The Wilmingtonian., 1885-07-25
THE WAGE MARKET.

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1t seems that the Russian tradesman or
laborer hardly averages, as rule, as much
wages in one year, as the tradesman or la
borer of this country receives in single
month! The reply may be made that there
could not at any moment be instituted any
comparison between the individual crafts
men, or even the unskilled workmen, of the
two countries Russia and the United States
that the former is a nation of serfs, poiti-
cally hidcbound, that they lack even the
conditions provocative OF intelligent work
manship aud that their surroundings are
widely inferior!
This is all true and conceded, but it is
more than a generation ago since the serfs
were freed, and the question must be intelli-
gently answered, will all those detracting
points balance margin of 1 200 per cent of
distinction of wage and demonstrate It to
be logical and proper status of superiority
Ior Uhe American tfadesman?
The Russian builds his own railroads, it
should be remembered, and long ones too,
from the Oxus to st. Petersburg
his own rails, telegraph supplies, cannon,
guns ironclads and war material, uniforms
for 1900, 900 of standing army-is CONVEX
SAINT with great deal of modern method in
mechanics.
Conditions of trade are not 50 very dissim-
liar in the two countries, Russia and the
United States, undoubtedly not IN view of
the encroachment and quick advance that is
being made IN the former country of modern
commercial methods And Russia has an
almost ilimtable home market-from Kam-
tschatka to the Baltic, the White Sea and
Arctic to the Mediterranean and Black
Sea.
Our strikers are impatient under modi-
fed reduction in their wages. 1t would ap-
pear from reliable information, obtained
from sources where no hint of bias against
the interests Of the American workingm IN
can be suspected, that is to say from our
own commercial and industrial agents loca-
ted at the various industrial centres of the
world, that even at the present reduced
rates the American capitalist or employer
pays, by several hundred per cent, larger
wages }han are received on the continent, Of
Europe, in all countries, with the exception
of England.
Even there the English ldborer aud
tradesman it is claimed by the protective
organs in this country, receives Infinitely
less wages than the American wage worker.
The Eugishman in bis turn fares better than
the wage worker of any other country than
ours 1t is asked tlfeu, of the intelligent
striker may not there be some modicum of
of virtue in the capitalists assertion that he
cannot afford to pay certain given wage,
similar to that that has been customary dur
ing the past. The great element that goes
at present to cnt from under him, the past
advantages received by the skilled and un-
skilled workingman Of this country, is the
education in industrial pursuits, in manu-
facture of all kinds, during the present nine
tecnth century of the one hundred millions
of European Russians, the two hundred and
fifty millions of IIirdoos, the myriads OF
prOspectively skilled Chinese and millions of
new accretions Of varied nationalites into
the labor markets of the world.
These conditions tend, must tend TO
equalize the labor market and its wage.
The Hindoo laborer receives three pence
per diem, the skilled workman of India, and
there are many thousands now, receive on
an average twice that sum-our working
men receive eight or nine times even the
last, ard complain that they canuot exist
upon such wages!
We must remember too that our present
commercial position is demand of a wider
market, we, or our merchants and manu-
facturers wish to place ourselves upon the
market of the world, at least as sellers.
Doing that we must necessarily place the
American workingman alongside the Hin
doc and Russian skilled laborer, for they
too send their products to the worlds mar
ket.-The sales there will regulate necessa-
rily the workingman's wage.
From this result, api lying all the COM
mcrcial conditions hearing in general way
upon the matter, the capitalist cannot at
ford to increase the wage in this country.
The only amclioraton that tho American
wage worker can look to, in order to enable
him to live better or 10 an Improvement in
his condition, is reduction by some meth
cd or other in the cost of his daily necessary
expenses He will be better offby that in
direct but positive possibility.
TOTAL abstainers now are not regarded
as peculiar or singular because they
decline the prolfered glass, as WAS the case
but geueretion ago, DE-. James Edmunds
of London, in a recent address, said that
'twenty yeals ago, when he used to 20 to