Evening star., 1923-06-24
Points Moral From
Labor's War for Square Deal

serted In the charter of every cor
foration before the state or nation
breathes the breath OF life into 1t.
Yet ! wonder whether the general
understood in all of its implications,
whether all who advocate II are quite
sure Of Its Justice and quite certain
&c what length II may lead. As now
adv1sats r,t,s q; Il would ,I FIX 2 Wage: va r. Int Int
turned for that wage. Nor does it
dtstir guish in its practical applica-
tion between those who are skillful
and those who are not, for by rules
and regulations over which society
retent Is to have the minimum wage
and the competent would have to
curb his natural and acquired ef-
tciency to meet the slow movement
OF the incompetent.
Might Treat All Alike.
II we arc to enter the domain of
wage fixing. does not the intellectual
honesty OF all concerned demand that
we shall 70 the limit? Instead. there
fore. of fixing a minimum wage. why
not fix wages commensurate with the
skill, ability, zeal and integrity Of
every one in industry? Or why not
put all men. from the President down,
into different classes and Ak the
minimum wage of each class? 1t is
not to tho interest of even the most
incompetent that the business OF
America be run upon the schedule of
the incompetents.
The fight against special privilege
and unjust dealing which oenters
around the minimum wage will,
sooner or later, produce a discussion n
over the subject of a maximum wage.
IL must not be forgotten that the
same power which says how deep
down we may dig into the ground
may say how high UP we may go in
the air. The intellectually honest
Will not pretend that a government
can fix minimum without also Ak
ing a maximum. Many a precedent
mas been established only to cause
havoc when made use of by the other
side Justice and fair dealing sug-
gest q frank admission by those de-
manding the minimum wage that the
government has the right to fix, and.
under proper circumstances, ought to
nix. the maximum wage.
ana am not sure that IL this prin-
cip!e could be introduced into the in
tenectual work Of the world much
sooa tnight come from it. The man
who threw down his pick because he
iAmented the conditions under which
MS fellow-pickmen were working and
leo crusade for a minimum wage
would disclose that he was workinp 2
! for love of the cause rather than for
loaves and fishes II there were a law
that said to him the minimum wage
which he demanded would be his
maximum wage.
Plan to Assure Peace OF Society.
IL would add to the peace of society
II the organizations that are sending
out men to give people advice as to
the incomes which they ought 10 re-
ceive and the way in which thew
| should live were themselves limited
to the receipt OF the income they
urge and were compelled to live in
accordance with the principles they
lay down. ! could solve the agricul-
tural problem IL had power to send
back to the farms every man who
says that back-to-th the farm move
ment is the one thing needed. Like
most reformers, I believe in reforms
but do not wish to apply them to my
ment is all right, but I. myself. don't
wish to go back. i would like to
govern the incomes of others, but !
don't want my own income interfcred
with. In the long run, we may well
trust to civilization and Christianity
to correct abuses rather than to en-
ter upon any system which, carried
TO its ultimate conclusion. will con-
vert self-reliant individuals into mere
puppets of the state.
Copyrighted. 1923. 21st Century PressD