New Ulm review., 1922-07-12
LINDBERCH GIVES
OUT STATEMENT II: / ! |
NONPARTISAN LEAGUE STATE
CAMPAIGN MANAGER ON
PENDING,sTRIKEs.
MINIMUM PRoFIT%AND PRICE,
bfSs AS WELL AS WAGE, -
ADVOCATED.

manager 1OT Cue VOllpdILiSdA ACo6oO
candidates running on the Farmer
Labor ticket in Minnesota, punctures
the reasonable profit idea, SO assid-
uously held before the public by big
business writer's and which found legal
expression in the Esch-Cummins law,
in statement given out to the press
yesterday on "The Pending Strikes"
Mr.. Lindbergh argues that it is the
sheerest hypocricy to fix reasonable,
profits or minimum profits as in the
railroad act referred to unless, at the.
same time, a reasonable" price is
fixed by law on the necessities OF life
that the laborer and other consumers
have to buy. He also shows the
wrong of fixing minimum wage for;
labor, as is being attempted by the
U. S. Railway Labor Board in the
Iailroad shop crafts unless at the same
time limit be placed on the price
of the goods that wage-laborers have
to buy to live.
Profit, Price, Wage, Interdde-
pendent. s,5fsl Es,s,s..
In fixing a maximum and minimum
of one of these three, profit, price and
wage, the situation. is. left in an un-
equal and unfair condition. All three
must be fixed to be fair.
Mr.. Lindbergh's statement follows:
;c r. nor
wage of labor in different groups. It
is seldom that the comment turns on q
comparison between what capital gets
in the way of profit and what the wage
worker is paid for his labor. A COM
parison of what capital gets in the way
of profit, with what the worker gets IN
wages is more to the point, and the
real thing for thought.
The U. S. Railway Labor Board in
it's finding on wages of railway workers,
among other statements, made the
following: 8. .-.--, -. l.. l.. e. ~
Labor cannot be freed from the
economic laws which likewise affect the
earnings of capital s..s.
The word earnings. used in the
Boards findings, means profits
Earnings is the keynote in the
Boards findings. 1t is the basis OF
measuring profit for capital on one side
of a controversy to take it from labor
on the other side. "
Capitalist Profit Guaranteed
The capitalist has guarantee OF
profit while the worker has none, but
on the contrary the worker is forced
to earn the profit for the capitalist to-
increase the capitalists capital. This
the worker cannot do under the present
attempted readiustment plan except
by a cut in wages. -......-s... y.
Under the plan Of the Board-which
is the capitalist plan and supported by
law, the worker faces ultimate ruin.
Every dollar added to capital is a
dollar taken from labor, or. else it is
taken from the consumer, and since the
workers in the aggregate consume the
most, it simply catches them the other
way around. In either way, it be-
comes another dollar for the capitalist
to collect additional profit upon-the
profit being again taken from labor,
compounds the toll of capital and cor
respondingly decreases the pay to
labor.
Since all capital increases are taken
from labor, the net result on the entire
business and industrial system, is to
continually lessen the part OF the
workers earnings which he can keep.
Capital of Trust 100 Billions.
! The capital OF the railways already
approximates 20 billions--that in
cluded with the other capitalists
trusts runs much over 100 billions, the
profits on which, when compounded
on the basis of the present enforcement
will in a brief period take all the earn
ings Of labor, farm and other.
), Of course, capital will allow labo
what capital deems required for sub
sistence, for capital would itself b.
worthless if it failed to do that.
u When the workers in one or NOR
groups strike, it is not alone question
of whether or not the strikers wage
are as good as the wages in othe
groups. The real question is: Shall tn
capitalist be allowed by labor to in
crease capital by taking it from tn
workers earnings?
q System Is Ridiculous.
The system is ridiculous but
operates to the advantage of capita
1t has proved itself an absurdity, $
the takers try to make believe that
can be made. right by providing
minimum wage. All that is necessa1
now to completely lock the who
ctor o,,I IL, I,