New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-21

from employers, and employers gain whenever
they can extort something more from labor.
The stone cutters, he says, we're by organ
ization enabled. to resist all attempts at are
duction throughout panic. Then they
managed, did they, to transfer unfairly their
nroper share of the burdens of time OF trial
to the shoulders Of other men, No, 1t Is not
probable. If stone-cutting was made unduly
costly, somebody else had to bear bigger
load. But only for an instant he passed IL
over ar once to the consumers OF bread, OF
meat, or clothing, or stone-cutteis tools, or 10
the workmen who rented his houses. Ihen
the stone cutter was compelled, with the resi-,
TO nav more for the necessaries and comforts OF
life. That was not all. If stOne-cutting was
made disproportiouately costly, fewer houses
were built, OF more were built of wood or
brick. So the stone-cutter not only paid more
for what he bought, but got less work to DO
Before the panic the number of stone-cutters
was Just enough, let US suppose, for the work
to be DONE and they received, say, $9oo 1or
800 days work. By insisting ON high wages,
they managed to fix things so that they couiu
get only $3.50 for $50 days work; part OF
them suffered. and part were driven into some
other business. In this supposed case ala
labor gain anythingP Yet it is an illustration
of principles which affect in one way or
another, almost every form of enforced ad-
vance in wages.
Whoever pleases can see thousands or ma
chimes, which are doing the work formerly done
mt greater cost by workmen. Is it not evident
that the demand for higher wages has con-
stantly FASTENED the change? II an employer
can get n machine to carry hOds, or cut coal IN
mines he will get it all the sooner il the hod-
carriers or the miners demand more than he
can afford to pay. And that very change, too,
which may drive thousands Df men out OF en-
ployment, or force them to work at low wages,
il nevertheless a benefit to all labor il 1T less
ems the cost of producing or supplying things
needful. The sewing machine "toOk the
bread from the mouths of host OF women,
but it made clothing less costly for them ana
for everybody, and immense sums having thus
been saved, capital was accumulated to set up
industries in which the women get better
wages than before and with healthier work
Such changes as these are going on the world
over, and sensible workers no Longer think OF
SIN ASKING or burning the machines that do
work cheaper than they can. But can they
not see that il it ia blessing to all labor to
save an hundred millions of new capital by
cutting of half tho cost of a product, lower
wages may be in just the same way blessing
mt times, or in some branches of industry III
Cinnamon built thousand miles of road at a
cost of S20,OOO,O00, whereas other labor
would have made It cost 100000, was
there not $40. OOO, 900 more remaining, to be
employed in opening mines or farms, and IN
paying labor there
In the end, none of us work for wages, but
for the things that wages will buy. III by
crowdine up wages We pat up the cost OF every
thing we want, what have we gaiGedf lt Is,
therefore, in most Instances question OF some
difficulty whether it would be better for the
workers themselves to have higher wages or
lower wages. At times wages get so high that
the cost of production here excludes our pro-
ducts from foreign markets; then, as rule,
depression in business is near, and nature sets
things right by crowding wages down. AT
other times wages get so low that lab0rers
cannot live in comfort; then, 10 rule, failure
OF the workers to consume our products quickly
forces capital to bear its share of losses and to
develop new Industries for the better employ
ment of labor. But what has a trades union
to do, in this delicate balancing of forces adj
justed hv an All-wisc RulerY Ii can NEEDLE
and quarrel, promote blind prejudice and
narrow hatred, plunge men and women into
many desperate struggles when no one can saw
whether it would be better for them to succeed
or to fail, and render capital less willing TO
engage itself in any business where II fed
Grated labor can NEEDLE and mar. Does all
this help labor in any way3