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Show run ;inil tin; o'!mt KiirOi':iii coun'ifs. It cannot fjii 1 1 !i uc "vvi'hout brinin disaster in its train. It is asserted as a eri'-'ral proposition hy many that a man is entitle'l to take all that lie can L!-t for his labor or his froo'ls. But there is danger in combinations which sik to force wages and the tost of living to unheard of levels in time of peace on the heels of great advances while the country was at war. The pre.-'nt is no time for an irresistible irresis-tible force to encounter an immovable body, even in theory. Let us be moderate mod-erate in our views in all matters pertaining per-taining to the public welfare. Our motto should !') live and let live. We should not be stiff-necked when a serious seri-ous situation may be averted. In other words, let us all get together as American Ameri-can citizens and as reasonable men and women who have a common interest in the welfare of the United States and of its people as a whole. REASON IN ALL THINGS. Tho president having proposed tho postponement of the settlement of wage demands until tho return of normal conditions, con-ditions, it romains to be wen whether or not the railroad shopmen will fall in with tho idoa. Tho small advance granted does not como up to their expectations ex-pectations and a strike vote has boon orderod. In tho meantime, the men already al-ready out have been told to go back to work by heads of the various organizations. or-ganizations. It is to bo hopod that a calm and dispassionate view of the situation sit-uation will bo taken and that the shop-mon shop-mon will not attempt to seize the country coun-try by tho throat at a time when tho whole world is in a stato of unrest, or at any other time for that matter. There is nothing to be gained by tying up tho transportation systems of the oountry and forcing tho great industries to closo down. If such a crisis is precipitated pre-cipitated by tho shopmen they will suffer suf-fer along with tho rest of us and tho outcome cannot be foretold. There is something to be said about the cost of high living as well as tho high cost of living, and it is time for the American pooplo to consider tho coming winter. If strikes are to continue con-tinue and wages are to bo advanced as a rosult, thero can bo no reduction in tho prices charged for food and clothing. Salaried men and women, tho small merchants, the school teachers, the professional men and the great mass of pooplo who do not belong to labor unions will, of course, bo tho chief suf-forors. suf-forors. Tho country has just emerged from tho greatest war of which there is any rocord. While tho strugglo was on somo four or fivo million men were put into tho army at $30 per month to fight for their country, humanity and the old flag. Whilo these gallant youths were shedding their blood th wages of thofo who remained at home were advanced by leaps and bounds, the heroes who sought employment in tho shipyards to escape the draft being among tho chief beneficiaries. Tho country is still suffering from the effects ef-fects of the war, and the end of the "flush times" is in sight. Tho business busi-ness of tho country must bo readjusted in order to meet tho changed conditions condi-tions and a breathing spell is sorely needed. There is dangor of an explo-. sion if we continue to run along under high pressure. Just now tho government is in control con-trol of the railroads, the properties having hav-ing been taken over under tho war emergency act passed by congress. An enormous deficit has resulted from federal fed-eral operation which the taxpayers of the country will be compelled to liquidate. liqui-date. The senate and house committees have been busy for several weeks in trying to draft a measure under the terms of which the railroads can be returned to their owners with tho interests in-terests of all parties tho workingmen, the stockholders, the shippers and tho genernl public properly safeguarded. If wo are to hnve a succession of strikes, engineered for the purpose of adding to the cost of either governmental or private pri-vate operation, a settlement in tho near future is hopeless. These facts should also bo considered by the shopmen before be-fore they east their votes. The president presi-dent was right when ho said that "we arc face to face with a situation which is more likely to affect the happiness and prosperity and even the life of our people than the war itself." It is true that the United States is a rich and powerful nation and that the prospects for securing a fair share of the world's trade are very bright. It would be criminal folly to throw our opportunities away by indulging in an industrial upheaval at this time and preventing the wheels of progress from revolving when we should nil bo pulling together for the common good. The high cost of living can be brought down by intelligent and concerted action, not by an official ukaso. Profiteers may be prosecuted and imprisoned, but prices of the necessaries of life will continue to go up as long as wago advances continue. con-tinue. A high level was reached during dur-ing the war. It will be ruinous to attempt at-tempt to force it still higher. Chaotic conditions as regards tlie railroads already al-ready exist and many of the traction companies are in the hands of receivers. receiv-ers. Our present prosperity prospects will fade away if many of the big business busi-ness enterprises are forced into bankruptcy bank-ruptcy and labor will lose instead of gain. The great war is responsible for a stato of unrest all over tlie world. Hy reading the dispatches ono can easily arrive at tho conclusion that there is a mad scraniblo in progress, here in the United States as well as in Great Brit- |