The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1921-04-29
"STRikE OF CAPITAL

.r "STRlkE OF CAPITAL
Lenine and Trotsky never gave ut
terance to wilder of more demagogic
statement In behalf of their commun-
list experiment than the brief filed
with the railroad labor board on be-
half of the employees. 1t Is the vapor-
ings of socialists in their warfare on
the "capitalistic" system. 1t has a
familiar sound. The document Is
really an insult to the intelligence OF
the members of the labor board.
An attempt is made to prove that
the present financial depression is the
result of conspiracy of capitalists
and was brought about deliberately
to crush labor" All of the teachings
Of history, the laws OF economics,
which are older than capital itself,
are deliberately ignored in order to
make this statement and arouse pre-
JUDGE. Capital has suffered as well
as labor as q result of the world cat.
aclysm. For four and one.quartel
years the world danced mad, wild
war dance. 1t is now paying the fid'
dler. This had to be done regardless
of the DEGREES of capital or the de-
mands of labor 1t is one Of the mex
orable laws of the universe that no
man made agencies can set aside. The
world is suffering from financial de-
preston, unemployment and general
business stagnation because of the tre-
mendous loss of capital in the holocaust
of four years. During that time the
accumulated savings of generations OF
labor were fed to the cannon and the
bomb and the flame.
Labor rode a high horse during
the two years Of wild extravaganza
that followed the armistiCe. So did
capital Both are paying for it now
Neither can expect under present
conditions to profit as they did year
ago Literally billions Of. dollars OF
capital have been written off, wiped
out of existence as the result Of the
dehation of the dollar and the depreci
alton of all values. Moreover, the fal
acy of the labor argument is shown
by the fact that the Capitalists" that
10 br nj oh tno q
reduction in pay commensurate will
the reduction in the cost of living. Il
laborer in 1920 received seven dol
lars a day when the dollar was worth
only about forty cents OK rs prewal
purchasing power how has he beef
injured If his pay is not cut even in
half with the dollar almost back t;
normally" Labor cannot expect t.
cat it's cake and have it too 1t cannot
expect "low cost Of living" for which |
it clamored with insatiate thirst dur
ing the period of prosperity and al
the same time maintain the post arm
istiCe scale of wages. The immutablt |
laws of economies cannot thus be vic |
lated
Nor can any wild socfalistic pavor |
ings conceal the fact that to pay
negro woman who washes out car
800 a month is altogether out of prC
portion to the compensation which thu |
great producers of the nation, who in
vest not only labor but capital, are re
ceiving. And it takes no argument
establish the fact that as long a
wages paid to the railroad employee
are far and above the average of tn
nations scale of pay to other labor
there can be no reduction Of freigh
rates. without which the farmers am
labor generally must continue in tn
slough of despond. Farmers have ha'
to take their loss, many business mel
have taken theirs, labor in thousand.
of places has done likewise. 1t is al
most an every day occurrence to reat
where union labor has appreciated tn
situation and accepted wage redut
tons to harmoniZe with the apprecia
ed value of the dollar. Railroad labo
generally speaking. is the most intelli
gent of all labor. 1t should adopt tho
same broad, generous policy. Onl
by pub altogether. by the most con-
plete harmony between employer ant
empoye can normal business condl
lions be restored.
RATE ADVANCES.