The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1922-04-22
WAGES, FREIGHTS AND PRICES


brains, Of Congress. In that event Il
is feared that Congress will appoint
a Commission to investigate this.
This fear nearly prevented us from
writing. For we know. and every
body knows, that a congressional
commission means fat salaries, big
expenses, voluminous reports. two
years or more of wasted time and no
results. The facts we can see In a
newspaper by glancing over two ems
of printed matter would require 1000
pages of a commissions report and
would then be as clear as mud.
AS to industrial plants. take, for
example, the cotton mills of Law
renee, Mass, during the strike OF a
few years ago. The workers struck
because they could not live on the
wages paid. but during the same time
the mills paid dividends to stock
holders of from 30% to 35% a year.
Some day the common people will
wake up to these facts. For in every
case 1t is the common people who
must suffer and finally pay the bill.
At one time about hundred and
fifty years ago, an old fellow named
Tom Jefferson made the remark in a
public document that "all men are
created equal" He thought that that
simple statement was enough. At
the present time 1t is not enough. In
explaining IT we would say: II you
are born in the executives class, all
are created equal and are entitled to
the highest dividends 1t is possible y
squeeze out of an industry, and over
and above that q yearly salary rang
ing from s15. 200 to $3.50, 900 q year.
These are your inaIienable rights and
must not be tampered with By Con-
gress or by any State Legislature. II
you are born in the operatives class
all are created equal and shall re-
ceive wages from z y \ s ! d. wnea
there is work to ~ but II case of
hard times these W&Ges uag bo fs-l
duced and tampered With by the cx
ecutive class as much as they see At.
These are the fnalienable rights Of
the operatives class and they have no
kick coming.
We are not radicals. We do not
want to preach a revolution. But we
believe that the representatives Of the
people should take this matter in
hand and pass just laws to correct
the glaring faults that exist to-day.
The executive classes rarely do 1t Of
their own volition. The Industries In
which 1t is done are the exceptions.
In most cases things are allowed to
run from bad to worse until, as In the
French Revolution, the streets ran
req with blood. "A ausffred yesrs
should have taught the world scrse.
thing, but In the Russia1I n = .ssszif'
the same or worse things nave oc-
| CURED and are now occurring.
Since the executive classes remain
the predatory classes, why could not
laws be passed empowering the De-
partment of Labor to send out ex-
aminers to every large industry in
which the public is directly interest
ed to examine all accounts and to see
to it that no greater dividends than
ten per cent per annum are paid, and
that no executives receive a greater
salary than that the Government it.
self pays to men of equal mental cal
iber, and that in cases where there
has been fragrant abuse the Depart
ment shall take such corporations
temporarily away from private con-
troll, and put economic experts in
charge and cure matters?
These changes are surely coming.
1t only remains to be seem whether
those Interested viii assist in bring
ing them about n : peaceful and
reasonable way Or whether it will re-
quire the destructfon OF all industry
and a huge amount of bloodshed to
accomplish them. The lessons of Rus
sia ought to be enough of a warning
to our country that we should take
the peaceful way.
As you know, the demand at pres
ent is for naturalization. R'eho not
doubt but this would be al 61rove-
ment provided it would reduco man
agement charges and induce the
working forces to do more sna bet
ter work. But the nationalizatioa Of
the railroads during the war has
shown that the opposite is the result.
Under National control 1t takes from
two to three men to do what one 9TH
erwise does. The management charg-
es are increased and all economy is
thrown to the winds.