The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1934-06-30

- ing TO say:
Elsie Robinson "How do
those fellows get that way?
Demanding $3.50 per hour-I
like their nerve! Trouble is,
they've had it too soft. Maybe
if they were over in China or
Russia they might have a right
to complain. But why should
they do it here, in the richest
country in the world, where
the workers have always had
the best break?
"Why, lookit the line Of
automobiles outside any fac
tory! Radios and electric re-
frigerators in almost every
home! Living like millionaires.
all Of them-then striking for
something better!"
As the summer strikes come
many comfortable citizens are
going to say just that. and
feel that they're stating the
simple truth. And they'll be
highly indignant if anyone tells
them that none of their pleas.
ing, popular theories about the
workers lot in America are
true.
But they aren't! The Amer
lean laborer ISN'T the "beSt
paid, best trained worker on
earth" Nor is America the
richest country on earth" for
the average citizen.
Why are they striking when
they've had such a swell deal?
They're striking because for
generations they have suffered
the bondage of dreariness.
drudgery and encouragement
without any any hope of bet
terment.
All around them was f1aunt-
ing evidence of such wealth and
luxury as the world has never
known. Their luckier neighbors
shared in that luxury; they
themselves were exhorted to
share in it, from every advertis.
ing page, from every movie
film. They were told in school
that it was their fright" They
heard America boasting to the
world that she gave her work
ers such rights" Their fathers
came seeking those rights"
But for the overwhelming
majority of American work.
eFs these rights" never ma
terialized. For them, America
has never been a rich country,
nor a free or kind country. 1t
has been a country of callOus
greed, brutal indifference, mon
StrOuS injustice.
There came, it is true, &C.
casional good times. During
such periods they clutched few
erlShly at that happiness they
had seen Haunted. Started to
buy an auto, radio, a wash
ing machine, a little piece of
land. But they were never
certain.
NO CERTAINTY-that was
che cruelest part of it. No
certainty-because there was
nothing in the framework of
American business which guar
Gnteed certainty for the worker.
Secretary Perkins sums it
up in a brief. terrible phrase
IN her article EVERY JOB A
GOOD JOB" in recent mag.
azine.
"A large part of our people
felt the foundations of their
world always quivering with
uncertainty"
Then she gives few figures
which may jolt your belief in
the American workers soft
snap" For example
IAN analysis of the budgets
OF a group Of girls earning
IS a week showed that only
ten cents was left after the
bare necessities were paid for.
The average annual earnings
Of wage workers in the United
states as computed by the
National Bureau of Economic
Research for the year 1911 was
$40. The average for manu-
featuring salaried workers was
1890.
Those figures were compiled
20 years ago and there have
been improvements since. But
II wages have risen, so have liv-
Ing costs. If hours have de-
creased, so have jobs. The aver
age workers lot is still as I'M
certain; still as dreary and dis.
couraging.
I sat at the opening of mine
shaft and talked to a gaunt,
ragged fellow with angry eyes.
I worked in a shaft like that
myself once. I knew what lay
behind that gauntnesS-and the
anger in those eyes. I knew
what it meant to go down every
day on those rotten timberS, in
to workings from which a
trapped man didn't have one
chance in million to come out
alive. We talked about the
strike.
why shouldn't we Strike?"
he asked. What we got to
lose? 1t can't be any worse than