The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-19
IN JAMES = DAVIS.

nrs began fo hupr "tho Twins vUao'
emphasized ln tho popular mind
during the var. when abnormal CON.
dUIuu4 sent the ,ust of lyur uu.
ward hv hUuuJH tuuf often lyrt tho
wage Garner tHr Co the ryur iu the
HtrlEglo To- keep W with &c. ln|
tlmp, wages generally caught up
with living COSTS but not uutl We
had heard much of this living wago
500 much in fact, that the phrase
stuck and has been with us ever
since.
Not only has tho living wngc
siuN,d with uH Ug a. phrase, hut the
amount Of wage 10 wns supposed To
represent has also stuck. 10 would
socw. il the minds Of great many
ut our people. Certainly we Con-
tiuuo tp hear much about u. with
good dcul of confusion us tu what It
rcully uCuus, At HE present moo
m,nt II is rather tho employer who
CliuEs TO the original meaning of the
living wage. ns "A wage adjusted 20
the actual cost of living. 10 the
wage Garner himself the living wage
has com, to mean one ON which he
can really llvo--thHt rs. one which
VIII enable him 90 do more than
merely meet the cost of necessities
aud enjoy something OF lie besides.
10 my mind this demand on the
part OF the worker FOR % wage above
the bare ucccFatioa Of lie has l'-
como q rooted fixture In our indus
trial ana social ne. I'm the average
workers thoughts, the living wage
has become nhsolctc In its original
meaning. lie viii never $50 back to
H. We may Hs well reconcile our
solves 10 this fact and adjust our
ways To g. We may deliberately
force the wage Garner hnck, or busi-
ness conditions may automatically
force him hurN to the literal mean
INK Of the living wuEc-but only for
"a time, Tho moment business con-
dluous improve and % general pros
pCrity returns, We may expect II ne
/ "A certainty that the worker viii
come back with the demand for a
wnpe permitting him not simply TO
/ live but to get something out OF lifc,
And ! want TO say at once that / re
/ raru this nT good thing.
\ Truly Living Wage.
This Is no new discovery OF my
own. believe this wider concop-
. ton OF a truly living WACO has boz
! como general among ~. a COM
| persist In u literal Interpretation Of
| the living wage as one for living
costs only; but I believe these will
be- swept aside by tho greater num-
Der who put u moro liberal con-
structi0n on the term, During the
war the worker grew accustomed 10
things In NE that he had never be-
fore enjoyed. lie realizes That some
ot the more ambitious of these en-
lpymontH may have to be given up,
For the time being he has had TO
give thom all up. A large measure
Of these cnluymcuta hc has never
surrendered permanently Ana ! !
don't think II rs the intention Of our
people that he should do 80.
In one of President IlnrdinRs
most moving speeches, on economic
justice ~ Tho worker, this wide
popular lc"linE was stated most
fnrcibly ana truly. Tho president
said: The workmau'H lowest wage
must Doe enough for comfort. enough
10 mako hia house his home. enough
10 Insure that tho struggle for OK
ificuce shall not crowd out tho
things worth CNistinE for" ~ could
not hv better expressed Nhut lH
more, this is an expression not only
precision Of the new fixed demand
Of the worker himself
The Saving Wage.
II l9 "a modest demand, after an.
There ia nothing oxorbItont or rov-
ontIouary nbout q. II is oply tbnt
our poouIc Ip ,opcraI must ,,,,,obn,,,
roufriyr tbcir vov of Ilfn tbrIr oyye
earning and paying capacity go
thnt Just and moderate share of
aI,yavg ouioyc1 rIaII IAN ., t,, lnt
OF tbn v,rl.,r +, r,t,s, rnIl 80 ti,,,
Ina Tho form Of f., ,y1po c,Il n u'bat
Won yfu I'm yic,v nr tb, lonf,. NOM.
ing that has become attached IA the
uylDs vaga. praC,r t ia lac Inc
uyIng waee. The name srru,s to
mo tg bo rp moro t.an pt.t|
tribute tn ib9f Thing ip IIfe which
10 his oyorl1stIpr rr,dif rb, AtarrI.
can worFcr has shown that ha on.
lows thc tuost-.s3yIrg
Thus FAR I'm this MINOR po nl.r
been dcaIfnr ia loose forms rrt
let there hr mo- mistake pIuui fIIs.
next fact We aro now .u fH. m.l.t |
of au uufortgrHfr condition pr ln- /
omuI0ympnt 10 unv have n.f0n- I
#hrI .nmo of ua fnIT rHIre fn.a'
condition f.r what u H. in..r IHg|
bccu sp uuo actual distress among /
.'NH hNN" |NII |N' N''I' '|'