The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-10-02
In Sleeps Apparel.

In Sleeps Apparel.
Vim. Z. Wolfe, late speaker OF the
House In the General Assembly or
Iowa, md chairman OF the Rcpnbli.
can state central commcttcc, issued
an address 10 the people containing
this extraordinary statement Of what
hc claims for the republican party:
1T has developed the agricultural
| resources and manufacturing indus.
tries OF the country far beyond the
experience OF the most favored nj oil
nations; It has protected lnhor SO
well that the lnhorers OF the United
State, are best housed, best fed, best
clothed, best paid, best educated and
most independent OF all the lnboring
populations of the world, while the
grent mass or tho property and
wealth and capital III the country IL
In the hands OF men who commenced
life NJ poor laboring men,
Conceding this to he true, "are
laborers Of the United States Us well
fed, rs we'll clothed, as well paid, rs
well housed, rs independent and
with such educational advantages
aud opportunities rs they merit" All
this wealth or which Mr.. Wolfe
speaks, these lahorors have created.
andMr. Wolfe and the party to which
he belongs and Of which he Is rep.
resentative, have SO shaped legisla-
ton as to enable those who have
produced none OF this wealth to
gather most Of 1t to themselves, In.
| stead OF allowing 1t to remain the
property OF those whose labor Gre
ated II. The st. Louis Republican,
discussing the statement In Blaine's
letter OF acceptance, that during the
administration OF the Republican
party, the wealth Of the country has
Increased thirty.thcusand million
dollars asks:
"wiio cor THE NoNEY?'
and to this question makes the fol.
lowing reply:
Mr.. Blaine tells Us that the c0un-
try has increased It's wealth thirty
thousand million dollars tS3o,Oo0,-
OoO, OOO) in the two decades from 1860
TO 1850 which mark the reign OF his
party; and he intimates that this
large growth in wealth IL the product
OF tho protective tariff policy which
his party inaugurated In 1861 and has
maintained up To the present day.
Mr.. Blainc's figures are not correct.
But let Ia FOR the present admit
them; will he please tell us where
this $4,000, 100000 OF Increased
wealth, produced In the last twenty
years, Is to be foundG Who owns
II? 1t Is $4,000 for every adult labor
Ing man In the country. They Ger
tsialy produced it. IL II exists; but
do they possess it2 The iuecssan.
strikes among the lahorins classes.
their hourly protests against low
wages, and Tn. chronic discomfort
that has prevailed among them for
over half tho twenty years embraced
In Mr.. Blalne's review are the most
effective answers to this question.
There Il not enc working man In y
hundred who is worth $4,000. II this
vast wealth has been produced,
somebody else owns it--not they.
Let us see If We can trace 1t up.
The aggregate amount OF capital en-
rloy,a In manufacturers in the United
States In 1880 was s2.190,oon. 900: the
total number OF hands employed was
was 2.1a1 600. the total wages paid
was So, 100 900. the total value of
materials used was ~. aa6. O0o, uoO :aad
the total value of finishing products
was S5.ssa. aoa, 900. Divide the wages
paid tseiT .Uuo, oool among tho mum.
Der Of hands ta.737,oOal and we have
as the yearly earnings OF each hand
S3t6-less than Il Il day.
Now aid together the amount the
manufacturers paid out in wages
tSsi. ,Oosl, uaol and the amount they
paid out for materials "a. 3s6. uo0, oou)
and the sum Is Ss.3a3,Ooo,ooo. Sub.
tract this from the total finished
iproduet 80, SGT. 100, olne mud We have
their net profit 81 ,os3, OoO. 0ot'- which
| is 81 Ter cent on their capital ~ sO,-
lo0O.u0ol.
/, These census figures tell a curious
story. They show that the manu-
facturers made more money than
they paid out In wages to their hands,
Tho amount they paid out In wages
wrs sea. 100000: their net profits
were sl,os3.0ao, 900. They made a
profit Of si.05 on every dollars worth
OF labor they employed. They paid
their hands on IN average S346 a
year: and they made profit foi
themselves, on each mans labor OF
S313 u year.
The working class, then, did not
get the enormous amount OF money
which according to Mr.. Blaine, their
labor produced in twenty years Of
Republican rule. They made a bare
Iliving-$3i6 q year. The profits ol
their labor went to swell the mann.
moth fortunes OF the protected
manufacturers.
Mr.. Blaine and his party assert that
the high tariff tax il imposed to Sc
cure good wages to American work
ingmen. But 1t appears that the
real object and effect OF it Is to en-
able the manufacturing capitalists
to make profit OF Si.0S on every
!doilar in wages he pays for labor
and to secure dividends Of - pei
cent year on his capital"