The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-10-19
{ C;o.Dptig9'als:f
F.U.C.T.A..,
Changed Its Form.
Age-Old Motive.
Ask a Living Wage.
Billions in Profits.
Destroy Them Utterly.

D1ii1OlS III fOiftS.
Destroy Them Utterly.
The query, Don't you know there
war on?" has changed to: Don
you know the wars over?" Perhap
the shooting war is over and the gun
are silent. But the war is not over
1t has merely changed its form. War
are fought when nations seek the pos
sessions of other nations and, falling
to get the property by stealth or b,
the normal method of cartel, or mo
nopoly, resort is had to "reeking tube
and iron shard" When these have
done their CHASTITY work and millions
of humans lie dead and whole cont
nents are reduced to rubble, victory
is proclaimed and the world says "Ah
Peace has come to us. Let us rejoice
But the identical causes of the mill.
tary war remain. Nations which have
become allies now quarrel over the
spoils of lands and resources. No
matter which way this is decided, the
seed is sown for the next war. While
that sort of peace endures, the various
conflicting interests within a nation,
which while bloodless is none the less
fatal to many of the common people.
We are seeing that form of warfare
developing before us and we are as
helpless to stop its progress as we
seem to have been in the past to stop
the initiation of the armed conflicts
which have plunged the world since
the beginning of human history. 1t is
motivated by the age-old desire i'm
planted in the human heart to take,
own and possess wealth and power at
the expense of our fellow men.
What other meaning can be given
to the report of a press agency that
there are more than 200 strikes in
effect with nearly half-million work
Is labor to blame for this condition?
If asking increased wages to balance
the increased cost of living and of
taxes is blameworthy, then labor is to
blame. The United States government
estimates that the cost of living has,
on the average, risen 5000 from 1889
to 1915. And 800 is the increase in
wage asked. But the average" in
crease is like charity. 1t covers null
titude of sins. The government fig
ures show that many individual items
show marked rise over the 800 aver
age. The price of fish is up 124To; of
apples 1877 per cent; of string beans,
159 per cent and of potatoes ia per
cent Cotton clothing is up and wool
garments are 43 per cent over 1889
prices, while shoes are up 80 per cent.
If the worker is to have living wage,
the 300 increase he asks is not too
much.
But that increase can only be gained
by striking, which is form of war
Against that, the faces of the employ
ing corporations are set hard. These
have been permitted to pile up AZ bill |
lion dollars worth of profits during the
war, after taxes on excessive profits |
have been deducted. Later, congress
has arranged that the same corpora
lions may draw refunds amounting to
80 billion dollars, to make up to them
'or any losses they may have suffered
Turing the war; No wonder their mot
o is: Millions for defense, not one
cent for wages.
The farmer is being victimized with
abor in like manner. The price he
for his labor is held level or
tut down by gradual reduction of
he price he receives for his product.
But he is melted to hate his brother,
he wage-earner, and to hold him ac-
for the falling price of eggs,
# poultry and of milk-which fall
mainly because the worker has not
nough wages to buy them. When will
his nation and this world learn the
cooperative way, which by its very
ssence leads away from such con-
licts and such sufferings? In the fear
hat cooperation may interfere with
he status quo of profit the same mo-
ives and the same sabotage is now
lined at farm cooperative organiza-
ions and the farm family. The Ma
ional Tax Equality association would
o the farm co-operatives exactly what
he great industrial corporations and
would do, and are trying
D do, to organized labor - destroy |
hem utterly The coop farmer who
It's back and says: "Heck, they can't
o that to u.s." is likely to find it be-
lg done to him before the year is
Ut