The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-03-30
NEWSPAPERS OPINION
LABOR VERSUS THE FARMERS

by-T
American Federation of Labor on the question OF
tbe tariff AZ present Matthew WoI for example,
who Is vice-presdent of the Federation is at pres
ont one of the most extreme opponents OF ans
modification Of tariff rates downward, and IS OPP
posing the proposal to give to the President the
mower to change tariff rates. He opposed the rec
ognition of Russia and severely criticized the az
ton of the President in extending such recogn'-
ton. In other words he is an extreme economic
nationalist He is fairly representative OF Ihe
leadership of the American Federation OF LABOR
and there can be little doubt that If the MEMBER
shin and financial power of that organization were
TO be enhanced in the manner and to the extent |
contemplated under the Wagner bill. the organiz'-
tion would become an almost irresistible influence
TO direct this nation in path Of narrow economic
nationalism Now, if there is anything thaV Is
certain about the policy of economic natonaIlSlH
it is that an immense percentage OF the present
UNEMPLOYED would not find jobs in industry again
undar srcb poIicv It is argued that these people
vvouId oo ..back to the land" But the very policy
which would drive these people back to the land
would curtail the foreign markets 10" the products
of the land and of the farmers alread on the lano
The result would be an enormous increase OF the
submerged population of the rural regions, Obtain
ing a bare subsistence from the land, and a Ike
increase of the farm population depending upon
staple crops for living. And all this would be
suffered in order that there might be maintained
artifciallv by means of high tariffs and the pow
err of super organization an arstocracy of labor
constituting a minority of the gainfully employed
and working no more than thirty hours week at
high wages We do not think this picture is eXag-
Cerated or that we are seeing things" On the
contrary, we think that unless there is awakening
of public opinion to the present drift of things and
a widespread realization Of where some gentlemen
high in the councils of the nation proposing to
take us this picture will become reality, and
that once it becomes reality the submerged vic
tins of the process will be powerless to change it.
The object of the new deal is or ought to be to
bring about the general recovery of the people as
a whoe-to quicken the wheels Of industry, to
stimulate trade, to resume progress and thus nau-
gurate new period of construction and even OF
expansion The chief objective is or ought to be
to put the unemployed in the cities and towns back
to work and to make it possible for the farmers tn
produce normal crops again at profitable prices.
What has all this hubbub about collective bargain
ing and the rights of employees to be represented
by the American Federation Of Labor to do with
these detectives? Is it calculated to contribute to-
ward the attainment of these detectives? Or is i
not rather calculated to retard their attainment?
Put in brutal phrase the objective at which it is
all aimed is that of getting much as possible for
those who are already employed, regardless of the
effect on the rest of the people. Take, for exam
pie, the matter of bringing about a parity be-
tween the products of the farm and the products
Of the factory Is that being furthered by cutting
down hours and raising wages in the factories?
Would it be furthered by the legal establishment
Of thirty-hour week in industry? Would it tend
to bring the value of hour of the farmers labor
and an hour of the union mans labor any closer
together? Would it not, on the contrary, tend to
reduce the value of an hour of the farmers labor
in terms of the labor of union men? And would
not that mean reduction of the value of the
product of the farmers labor in terms of the
products of the union mans labor? Will such
process bring the country nearer to general re-
covery? The answers to these questions seem OBJ
vious to us, and yet there seem to- Re many gem
tlemen in Washington to whom they are not obv-
Gus at all We believe in good wages, good work
ing conditions and reasonable hours for labor and
we know that all enlightened Industrial leaders in
this country believe in these things. But we be.
lieve also that these things can be made possible
only through the cooperative effort of workers
and employers to maintain efficient production and
TO perform the social service of making their joint
products available to the people as whole at
prices that will insure maximum of consumption
at profit. We believe that the chief economic
objective of this country should be that of en-
ployng substantially all Of the people in providing
for al the peoples wants and needs and doing
this IN such way to maintain equitable re-
lationship among producers of all kinds, thus in
surfing free interchange of their products and
high standard of living for all. Believing all this
we cannot help viewing with some degree of mis-
giving the possible development of an organized
minority possessed with such power as to enable
it to dictate to the rest of society the terms on
which it will produce, and to take for itself an
inordinate share of the joint products of society
while giving a minimum service in return. And
certainly we can not bring ourselves to agree that
| the government any governmental agency
should be used to develop and entrench in powor
such an organized mnority.-Texas Weekly
j A hick town is a place where people 90 to .
funeral service because h'sla nice day.