Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1918 — Secretary Wilson Says People Ought to Provide Full Man Power for War [ARTICLE]

Secretary Wilson Says People Ought to Provide Full Man Power for War

Is this a capitalists’ war? Do you believe the pacifists and pro-Germans? Read this extract from a speech by Secretary of Labor Wilson at St. Paul: “If this Is a capitalists’ war, then It follows that congress and the president have, been dominated by capitalism in declaring war, and it would follow also that they would be dominated by capitalism in pursuing the war. And yet, Instead of permitting capital to secure profits at will, one of the first powers granted the war administration was to fix prices at which capitalists shduld sell their products of labor; the selling price of coal at the mines was fixed, the price of wheat, the price of certain metal products and the price of copper fixed. “But in no instance has there been any attempt on the part of the administration to fix the maximum price that should be paid for labor. “This is a war of the people of the United States for their liberty. If our boys are willing to sacrifice their lives, if need be, surely we who remain at home ought to sacrifice our pride, our prejudices and our suspicions and provide our full man power in preparing the material by which these boys will defend our country.”