The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-05-19

gress to investigate, has been shC
who dominate the committee,
and who are anti-labor, are
wholly opposed to any action.
Sen. Edwards Of New Jersey pro
claiming himself a high-tariff demo
crat, has told his fellow-members of
the committee that the strike is "a
Communist uprising" and that all de-
cent citizens in New Jersey stand by
the Passaic authorities in resisting
the strikers.
Since an injunction has been secur-
ed by the strikers against the inter
ference Of the police and sheriffs with
their meetings, the attacks against
Communism have died down. How
ever, the return of Walsh to the CAPT
tol is expected to revive the activity
of Edwards and his friends.
/. The anticipated battle in committee
will lie between LaFollette and Wheel
er, and possibly Reed of Missouri, on
the labor side, and Chairman McKin-
ley, Edwards, Tyson, Metcalf, Mclean,
Weller and McNary on the other.
When the anti-labor element wins, the
labor group will transfer the conflict
to the senate floor. Borah has prom
ised to join them there, and Norris,
Howell and other progressives will
help them if the issue is clearly
drawn. Walsh's errand in the capitol
is the drawing of this issue so that
nobody can evade it.
New Question to Raise.
When the majority shall have
shown that they will not investigate
the Passaic struggle because the strik-
ers' leader is a Communist, a differ
ent question may be injected into the
debate. Sen Sheppard of Texas, mod
crate democrat, will bring forward his
resolution, offered early in April, for
investigation of the textile and metal
industries in general, with the pur-
pose of ascertaining the effect upon
their wage scales of the high protec-
tive tariff. This resolution is before
the committee on education and labor.
of which Phipps of Carnegie Steel is
chairman.
In support of the Sheppard measure
the presidents of the Amalgamated
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers and the
United Textile Workers, among other
labor officials, have promised to come
to Washington to testify These affili.
ated members of the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor are as hostile to the
textile and steel barons' tariff graft
as are the leaders of the Passaic
strike, with whom they will not deal.
Tariff No Aid to Wages.
1t is pointed out that labor in near
ly every line of highly protected manu-
features received as wages a smaller
proportion of the value of goods pro
duced in 1923, under high tariff rates
of the Fordney-McCumber law, than
in 1921 under the Underwood-Simmo
tariff rates. Wages paid in 1921 were
21.2 per cent of the product, in fac
tories producing textiles and similar
goods, while in 1923 wages were only
1874 per cent Of the value. In fac
tories producing women's clothing in
1923 valued at S1,4O6, $4,000, labor
got only 1875 per cent of the product,
while in 1921 it received 1872 per cent
of the total value. Factories producing
aluminium goods paid labor only 1875
per cent OF the value Of goods made
in 1928, as against 1856 per cent in
1921.
Marsh reported that the average
wage in cotton goods factories in
1923 was only SS44: in cotton small
wares 1878, in wooden goods Sl,2O5.
in aluminium manufacturing S1,217,
and in factories manufacturing metals
and metal products, other than iron
and steel, S1,329