Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-01
Discomfort and Hard Times Am ong
Them.

discomfort and Hard Times Am ong
Them.
PITTsBURG, Jan. 29.-Things are in
fearful condition among the iron
workmen here. Discomfort reigns
and there are ominous mutterlngs on
every hand. There are many thous-
and laborers out of work entirely and
many other thousands on half time
One of the mine superintendent
said. to-day: "Of course, l don't
care to have anything l say repeated,
but, between you and me, if the
whole protective system We're wiped
out of existence the laboring man
wouldn't be a bit worse off te-day
In fact, l don't see how he could be
much worse off any way. We have
here in our Pittsbarg mills the highest
wages anywhere in the country, and
yet there are anywhere from 1000 to
5000 men, and good men at that,
loating around the streets without
work"
WAGES GOING DOWN.
do you consider the present con-
dition of the laborer bad?"
very bad indeed. My interests
are with the employers of labor and 1
should not care to be heard talking in
this way. But no one who has given
the labor question any thought can
fail to see that wages are steadily
tending downward. All manufac-
turers are looking about to see where
they can curtail expenses, aud the
first thing to be touched is the pay
roll. This country is afflicted with
the spirit of competition to such a de-
gree that at present we have more
manufactured stuff on hand than we
can dispose of. Mills are closing
down all over or running short. The
men may do their best to strike, but
it is no use. The employers have the
advantage every ii ne.
A MACHINIsT TALKS.
A practical machinist, who is con
nected with a Jorge manufacturing
concern here, said in chat on the
labor question:
Ignorance is at the bottom of all
this protective tariff talk on the part
of labering men. They think that if
the tariff is abolished they will lose
all their work and be turned out into
the streets. The high tariff men take
good care to foster this feeling. In
fact, the employers make it a poiut of
having some men in all the labor
unions in order to keep posted about
what they are talking about. | be-
lieve, though, that if this question
was brought right home to the Amer
lean workman he would realize that
high protection makes high cost
of living and very uncertain
wages, while freer trade makes steady
work and low cost of living, As
things are at present can show you
men that are as badly off as any in
England. l hear of factories running
short or shutting down all over this
country, and the reason of it is because
we have got too much tariff. We
have got our tariff so high that it ac-
tually keeps us from manufacturing
what we otherwise would.
"For instance, we ship lots of tools
to other countries, and steam engines
also. Ii you took off the duty on
iron and steel we could make these
tools much cheaper, ship more OF
them and employ more men in our
factory.
five have a high tariff it means
that we must confine ourselves to the
home market and give up all idea OF
competing for the trade of South
America, and it means that the labor,
ing man must pay double prices for
what he wears and uses If we have
free trade it means that we enter the
field as England's rival in the world;
commerce, and that the wages of labor
will buy the greatest possible amount
of good things for the workingman
Il am afraid these labor union fel
lows will keep up this 'protectionist
craze until they are starved into com
mon sense. Nothing else, fear, viii
knock the humbug out of them"