough intclli-
gopca buSinpss ability and opod