Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-04-06


administration whose aim Is to build
llenlarge and improve everything of {
lIcivic nature as rapidly as possible
II Should he fear that he will be re-
llduced to greater poverty by higt
lltaxes, exhorbitant rents and higher
llprices because he lives in a thorough
lily improved community which in It's
livery nature, demands a higher stand
lard of living at higher cost than less
progressive community?
II The answer may be summed up ir
llanother question:
Il OF what advantage is the maximum
llwage scale to a union workman il
Ilthere is no labor to perform?
Il Obviously it is the height of folly
for a union workman of any craft
to stand in the way of any civic i'm.
Improvement that means a full days
work at a fair wage which is fixed
llby mutual agreement with his EN-.
Iployer-high taxes, higher rents anC
llhigher prices Notwithstanding.
H II should be the fixed policy OF
levery labor organization to endorse
land, so far as possible, to promote
Ieyery civic improvement that means
ian additional days work, and ii
lIshould be their policy to endorse a
lefty administration, without qualifi-
llcation, which stands for a continuous
lIprogram Of local improvement if for
mo other reason than that such pro-
llgram means continuous employment
flor large body of union workmen.
Selfish tho it may appear from the
llstandpoint Of higher altruism the first
on Ell Of 70 oil
Ills the contribution his community
makes to him. Misrepresentation is
1.-THE first law of nature
II Every workman whether he Is affil-
aited with labor union or not, knows
that his chief problem is to procure
a living for himself and family during
that season of the year when his craft
is idle, and If this period becomes
Heightened out beyond reasonable
time, which is often of necessity de-
termined by the nature of his occupa-
ton, his problem becomes still more
acute.
Every workman knows, also, that
his power Is limited to induce the
private property owner or private
corporation to construct or improve
their property when such owner or
corporation feels that the prices of
material and labor are too high to
warrant even necessary improve
ments. Even persuasion and coercion
fail to impress the private owner or
corporation when there Is a manifest
tendency to delay building until the
scale of union wages is reduced or
until prices fall.
III GnncoDuaptIu auarxr ,,pinu uarkpa .,
should know that he has recourse
when attempting to fill the idle days
with labor to an administration that
Stands ready to encourage and pro-
mote civic improvement when the
need of such Improvement becomes
apparent and who acts without wait
ling until absolute necessity demands
improvement.
/ For this reason every union work
man should urge the construction of
public utilities in advance of absolute
need, the enlargement and improve
ment of public school buildings to
point adequate to if not in advance
of the times, the paving and improv-
ling of streets the construction of
parks sanitary sewer and drainage
Systems and every other civic i'm
provement that may be ordered by
city commission at any time or voted
for by the people, for such program
means work for the union man at the
union scale.
What does it mean to the unions If
the tax scare gets possession of union
workmen?
l. 1t means that they walk hand in
nnt.ac ciu ali
lof every community who persists in
delaying every civic improvement that
means an outlay of expense and in
creased taxation.
2. 1t means that they must rely
wholly upon their ability to persuade
private property owners to build and
Improve their property.
3. 1t means that IL they have an
unprogressive city commission who
refuses to order improvements and
Thereby to fill. the vacant seasons with
for union workmen, they
must eventually shave down their
wage scale to a figure that will induce
private owners and corporations to
provide labor by construction and i'm
provement of their property.
4. 1t means that the union wage
scale will eventually decrease to a
point wholly inadequate for the MAIN
ltenance of the workman's family.
II b. 1t means the final disintegra-
ton of union labor, because men will
Eventually drift out of the unions if
they are unable to secure employ
Iment thru them.
II 1t therefore follows as a matter of
Sound business policy to support a
progressive city administration, if for
mo other reason than that such an
administration automatically provides
labor when labor is scarce.
II 6. 1t may mean also that rents,
food prices, and many other neces-
llsary expenses will remain at the peak,
Though taxes, which represents the
minimum of expense to the workman,
are reduced.
II A city administration has one prime
obligation to the union man. 1t is to
lprovide employment for him at scale
llfixed by mutual agreement, and to
hold out an inducement of employ
ment as means of sustaining him in
ibis battle for living wage when the
lIprivate owner and corporation adhere
to fixed policy of delaying all build
ling enterprises in an effort to beat
him down to the minimum wage scale.
Thus when defeated in his effort to
secure employment thru the channels
of private business he has recourse
to his government and may elect an
administration pledged to his wage
program and the spirit of his union
Organization. A failure to see this
point is a fatal blow to the plans of
union labor. A union workman who
Ilfails to endorse a progressive admin
istration other things besing equal,
llmay as well divorce himself from his