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Show ' PULL TOGETHER. , If Senators La Follette, Gronna and somo of the other anti-war agitators had their way about it the government would confiscate all the capital in tho country and upon the return of peace there would not be money enough on hand with which to do business under normal conditions. The speeches of these men are in the main responsible for much of the labor unrest in the United States. The toilers have heard so much about the commandeering of flesh and blood and letting wealth go free that they have arrived at the conclusion con-clusion that if the business men of the country are engaged in profiteering the working men are entitled to a fair proportion pro-portion of the "swag." Theso are the words of Secretary of Labor Wilson, who knowB whereof he speaks. The responsibility for many of the strikes now in progress lies directly with the demagogues in congress who pose as the champions of tho "oppressed" "op-pressed" common people when there is no oppression and when the future of the republic depends upon the outcome of the war, which they evidently would be willing to lose. But the occupation of these men as trouble makers will soon oe gone, at least so fax as causing caus-ing clashes between employer and employee em-ployee are concerned. Both the captains cap-tains of -industry and the labor leaders are behind the president and there is every prospect that the strikes will soon be settled. Tho war eosvention of the business men of the country, at which the secretary of labor was one of the chief speakers, will have the result, or should have the result, of leaving the agitators, professional as well as political, without a particle of ground upon which to stand. If the programme is carried into effect ef-fect honest disputes between capital and labor will be settled by arbitration, arbitra-tion, there will bo no profiteering upon tho part of the business men, and the working men will not make demands for some of the alleged "swag," with a tie-up of the great industries as an alternative. The government has been doing some price fixing here of late and we believe the margin of profit allowed al-lowed will be sufficient to maintain the present high standard of wagos, but not enough to enable the employers to stand, a 50 per cent raise, as demanded in San Francisco., Doubtless there are inequalities that need correction, and in some cases tho demand for an increase in-crease in pay is justified, but all the extreme demands are based upon the "swag"' idea. The government and the leading copper cop-per producers have agreed upon a red metal price, which is 23 cents per pound, about '3 cents below the present market. The action was voluntary upon the part of the big producers, and all the others will be compelled to fall into line. Tho mining men also agreed not to reduce the wages now paid in the industry. In the last year or two copper cop-per has sold as high as 36 cents, and it is more than probable that without the agreement just entered into the public and the entente allies would soon be paying that price or more under the law of supply and demand. There is no profiteering in such arrangements. Quite the reverse, for the red metal is in demand the world over. There will be no "swag" to divide in the copper camps. The price of sugar also has been definitely fixed by agreement between the beet interests and the national food administration, and the stable retail price will be about S cents. Tho cane sugar producers are expected to enter into the same arrangement and the new price will come into offect the first of next month. The present wholesale price of beet sugar is about 8.4 cents a pound, while the new wholesale price will bo 7.25. The sugar people could get much higher prices for their product prod-uct and perhaps some of thom would if left unrestrained, but the food administration, adminis-tration, which is not a bit backward in exnressing its opinion when there is any gouging going on, gives the sugar producers credit for patriotic action. The price is fair and tho farmers who grow the beets will not suffer. It is becoming more and more evident evi-dent every day that so far as possible the prices of staple articles of food are to be held, down, and the same is true of fuel. So the cost of living will not be continually soaring. This will have a tendency to stabilize wages and there will be fewer strikes on tlint account. The situation is rapidly clearing and in a few weeks we shall probably witness the untangling of all labor snarls. Some of tH fntiiicra nre iTnnchw Tiir.v wanted more for their wheat than the price fixed by the Garfield committee, and some of the senators and representatives repre-sentatives who hold their places by being be-ing able to manipulate the granger vote are telling their constituents they are being robbed, that they are entitled to-all to-all they can get for their grain and that while it is a good thing to fix prices for other commodities an exception excep-tion should - be made in favor of the tillers of tho soil. The farmer, of course, believes this, or pretends to believe it, and passes up his platter for more. Of late years it has become the habit when laws which should apply to all the people of the country are being discussed in congress for certain representatives to propose that tiie farmers and working men be exempted from the operation of such laws. This practice has prevailed to such an extent that many of the farmers farm-ers have become obsessed with the idea that they should be. specially favored simply because they are farmers, and they are aided and abetted by the bucolic statesmen. Down in Oklahoma the farmers are feeding their wheat to the hogs because the grain is worth only $1.85 to $1.90 down there and they are mad at the government because it isn't worth more. Rather expensive hog feed, we should say. In Oklahoma City the citizens are holding wheatless days in order to aid the conservation plan of the government, while the Blaine county farmerj are feeding the grain to the porkers or holding it under the impression that the government will be forced to pay more before long. But the farmers as Well as the working work-ing classes, and the business and professional profes-sional men in all walks of life will get used to war conditions after a while and will join forces for the purpose of smashing the- kaiser and bringing lasting last-ing neaee to the world. There will be very little, if any, profiteering and few strikes if sound counsel upon the part of leading business men and labor leaders lead-ers prevail. With all the loyal men in line we do not fear the influence of the demagogues ia congress or the attempts at-tempts of anarchists and crack-brained theorists to interfere with the plans of the government. |