St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-23
OUTSIDE LABOR.
Notes from the Industrial Field OF
the Country.

-NCNSS AAoAAA AAC IcI0 Ok
the Country.
The British workmen are taking extra
ordinary interest in the coming parlia-
mentary election. To better prosecute the
campaign. the London Trades council.
representing $4,000 trades unioniStS, has
organized district labor party, and an adj
dress has been issued to the trades. The
Industrial Representatives league has been
formed. This league declares that it is
useless to expect any beneficial change in
the labOrerS' condition from any existing
parties ITO maintain future government
by men imbued with old ideas based on ex-
listing systems. is impossible" The league
then announces its program, which is COM
prehenSive. All government work, which
IS to be done at flair" price, whatever
that is. The hours of labor are to be re-
dueed, and pemiciOuS overtime will not be
allowed while thousands of honest men are
idle. The league also demands that the
money spent in foreign wars be used for
improvements at homes, and that the Slums
of towns and cities be removed BIZ the
building of comfortable homes. Hereafter
London will elect One-seventh of all the
members of the house of commons. This
fact is stimulating political action. They
intend TO struggle for the establishment of
managers are to be wholly or largely work
ingmen. \ grand scheme has been evolved,
which is To be carried out when the labor
party gains sufficient influence in pariia-
ment. Ii remains to be seen whether the
exercise of political franchise will help the
working people. They will avoid the great
evil which DeSetS political action in this
country, viz, the control exercised by party
leaders through the distribution of patron
age.
The New York consul-general for Ger
many il of opinion that the necesSarieS of
life in the shape of food are higher in Ber-
lin than in the city of New York. Cotton
goods are cheaper in New York. boots and
shoes about the same. and wool, silk and
linen cheaper in Berlin. This experienced
authority mas no doubt but that an artisan
can live as cheaply in America as in Ger
many, if ne will live in the same way. BY
a glance az the statistics, showing the inn
menSe difference in wages in favor of the
American artisan. it will at once be seen
how great are the advantages of the Ameri-
can workman over the German one: the
former earning from three to five times the
wages of the latter. They are compelled 10
select the very cheapest kind of all articles.
They consume but little meat or coffee,
and scarcely any sugar or tea. Black or
rye bread is preferred by some of the most
wealthy people. and no other is used by the
labOring classes, while their butter is of the
very poorest kind, often mixed with lard.
Sometimes seasoned lard alone is used by
them as a substitute for butter The arti-
san in America is better housed, paid. fed
and clothed. The question therefore arises:
Is it the poor workman that earns the low
wages. or the low wages and their cOnse-
quenceS that make the poor workman.
There is no doubt. whatever, that the latter
is the correct placing, hence the German in
America ranks amongst our very best arti-
sans.
The Knights of Labor are pushing the
work of organization with great energy.
The reputation of the order. the character
of its chief officers. their sincerity and ca
pacity, all help To expand the organization
into new fields. 1t is now older than any
other organization OF national Importance,
except the iron workers and one or two
other unions. The CrispinS once felt them
selves all-powerful, but they went TO pieces.
The molders, once powerful, have weakened
greatly. The machiniStS once held the
reins. but now organization among them is
almost impossible. The miners under John
Siney were powerful, but they fell to pieces
in two or three years The Amalgated Asso-
citation of Iron-wOrkers has had phenomenal
success. The Knights have reason to be
proud of their history and prosperity. Yet
they even have dangers TO meet. The first
is the jealousy of the labor politicians, who
have been secretly endeavOring to drag the
order into politics.
The carpenters, stonemasons. plasterers
and painters throughout PENNSYLVANIA. New
York and New jersey have had Temarka-
bly, good season of il, which promises to be
extended far into the winter. The expend-
iture for stone and granite this year will
foot up 81, 350, 900: for bricklaying. So, 7OO.-
600; for houSe-painting. So. $50, 600. The
wall paper interests come in for 5000. 900.
The wages of stOnemasOns, Dricklayers and
hOuSe-building carpenters, $500 in ali,
amounts this year to SIS, 900, 900. Philadel-
phia takes the lead in the number of houses
built, but New York stands at the head in
the amount of money invested.
The situation at the Warrior coal mines
Birmingham, Ala, has assumed a peculiar
status. The strikers who objected TO the
employment of Italian labor are StubbOrnly
holding out, while twenty-three Italian
new corners are in Jail in default of bail.
on the charge of carrying concealed weap-
ons and firing pistols in public. The regu-
will have hearing JO-mOrrOw, Meantime
the miners say they will quit the moment
foreign labOrers are introduced, and will
permit none but themselves to work at the
mines. The company is equally deter
mined.
The Pennsylvania coal miners are wrig-
Cling into and out of organization. The
anthracite miners are trying it again under
Harris, fellow of sound sense and good
management. But on the MOnOngahela,
where they are under the destructive pOliti-
cal influence of tTicksters. they are not as
firm. All over the state organization is
going on. The first permanent relief will
come when the new railrOad-building boom
comes, which is fixed for some two years
hence
The demand of labor in the South is at
tracing a moderate immigration in that
direction, and most of those going and sue
eeeding are experienced and self-reliant