The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-04-13
THURSDAY. April 10 1893
SAVE AMERICAN INDUSTRY

moves o. the administration against the de-
preston will not pull US out Of the ditch until
The great American mass market is restored.
That means putting wages, decent wages,
regular wages, into the pockets of labor, so
labor can buy goods.
Here is the tremendous opportunity of
President Roosevelt. He and he alone, has
the power and the prestige to move into this
crisis of closing factories, idle merchants, and
joblcss workers, and stop the dehation Of the
mass market
Intelligent employers are poWerlesS. They
are in competition with sWeatshops. They can
not keep up wages and mass buying power
unless they are protected from sweatshop
competition, unless the government throws its
protection around American standards for
industry
President Roosevelt knows this His re-
markable telegram Wednesday to Governors
of industrial states points the necessity of
minimum wage laws, as follows:
May I call your attention to minimum
wage law just passed by legislature Of New
York and approved by Governor Lehman,
which declared it against public policy for
any employers to pay women or minors a wage
which is less than the fair and reasonable
value for services rendered and less than suf-
fcient to meet the ultimate cost of living
necessary for health.
This represents great forward step against
lowering Of wages, which constitutes serious
form of unfair competition against other en-
ployers reduces the purchasing power CT the
workers. and threatens the stability Of indus
try. I hope that similar action can be taken
by the other states for protection of the pub
lie interest"
Splendid, We must stop the wage reduc-
ton which threatens the stability of indus
try" But that can not be done by minimum
wage only for women and minors, minority
of wage earners 1t can not be done by state
action alone
Federal action is required to strike at the
evil, which is national.
The President knows that also. His secre-
tary of labor told house committee Wednes-
day that he favors the purpose and principle
of the thirty hour-wee bill, which has passed
the senate. But Secretary Frances Perkins
added, significantly, that amendments were
needed to that bill to give greater elasticity
and powers of enforcement The administra-
ton is preparing such amendments.
A thirty-hour- law for industry in in
terstate commerce merely would be another
share-the- misery move unless it provided min
imum wages 1t would drive pauper wages
still lower 1t would make of American in
dustry one vast sweatshop and drive decent
companies to the wall.
It would reduce the mass market to the
demand of coolies and the purse of slaves.
This is no jittery fear. 1t is the hard reality
to which we now are headed unless wages and
purchasing power can be stabilized at an
American level-quicky
There is only one way to stop that plunge.
Talk. even from the President. won't do it
all of President Hoover's appeals against wage
cuts proved futile. Courageous but isolated
employers can not do it-many who tried to
maintain wages against swcatshop competitors
have gone bankrupt
Organized labor can not do it-labor has
no bargaining power with millions of hungry
iobless willing if necessary to work for starva-
ton wages
Only governmental action can do it. Only
a federal law fixing range of maximum
hours and minimum wages, flexible enough to
be enforced justly by joint capital-labor-gov-
eminent boards for industries as a whole, and
for the protection of the nation as whole,
can do it.
This can be achieved legally. The wide
constitutional emergency powers, under which
the President has acted up to now in other
matters can cover this general welfare legis-
lation.
It's legality can be buttressed by the gov
ernments interstate commerce authority and
bv the power of taxation over sweatShops
which-to use the Rooscveltian phrase
threaten the stability of industry
But this is no time for legal bubbles. When
the President took Office, he found the banks
crashing. He cut through red tape asked
and received from congress emergency power
10 meet an emergency.
He has done well, miraculously well, but,
despite all he has done, there is more defla-
ton. more unemployment more business fall
ures than month ago.
Today American industry is crashing.
President Roosevelt can save American in
dpstrv. We believe he will try. If We read
the statement of Secretary Perkins Alright,
# we understand the purpose of the Presi-
dent in his minimum wage appeal, he is pre-
naring TO lead congress in rewriting the
thirtv-hour-week bill so as to protect wages,
70 create buying power, to control produc-
tion. and to start business forward again.
In this heroic effort, President Roosevelt
will have the support of the people The peo-
ME vet lock to the President to restore their
right to work and TO enjoy the fruit OF their
labor