Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-10
Wages i'm the south.

Blaine's demagogic charge that the South
did not pay its labor sufficient wages and
that the success of new industries here,
notably the mining of coal and the manu-
facture of iron was due to pauper negro la
Dor. was at once met, contradic;ed and
refuted by the Southern papers.
The Chattanooga Times pointed out that
when Mr.. Blaine declared that in Birming-
ham, Ala, Chattanooga, Tenn, and various
parts of Virginia, where they are making
pig iron at wages of from sixty to seventy
cents day, and when the New YORK III
bune brilliantly asserted that the coiored
laborer "gets over 100 per cent less wages
than is paid in the North for similar work,
they don't know what they are talking
alb ut. After investigating the subject III
that locality, the Times says: "Ihe lowest
wages paid to colored, laporers Il, any IN
dustry is ninty cents day, and this covers
only few at the South Tredegar Works
The greater number of colored
men employed at these works
receive wages running from 81
to So day, with large number at the IL,
mediate rates of 81 25 to 81. 90 day. Colored
laborers at the Chattanooga Furnace get
81. .25. $1.5O and 81 day. Colored boys IN
the South Tredegar Works. working as feed
ers, make ~ cents to 81. 20 day. Some COZ
ored men make as high as "a a day as pud
dlers and foundrymen
The Times has not, however, made com
parison with the wages paid i'll Pennsyl'
van a, or 1t might give Blaine some occa,
sion for explaining to his audience in that
state. This mining section OF the keystone
State has been oyerrun by cheap dun-
garian labor; wages have been reduced TO
minimum, and strikes have been frequent
in consequence.
If Mr. Blaine will turn over to the
report of Mr.. Swank, special census expert
for the Census Bureau, on the subject OF
iron manufacture, he will fine this com
parison between Pennsylvania and Ala
bama, to which he refers as having cut un'
der the Keystone state in the manufacture
of iron by cheap labor; :.
blast furnaces per day, 1884; in rolling
mills, $225; in all iron industries, $2.27
wages paid ordinary laborers, go cents, 81
ana sl14 re espectively.
Pennsyivania-Wages PAID skil!ed nands
in blast furnaces, $1.64; rolling mills, % W
all iron industries, s2.S2; wages paid ordl-
The Pennsylvanians have little cause to
boast over this, for it was at a time when
that State made far better showing than
rougher class of labor in which
the negroes are principally employed.
is paid higher wages IN Alaoama
than IN Pennsylvania, the negro farlng
decidedly better than the Hungarians. Inc
skilled laborers gets decidedly more in
Alabama blast furnaces than those or fenn-
sylvania, and the difference in wages IN
all the various industries connected Win
the manufacture of iron was only hve cents
in 1SS0-a difference which has been more
than overcome since
If comparison is made between the min
ing districts of the two States the showing
is still more favorable to Alabama. Jener-
son county, in which Birmingham Is sltu'
ated, pays averages of 1921 per annum
Calhoun. containing Admission, s32s; whereas
the anthracite couuties OF the Eastern
States pay an average of only $3.50.
Mr.. Blaine will have to try some other