The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-09-20
PROSPERITY NO ACCIDENT
SAYS HERBERT HOOVER
Continued from Page y

1dDOC Ill us COLLECTIVE euOTLS udS
contributed greatly to the mainte-
nance of proper wages and to i'm.
proved conditions of labor. But col
lective bargaining cannot overcome
the forces that make for unemploy-
ment. I, for one, am willing to trust
the proved ability of employees to
take care of their rights if there Is
employment to be had. And our work
ers as citizens at the ballot box have
q large part in the determination of
these economic policies. The problem
of insuring full work all the time is a
problem of national concern.
Keeping in Tune
Behind every job Is vast, intri-
cate and delicately adjusted system
Of interlocked industries dependent
upon skilled leadership and upon find
ing a market for their products at
home or in foreign lands. Close down
q New Jersey factory because of in
adequate transportation or inadequate
tariff and it's effect is felt by the New
ing automobiles to South America or
Europe, and automobile workers are
thrown out of employment in Michi-
gan. The suffering does not stop
there. 1t only begins. The steel mills
slacken in Pennsylvania and Indiana.
The mines employ fewer workers at
Lake Superior. And every farmer in
the United States suffers from the
diminished purchasing power.
The modern relationships of govern
ment and industry are a tangled mass
of economic and social problems
They are neither abstract PROPOSE
tions nor statistics. They are human.
The Republican Party has perform
ed unparalleled service to the en-
ployees IN our commerce and industry
throughout it's history and notably
during the past seven and a half
years. Continuous employment and
prosperity Of labor depend upon the
continuance of those policies. The
Republican Party recognizes this re-
sponsibility. Proof of this rests upon
Its actual record of accomplishment.
Unemployment in 1921
When we assumed direction of the
Government in 1921 there were five
to six million unemployed upon our
streets. Wages and salaries were fall
ing and hours of labor increasing.
Anxiety for daily bread haunted near.
ly quarter of our 100000 families.
The Republican Administration at
once undertook to find relief to this
situation. At once a nationwide en-
ployment conference was called. 1t
was made up Of representatives of
both employers and employees. l had
the honor to be chairman of that con-
ference. We set up a program for
systematic organization of business to
restore employment.
Within year we restored these five
million workers to employment. But
we did more, we produced a funda-
mental program which made this re-
stored employment secure on founda-
lions of prosperity. AS a result wages
and standards Of living have during
the past six and half years risen to
steadily higher levels. None of the
larger countries engaged in the great
war have yet restored full employ
ment.
There have been assertions of wide
unemployment at the present time.
There was temporary dip of employ
ment last winter From this we are
now rapidly recovering. Its causes
were local and temporary. An &C.
curate survey Of the Department OF
Labor showed that even including the
usual winter seasonal unemployment,
about 100000 employees were out
of work as contrasted with five to six
million in 1921. During the past two
months there has been a higher rec
ord of production and consumption OF
goods than during corresponding
months Of any previous year.
There are two industries which
have only partially recovered to our
general industrial prosperity. They
are the bituminous coal and textile
industries. Here the difficulties OF
recovery from over-expansion during
the war have been increased by du-
plication of part of both industries in
the Southern States. They have also
been affected by changes in use Of
textiles on one hand and by the in
crease Of electricity on the other. We
have a duty to continue effort to their
full recovery by every assistance that
the Government can afford. This will
be carried forward diligently.
Despite these rare exceptions, the
averages of real wages are higher to-
day than ever before. And the ardu.
Gus hours Of labor have decreased.
Tariff
The first Of our policies which have
given security and expansion Of en-
ployment has been the enactment Of
the protective tariff. The protective
tariff has been fundamental policy
Of the Republican Party ever since
the party was founded. Against 1t the
Democratic Party has battled for
these same seventy years. Two
months ago their platform limited that
they thought we might be right. How
ever, they declared for tariff that
would maintain effective competition.
That must mean a tariff which will
maintain effective competition of for
eign against American goods. That
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