Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-11-22

fell % cents q key, would there
be any reason why the laborsrs
, wages should be reduced? Would
not the manufacturer make as much
! money as he did before nails fell? Or,
suppose that the metal which is put into
: the nail plates is done 30 at u less ex.
pense land steel plates are the realization
of this supposition). and thereby nails can
be manufactured Is per cent cheaper,
! would that be any valid reason that the
} lAborers' wages should be reduced Is per
cent, in order to swell the profits of the
manufacturer? Or, suppose some inven-
ton in machinery or power cheapens pro-
duetion, must the men be made to suffer a
corresponding reductionH And yet all
these things have occurred; heat is more
economical, iron is cheaper, and
machinery less expensive; and in the
face of ali this reduction. and because OF 1t
forsooth, the Workingmen must submit to
decrease OF wages, although the work
and responsibility are not one whit less, but
in fact, are greater. Here is presented 3
great social anomaly, the workiugmen be-
ing placed in a worse condition because OF
industrial advancement And yet this
would be the result of the new scale il rails
went to Sl.24 through the chespering CT
heat, iron or machinery-the workiDgmen
must take u cents keg in order thereby
to increase the manufacturer wages
60 per cent. more than they
would be without the reduc-
ton Of wages A like reduction would
follow from nail war, the men must bear
the brunt, on the old tyrsnnicsl theory
that kings had a right to sacrifice their
subjects in useless warfare for their own
qualification. There is further consider
alton here involved that should not be lost
sight Of; it is no; merely one Of labor and
wages; it is also q question Of health and
life. Ask any man familiar with the sub
ject, and you viii learn how hazardous to
life is the occupation Of feeders and nail
ers breathing, as they constantly do, fine
particles of steel and iron. Who will
measure q mans wages when his life is
being slowly and certainly ground away?
No II cent or 2l-cent card rate can meAs-
ure the value Of his lie to him and his
| family.
The Terre Hsule nail mill was peculiar
in i,s establishment and the character Of
| irs stockholders. II was established as
uucleus for making ultimately Terre Haute
large manufacturing city its stockhold-
ers were wealthy residents, who put their
capital into the enterprise that they might
ultimately increase the value of the large
amount Of real estate owned by them in
and about the city; they hoped to build up
the city ard increase the value OF their
/ property as well This was q public
spirited purpose and met, as i: should,
! the hearty endorsement OF all classes
Of people; piece Of conduct worthy
OF emulation at this day
in the warmth of the good feeling sar.
rounding the enterprise. 1t was agreed
BY the employers aud workingmen that
lhsre should be 10 strikes or lockouts,
but that in case Of difficulty in relation
to other cities the Terre HSute mill was
10 run on at the old rate until this diff
Guilty was settled, aud both parties agreed
to ABIDE by the result of the settlement,
in these ciIies. For example; if raise
was insisted on elsewhere We were to
work on at the cid rate until 1t was settled
at Pittsburg or Wheeling, and likewise
as to q reduction This arrangement
has always been acted upon until the pres.
eut disagreement and the nailers and !
feeders wanted it acted upon this time, but
the company would not consent. If this
was good rule in the past it certainly has
los. none of its virtue, it was good for the
mill; equally so for the men; il saved
money 10 both sides and thereby enhanced
the welfare Of Terra Hsute. How different
would have been the business interests Of
this citY if it had been acted upon nov.
Who is 10 blame because this equitable
rule was not followed We answer, the
company.
A word more about the competition with
the east: Under the old card not an east
ern nail was sold in the west On the coz
trary, western nails, being produced cheap
er, we're sold in the east; aud We assert
that they could still st tee old rate be pro-
duced cheaper The comparison OF the
rate asked by us here with eastern rates is
unfair, because the arrangements are to-
tally different, and the card rate is no il.
dex of What the mailer gets or does in
dsy. We willpoint ont one instance OF diff. |
ference; in the west the mailer is his own
machinist, he must take time from his 9th
er work to arrange and repair It's machines;
in the least, however, the machinist is fur
nished by the factory The mailer does
not stop; he loses no time. In that way
his labor and responsibility is less, and he /.
can afford to devote all his time to one
thing at less rate than he can devote it /
10 several things; and the eastern mailer
makes as much az the l7.cent rate in this |
way as q western mailer makes at Il cents. T.
If the mills get the benefit in the west Of
the mschinist's work, is it very unreasona-
, bic that they should pay something fos 1t 7
As an instance Of the high moral mo-
tiyes that actuste manufacturers We desire
to call attention to a Circumstance that oc-
CURED not many years ago. At the time
there was large demand for nails, add,
according to the scale then in operation,
the uailers and feeders received pay at the
rate of q cents keg, when mails ranged
from 81 so to Sj.25 a keg. They reached
this rate but did not long remain there.
They took very sudden jump down,
for in less than two weeks
after this point was reached the
association me. aud Cut the price to $40
and kept it there for eighteen months, Just
cutting under So so, there reducing tie
nailers aud feeders rate TO y cents. This
was an arbitrary act prompted solely BY g
desire to cut the men, for it was not de-
marded by the existing State of the mar
ket. Will the public defend this kind OF
conduct or sympslhize with those who
profit By ii2 Then another example: The
mills, in order to come within low price
list the nails low, but sell all around the
price.
Bat if the question is to be settled By
the conduct Of either eide, enough exam
pies have been given to Indicate the turn
Of the balance and the list could be ex.
tended. This. however, is not q mere
question Of charges and counter charges of
/ bad faith. tits something that demands diff
/ ferent methods Of discussion. On the side
of the worklrgmsn it iss deepsrrooted, fur
tber-resching question ii is q question ofthe
elevation and education of ourselves