Evening star., 1933-07-25

Some of the things President Roose-
welt said in his request for cooperation
in the Unemployment movement:
''The blanket (pay-raising, work
shortening) agreements which am
sending to every employer will start the
wheels turning now, and not six months
from now"
This Nation wide attack on unem-
people understand it. Z" 1t goes back
to the basic idea that people act
ing in q group can accomplish things
which NO individual acting alone could
even hope to bring about"
IT all employers In each competitive
group agree to pay their workers the
same wages-reasonable wages-and re-
quire the same hours-reasonable hours
then higher wages and shorter hours
will hurt no employer"
I'm war soldiers wear . bright
badge on their shoulders to be sure that
comrades do not fire on comrades.
Those who cooperate in this program
must know each other ct . glance
We have provided q badge Of
honor for this purpose, . simple design
With . legend. We do our part. and
AK that all those who join With me
shall display that badge prominently"
There are. Of course men, . few Of
them, who might thwart this great
common purpose BY seeking selfish ad-
vantage. = The cooperation that
! comes from opinion and conscience
are the only instruments We
shall use in this great Summer offensive
against unemployment"
TT IL obvious that If we can greatly
increase the purchasing power Of the
tens Of millions Of our people who make
living from farming and the distribu-
ton Of farm crops we will greatly In
which are turned out by industry"
Il (have) expressed my faith that We
can make possible by democratic SELF
that kind in the continuing descent
into the economic hell Of the past four
years.
There u . clear way to reverse that
process: II all employers in each COM
petitive group agree to pay their
workers the same wages-reasonab
wages-and require the same hours
reasonable hours-then higher wages
| apd shorter hours will hurt no en-
ployer.
Moreover, such action is better for
the employer than unemployment and
low wages. because it makes more
buyers for his product. That Is the
simple idea which ID the very heart Of
the industrial recovery act.
On the basis of this simple principle
Of everybody doing things together. we
are starting out on this Nation wide
attack on unemployment. It will sue
coed II our people understand tin
the big industries, In the little shops.
in :he great cities and In the small
villages
Principle Net Compltcatsd.
There is nothing complicated about
II and there Is nothing particularly
new In the principle. It goes back to
Nation itself that people acting in .
group can accomplish things which no
Individual acting alone could even hope
to bring about.
Here is an example. In the cotton
| textile code and in other agreements
already signed child labor has been
abolished. That makes me personally
happier than any other one thing with
which I have been connected since I
| came TO washington.
In the textile industry-an industry
which came to me spontaneously ana
with q splendid cooperation rs soon
As the recovery act was siSned-child
labor was an old eYil. But no en-
ployer acting alone was able to wipe
| it out II one employer tried it. or
| If one State tried 1t, the costs OF opera
ton rose 30 high that it was impossible
to compete with the employers or States
which had failed to act.
The moment the recovery act was
passed. this monstrous thing which
neither opinion nor law could reach
through years Of effort went out In .
lash.
| AS q British editorial put 1t, we did
more under q code in one day than
| they In England had been sble to do
under the common law In Is years OF
! effort. -
Time for Courageous Action.
I use this incident, my friends, not
to boast of what has already been done,
| but to point the way to you for even
greater cooperative efforts this Sum-
mer and Autumn.
- We are not going through another
Winner like the last. doubt II ever
any people so bravely and cheerfully
endured q season half 70 bitter. We
cannot ask Americans to- continue to
face such needless hardship. 1t Is
time for courageous action. and the
recovery bill gives US the means to
conquer unemployment with exactly the
same weapon that We have used to
strike down child labor.
The proposition Is simply this:
| II all employers will act together to
shorten hours and raise wages. we can
put people back to work. No employer
will suffer, because the relative level
Of competitive cost will advance by the
same amount for all. But II any con-
siderable group should lag or shirk,
this great opportunity will pass us BY
and We will 60 into. an0t desperate
Winter. This must not hppen.
We have -sent out TO- al employers