The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-06-24
THE CHANGING WORLD.

THE tUANHlNo NVItIiDs
Tho operation of lmmutoble law--call It evo-
muon II you wlli--causcs much dlsress much
foolish opposition and no little hystcrla along
with the many paipnblo benefits.
What are lmmutable laws2
The decision OF womnnknd TO refrain from
wearing petconts and corscts. for instance.
Millions of dollars nre invested In corset nnd
pottIcoat factories. Hundreds OF thousands OF
people have been dependent on these industries
for their daily bread. These employees were
unlonlzcd and organized to tho nth degree.
But OF what avall7 II there ia no demand
for tho product there can be no wage paid.
Corset and pettIcoat workers may strike until
thcy are blue In the face; they'n accomplish
nothing. Folks have already decided 20 get
along without corsets or pct,lcoats--or nearly
so.
The little demand there is for such wearing
apparel has 70 be met by plants OF huge invest
ments operating on the lowest possible wage
scale. who's to bame1 Nobody's to blame; an
immu,ablo law is operating.
What are striking railway workers up
against? Just this: The Internal combustion
engine. Those striking railway employees are
bucling an immutable law. The Investment In
American railways has already been made. But
as in the case OF the corset and petticoat manu-
facturers. the investors find their former pat
rons using less and less OF their product.
Every Internal combustion engine placed in a
clf-propced 'vchicle makes greater inroads
on the railways. Every additional mile OF
good road put down calls for moro Internal
combustion engines in self-propelled vehicles.
Every ton OF freight moved a mile by motor
truck takes that much of the Income OF rail-
ways Every Individual who trayels from one
place to another in motor car reduces tho
income OF railroads that much. And there are
millions OF individuals constantly travelling
about in motor cars, and millions OF tons of
freight being hauled longer and longer distances
by motor trucks.
Not long ago the writer was travelling for
few hours with tho superintendent OF one of
the large railway systems OF America Mile att
or mile tho track was pnraileled by splendid
highway dotted thickly with swiftly moving
motor vehicles. The railroad executive COM
planned bitterly;
There" he said pointing n mennoing finger
nt the highway with its motor vehicles 'is the
thing which Is sappng the life out OF the rail-
roads The demand for good roads sprang
from pretended desire to construct feeders
for the railways. Instead OF that they have
first OF all paralleIed every railroad in the coun-
try. thus creating competitor There should
be no highway paralieling the railroad; all Inn
provement should be the other way"
sympathy for tho raiTonds Of course; but
nothing more. They must solve their own prob
lem by meeting this competition. 1t Is per-
rectly silly to whine about the thing The good
roads are to multiply indefinitely. not decrease
The railways can no more stop this evolution
In transportation that Is sapping their life-than
! could the wagon tcamsters OF another day stop
the evolution of steam which was taking their
bread and butter out OF their mouths.
The railway employees may strike and strike
! still again. but they cannot change or seriously
| affect this immutahle law which is working
! irresstibly. They render valuable aid to
! tho railway owners whose interests are identl-
cal with theirs by cooperating In good faith.
| To stand in open hostility TO the owners Of the
| roads In the expectation OF forcing the govern
meut to take them over and force from the pub
| lie an income sufficient to pay the wage de-
| mands OF the workers--that is foolishness OF
! the most lndefensIbe kind. The corset makers
| and the petticoat makers would doubtless want
! the same thing. But there is the public to con-
| tend with,
| II Is a bit difficult to determine Just where
It is this changing world Is taking us, but that
| we are on the way no thinking man Will dispute
| ------: -
pUoVI NJ, THANKS FOR DIR. KERN,