The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-08-24

if they wanted to, are opposed to
labor strikes by men who belong TO
unions and brotherhoods. Put Sam
.uel Gompers, head of the American
Federation of Labor, keeps stirring
about in official circles in Washing
ton, repeating over and over that
labor unions twill never surrender
the right to strike" Mr.. Gompers
unquestionably correctly voices the
sentiment of all the, labor union
leaders, and whenever you find one
of them, at the head of the brother
hood, or elsewhere, they are preach
mig the same doctrine.
The headlines of metropolitan
newspapers very easily dispose of
strikers by inventing Legislative
panaceas to future strikes; but the
Administration knows, and every
Senator and Representative fully
understands that the fright 10
strike" is almost religion among
several million American working
men all voters! When strikes are
called, capital and labor become bel
ligerent and stubborn. The public
occupies the sgrandstand, and the adj
vice of the Administrative heads of
the nation is usually treated more
like the pleadings Of small child
than as commands from a stern
parent.
Serious minded people in the
National Capital admit that the
remedy for INDUSTRIAL disputes has
not been found, because strikes, like
wars, express the animal instinct"
that civilization has not yet succeed
ed in tanning.
THE UNDERPAID FARMERS
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace
has issued lengthy statement show
ing the average wages paid TO rail-
road and coal mining employees to
prove that their net income has been
munifcent as compared to the re-
turns to farmers and farm laborers.
After fastening his basis on the safe
foundation that the value of income,
whether it be in the form of wages or
money received for sales of pro-
ducts ssis represented not in dollars
and in cents, but in what that in
come will buy by its purchasing
power" Mr.. Wallace proceeds to
prove that the purchasing power of
wages of the railway employee in
1921 was 81 per cent greater thin in
1913. The purchasing power of the
wages of the coal miner in the same
period increased 80 per cent. But
the farms hand gained only per
cent, and according to Mr.. Wallace
the purchasing power of the farmer
himself was, on an average, from %
to As per cent less than in 1913"
1t takes newspaper man to prove
cases by comparisons; and one can
not follow the Editor Secretary
through his argument without feel
ing something of a tinge of indigna-
ton over the fact that the farmers
who are the backbone of producing
wealth, and number almost one-third
of the entire population of the
country, should fare so badly in the
final balance sheet. Mr.. Wallace
remarks approvingly upon the fact
that the tanners have not "struck, !"
but he observes that they have s'en-
deavored to get relief by all lawful
means" And that lawful means"
has been intercepted by the activities
of the farm bloc" in Congress,
which has put the okeh and the
'kibosh" on more pieces of legisla-
ton than any similar movement in
recent years. While Mr.. Wallace's
findings must all be admitted, still
Ichere is plenty of evidence to indi-
cate that they are applying major
remedies in the treatment of many
ills to which thew have fallen yicfims.