Arizona sun., 1950-05-12
What Shall I Eat
BY WALTER G. DAY

"What Shall I Eat" It's not al
ways what are we going to eat, it's
where are we going to get the
money to purchase the things we
need to eat.
"My Friends'-We Miss Him"
by Robert E. Miller, the publisher
of THE MAVERICK, is master
piece! A profound eulogy on the
life and deeds of a great leader,
Franklin D. Roosevelt. That mas
terly tribute, should be picked up
and reprinted by hundreds of
papers all over this nation, that
millions of people may read.
AS Mr.. Miller wrote present
Conditions Are a Far Cry From
That Envisioned by F.D.R." five
years ago).
All our lives we have been told
that America is the '1and of the
free" Just on what principles? :?
Is it skin the other fellow before
he skins you, so that you can make
a success in life? Survival of the
fittest! The commonwealth of all
is nil.
The great cry is that we are go
ing to lose our Freedom for the
Individual" to the man who is in
business, and who is financially
successful, it no doubt looks like
the end of all freedom if he should
be deprived of the right to carry
on as he sees fit. Even a bit of
regulation as to hours of work
and conditions under which the
workers produce, wages, or secur-
ity imposed by a labor union is
looked upon by the independent
business man as interference with
his freedom.
For the millions OF Americans
who have to work for wages all
through their whole adult lives,
the available business opportunities
do not amount to much. Worse
yet, for those who have to tramp
the streets in search of work (and
at times they number millions) the
great American freedom is not as
attractive as it has been pictured.
However, it is true that rather
large number of Americans try to
make use of their freedom and go
into business. They do not all sue
ceed. Statisticians tell us that one
out Of every three businesses that
open up is bankrupt before two
years have passed. America has
one retail store for every Is families.
Three out of every five stores gross
less than $33 a day. Forty per
cent of all the stores are run with
out hired help. Down in the lower
brackets, the men in business en-
joy their freedom in small doses.
For those who work for wages
the freedom is rather limited. Dur
ing the hours of work, the employ
er Is in command. Intimidation
and fear are driven into the work
er to produce more than the en-
ployers competitor, at as little ex-
pense as possible. When the days
work is done he is tired and needs
period of rest to recuperate for
the next days work. His wages
must be spent with great care if
he and his family are to have shell
ter and clothing and enough nour-
ishing food so that he can retain
his working strength. When he
gets old and is considered nonprof-
liable to be retained, he is relegat-
ed to the human scrap heap, (after
he has dedicated the flower of his
life in creating a fortune for his
employer) and forced to accept
relief. If a half-adequate old age
pension system is talked about, the
terrible" expense is held up as
convincing argument against it.
For millions who work and re-
ceive wages in the lower brackets,
the income is far from adequate to
keep the family at a healthful
standard of living. In two out of
five homes mothers go to work to
help increase the family income.
In many cases small children are
left without adequate care. Is it
any great wonder that juvenile de-
linquency is on the increase, and
costing this nation millions of dol
lars?
It has been reported that since
the national minimum wage was
advanced by law from 40 cents an
hour to IS cents, an alarming num-
ber of industries had to discontinue
business. The forced hike in wages
was too great to bear, and all this
in the midst of postwar prosperity.