The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-08-26
"TAKING THE CUT"

"Labor ought to take cut with
everybody else," said professional
man at lunch table in a downtown
restaurant the other day. The group
to which this wisdom was impaired
had been discussing the rail and mine
strikes.
eyes, said another in the group,
an advertising promoter, "the issue
might as we'll be fought out now.
We can't afford to permit the unions
to run the country. The troops
should be called out in every state.
n may mean a small revolution, but
we will have it all over with at
once.'
There we have it. Let labor take
the cut "with everybody else," and
eight it to finish' even if it
starts "small reyolution.'
Who is "thc everybody else' that
is taking the cuts We would like
picture VI LudG DlTu.
Is it the doctor? We once saw
him at his office for a dollar. He
called at our home for two. He
doubled his office charge during the
war and raised day calls to three
dollars and night calls to five dol
lars. He hasn't taken any cut since.
Is it the dentist? He once pulled
a tooth for a dollar. He raised it
to three dollars during the war, and
that price still goes. So he hash t
taken a cut.
Is it the lawyer? He was content
with ten dollar bill for examining
an abstract in ye olden days. He
learned to get SIS for the same ex.
animation during the "high price"
era. He is still getting it. So our
good friend, Mr.. Lawyer, does not
belong to ''everybody else" class.
Is it the newspaper Before the
Kaiser let loose his hungry forces
on an unsuspecting world the two
dailies were content with two cents
for copy Of their paper. They
boosted the prices to three cents when
boosting was popular, and that price
is still being exacted from the news
reading public. So the publishers do
not belong to the "everybody'
class.
Is it the landlord? Golly, we near
ly forgot him for once. He started
aerial touring the moment the arms
tice was signed and his parachute
still hangs by his balloon, which
continues to soar upward. No, Of
all persons, the landlord is not men,
Der of the mysterious everybody
else'' society.
Is it the shoe dealer or manu-
facturer7 A five-dollar shoe was
once luxury. A $40 shoe is now a
necessity. The price is still twice as
high as it was in pre-war days. So
the shoe men are out of the "every-
body' group
But what's the use? We might
fill this page with inquiries as to
who the everybody else' is that is
"taking the cut' and we would be
unable to find him except among
the workers, among the unskilled who
were the first to be brought "bac]s
to normalcy," and then among the
skilled workers who "took the cut
by degrees.
Our advertising friend who want:
the matter fought out to a finisl
even to the using of troops and to the
starting Of a small revolution, needn u
worry about labor running the coun
try for some time at least. If ht
has any doubt about who is bossine
the big government job. just now lei
him inquire of the twelve big me,
VINO sat IN the Blackstone hotel q
Chicago two years ago and pickle,
1 Warren G. Harding as their can,li
date for president Of the United
States.
It is the same twelve who can
if they will, settle every strike il
the country, dissolve every citizens
alliance and introduce peace and de
mocracy in industry. But they will d
nothing of the kind, not unless the,
/. are forced to it, and the strike seem
to be the only way Of doing it. I
is q long fight, but the victory will
h be worth the price and the sacrifice
tIyiF.' VIE APE EHfp1 nvERQ