The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-23
NJ ADOO j R GES
LIVING WAGE
PRINCIPLE
Declares Worker Has Right to
Enough to Provide for
His Family.
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Continued from First Page.)
stituted among men to secure these
rights
"The Declaration did not refer
alone to political rights; it compre-
hended economic rights as we'll
Governments are established to Sc
cure to the individual enjoyment of
economic as well as political rights
How can life be sustained with.
out a living wage, and without life,
what are liberty and the pursuit
of happiness worth? Without the
opportunity to support life by
honest toll and industry, the in
alienable rights conferred upon by
the Creator are of small value, and
one Of the greatest purposes for
which governments are instituted
among men disappears. Liberty
cannot be enjoyed without life and
happiness cannot be pursued un-
less one can enjoy both life and
liberty.
Demanded By Civilization.
"The fundamental of life is the
opportunity to work and the right
to receive for that work a wage
sufficient, at least, to sustain the
life OF the worker and provide
reasonabl comforts for his family
and education of his children.
Civilization means that il it means
anything at all.
Ihere Is q constant cry for
efficient labor, but how can under
led, under-educated, under-supported
unambitious labor be efficient. How
can discontented labor be efficient.
IF efficiency pays, then it pays
to get efficiency-and the only way
to get efficiency is to pay labor q
wage that will feed it's strength,
clothe it's body. maintain it's health,
improve its intelligence, compose it's
mind, and sustain it's family in rea-
sonable comfort.
Efficiency In Contentment.
This cannot be accomplished by
compulsion, whether applied through
the arbitrary power Of the employer,
operating upon the necessity of the
employe, or through court injunc-
tons or Industrial courts or other
wise.
Efficiency comes from content
ment, and contentment is produced
by decent wages and working con-
ditions and in no other way. The
enlightened employer must see that
every interest of his own is advant-
tagged by a contented and efficient
| corps of employees. and the these
cannot be had II wages are insult
ficient and working conditions are
unsatisfactory.
"It is the duty Of organized so.
ciety to continually strive to secure
for the worker a living wage so
that he may enjoy the 'inalienable
right to life, liberty, and the pur-
suit Of happiness The economic
order must be adjusted to the Iiv-
ing wage as minimum basis, and
be maintained on this basis before
a composed and profitable industrial
era is possible.
Must Provide for Old Age.
"In establishing the living wage,
the basis should not be merely
enough to enable the worker and
his family "a standard number in
the family is necessarily assumed)
to exist. It must be sufficient to
enable the thrifty and Industrious
worker to maintain himself and
family in reasonable comfort, edu.
cate his children, and save some.
thing against emergency and old
age. 1t must be an adequate wage
as well as a living wage.
Society will be benefited by the
savings OF the workingrnan, not
only because 1T contributes to i'm.
prove citizenship, but savings are
essential to take up the losses that
Iar4Sa from nertodR Qf pon-emDlnT.