Evening star., 1941-11-23
Pressure of Minorities
Awakening Majority
By OUen L. Scott.

high during the past eight years now
are headed for fall, although they may
not know it. The reason why is the
same one that gave them their long
Spree-politics.
President Roosevelt built his political
power upon combination of labor and
farmer votes. The farm vote split badly
in 1910. Now signs are beginning to ap-
pear revealing the prospect OF even
greater cleavage in the vote Of workers
in American industry.
What's happening, with few realizing
it. is this:
The United States now is moving into
period when there will be shortages
of many kinds of goods. There won't
be enough to go around among all OF
the consumers who will be in the market.
Demand, in other words, is going to
exceed supply. and that spells rising
prices.
Rising prices. for workers who do not
enjoy comparable income advances, rep
resent a lowered living standard.
Right here is where the political
trouble of labor leaders is going to start
in earnest.
The reason is that most wage ad-
vances being granted are going to
workers in unions Those unions are
striking and pushing up their own rates
Of pay, and the wage increases are add
ing to industry's costs and are being
translated into higher prices.
Higher prices are reflected back in an
inability of workers who do not receive
pay increases TO buy as much as they
were able to buy before. The high cost
of living issue begins to appear.
But not one worker in five in the
United States is a member Of a union.
Probably not more than one worker in
ten has shared in wage increases.
This means that eight or nine million
union workers are getting the gravy and
that 10000 900 unorganiZed workers
soon are going to begin TO feel a very
real pinch in their living standards.
When there was plenty Of slack in
the economic system and when higher
income for one group could be reflected
merely in an increase in overall con-
sumption and not in an actual taking
of goods away from one group TO give
to anothers everything went well. Now,
however, if union members are TO get
more. then non-union members Will have
less because there soon won't be enough
goods 10 fill all demands
Mr.. Roosevelt, with his attention
ro1lpI In This cirl,otjo0 iS n
sense its importance.
The 4000O0O0 unorganized workers in
this country possess more votes than the
100000 or 90O00 900 organized workers.
In ordinary times the organized workers
WELD very great political power because
they are an organized minority and there
is no single issue that tends TO unite the
unorganiZed into political force.
The high cost Of living, however. Is
such an issue.
This issue, in it's acute form, arises
only occasionally The reason is that
living standards, by and large. have
been moving higher with relatively few
Interruptions. The present is to be one
Of those Interruptions for many groups
III iIlc pODltlbItOiI iNtSiA4S ldh 4aNSob
lower tax exemptions and stationary in
come are going to play hob with the liv-
ing standards OF the whole middle class
and with the bulk Of the wage-earning
class. People DO not accept declining
| living standards for themselves, when
others are getting favors
Among the favored few whose position
l.. ,F
| farmers and organized workers, both of
| which classes have had great politi-
| cal favors from the New Deal
Mr. Roosevelt is becoming aware Of the
gathering political storm. He is begin
ming to show some GOODNESS to the labor
leaders who were his closest political
allies He is not so enthusiastic as he
once was about giving TO the organized
farm groups all that they ask. He sud-
denly is interested in the idea of price
control and in the idea OF saving small
industries about to be squeezed out OF
existence by shortages of materials. The
President, until recently, refused to dis
play more than the most academic in
terest in these problems.
1t now is to become necessary to play
a different kind of a political game than
in the past.
The President and many members Of
Congress based their political success
upon careful catering to the organized
groups, whose support was purchased by
handouts from the public Treasury and
by special protective legislation. These
were minority groups. but the remainder
of the voting public was not aroused and
divided its vote along the usual lines so
that the minorities provided TIE votes
that made the majority at voting time.
However, when the great majority of
American voters set out to protect their
| living standards against encroachment
| bv organized minorities, the situation is
| entirely different And that different
sort of situation is beginning to develop
| at the present time. When that happens,
| the minorities upon which the politicians
based their whole rise to power can be-
come a positive handicap.
Until now, the rise in cost of living has
not been great enough to pinch severely.
This rise has been under 10 per cent and
| most families have adjusted to it either
through better employment or by cutting
corners. Likewise, the new taxes with
their lowered personal exemptions and
their 10 per cent base rate, haven't yet
been felt because they first are payable
next March.
| Meanwhile the cost of living DrOmiSes