The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-02-26

Simply that electrical engineers.
architects, chemists. managers, etc.
the black coat and white collar
men-had got together as they have
long threatened to uo and formed a
professional mems union to defend
themselves in the conflict between
English capital and English hand
labor.
The national federation has had
. conference in London this month.
The delegates represented 100000
members OF the middle class brain
workers. The chief complaint was
that the salaries OF the black coat
and white collar men In England had
been reduced 100000 a week. This
number. was a severer reduction
than the 100000 900 a week cut from
the total wages of English hand
workers. Sooner or later, the chief
speaker said. the professional men
who profited least in the war and
suffered most in the peace had got
to make their stand. Other speak
ers told why and how the middle
class or professional men must
adopt In general the policies prac-
ticed by conservative labor unions
toward employers.
Protecting Middle Glass.
This Is the latest step in Europe
to protect and preserve what are
known there as the middle class men
Of business. What is behind it?
In central Europe. writes an Eng
l nshman, 1t is the doctors, profess
sors, engineers, business men. law
yers who have been first to perish"
in the last three years. The hand
workers have been able to defend
themselves to certain extent with
their unions. the rich with their
wealth. But the manager, the sci
enlist. the professional man has
simply gone down to the point where
he can eat meat only once a week,
often has to solicit meal tickets from
relief stations and must lodge his
family Of four or five persons in two
rooms.
The black coat and white collar
men have suffered less in England,
but they have suffered. OF theIS00.-
900 new houses needed in England
100000 are supposed to be required
by men of the business middle class
But the men of this class cannot af-
ford to build them. Between high
taxes and high wages, with incomes
decimated by the stress and storms
Oh T6CeHt years, they NiuSt bCS VII 90
best they can without the homes
that their habits and standards Of
living once required.
But what does all this mean to the
United States? Why should we
worry about the woes Of men Of mod
crate means in Europe?
Middle Class Burdened.
Well, we shouldn't worry unless
the same troubles are suddenly ur-
loaded on Americans OF moderate
means. At the same time, why shut
ene's eyes to the business signs or
the times? What caused the Gov
eminent recently to propose a new
set Of taxes that would force middle
class business to carry the load
Why did It start out to do just what
has been done in Europe-unload
the big burdens on business OF mod
crate size? Because 1t thought mid
die class business the least organ
ICED, the least able to protect itself
In Congress and at the polls.
II feared to apply any tax that
would further injure organized
wealth, and tax that would be re-
scented by organized farmers or would
be opposed by organized labor. So
Il picked unorganized business Of
the middle class group. Only by
sudden and spontaneous protest did
such business have itself from new
burdens and hardships.
The writer has before him some
recent estimates of just what the
business men and families Of medium
incomes mean to the United States
More than half the income tax pay
ers In this country draw between
$4,000 and $4,000 a year for their
work in producing the wealth Of the
nation. Altogether, they produce
nearly q third OF the income. They
contribute $3.50, 900, 900 a year. by in
come tax alone, to the support OF
the Government. They cannot be
impoverished without leaving a fatal
gap between poverty and riches In
the United States.
One thing that ais all the strug-
cling countries Of central Europe Is
the collapse Of the middle class, as
in Germany. One thing that throws
the shadow over England is the
weakening Of the middle-class
worker. One thing that causes
America still to tower above the rest
of the world In business strength Is
the health and vigor OF the middle
GLASS business men and their black
coated. while-collared associates.
There's something in that condi-
ton for law makers and tax collec-
tors, as we'll as the rest Of us, to
think about