The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-08-29
IARITF LESSON.
ml,4 AN evEaYDA4 ILLusrhA-

s
artisan, at least, beyond all question.
This was the confident remnrk of a well
meaning skilled laborer of the Penns5l-
yania district
His remark is entitled to some analyti-
cal inquiry Suppose we inquire of him
as to the faith that is in him-how much
the war tslriff has profted him in the past
1t has secuEed me good remuneration
for my labor. Such is his prompt reply.
Actual or comparatiye2
do not fnlly understand yourqucstion-
Ihensl let me put it in another form.
Yoq arc m n the employ of Grab, Get, Hold
How loa have you been employed by
l,egal IN 1s1e-that is. eighteen years
And you have received good wages ever
since?
Yes. as a rule, when was employed.
Then your employment has not been
continuous1
eleven times during the eighteen years.
Out on strike under protective Tariff
Is that possible?
Yes, sir.
How much time did you lose by these
eleven strikes?
That is hard to tell exactly; but the
shortest strike was for two months, and
one lasted for eight, and it was really a
year before some of the men got back; for
that time, you see, the firm imported
large number of laborers from Europe,
and it took us some time to work them
out. should say that during the eighteen
years wo have been idle on account of
strikes and locliouts almost five years.
What made Grab, Get, Hold 6 Co.
| strike?
They didn't. It was their employees
Why did you strike against good
wages?
We didn't: wo struck against reduc-
tions. and often outrageous reductions.
There is some mistake about that, isn't
there?
No, indeed. What makes you think so?
Because there has been no bad wages
paid in the protected industries for twenty
years at least. 1t has been period of
high protection, and there could be no
such thing as low wages.
That is simply nonsense. It has been
struggle. and hard struggle, right
along. Employers have seized upon every
opportunity to reduce employees to the
lowest possible point. Why, they i'm
ported ship loads of foreign pauper labor
to help do it.
That certainly can't be true. good ar
llStAIl. GU De lillSIihSL.
How mistaken? Why do you say that
am mistaken?
Principally because of your own state
ment. You started ont by saying that
tho tariff protected labor and secured it
the highest possible remuneration. Now
you say that aboat one-fftl of your time
was spent in idleness fighting against
starvation wages. And yet during these
eighteen years the highest tariff of mod
If the tariff bettered your wages, why
did youstrike at all? What necessity was
there for it?
Well, can tell you We either had to
strike or work for next to nothing.
Is that trueS
It's.
Ard this in the face of the tariff tax for
the benefit of the manufactures nearly
double tho cost of the conlmonest neceS-
sites of life? Comparatively, then, what
did you make by means of tho tariff?
What would we have done had there
been no tariff?
You couldn't have done much more
than strike against starvation, could your
Suppose we pursue this matter of COM
parison further. When did Grab, Get,
Hold g. Co. go into business?
In 1870.
You were employed by them in the be-
ginning then?
was.
In what capacity?
AS principal foreman.
Do you know how much the firm put
into the business in the beginning2
Each member advanced $50, ,000 in cash
and $4,000 in notes-$S0, 600 cash and
the same in notes, secured by their
friends.
Then there was actually ssO, 600 in cash
put in at the beginning?
Yes.
But the plant has been greatly enlarged
since thenY
should say SO. Tho firm has five i'm
mense mills, representing million in
vestment each, beside the private fort
unes they have accumulated. When tho
firm started it had only 500 employees
now it has 10000.
Did they borrow money to invest in ad-
ditional plant?
Oh. no; they put in their profits and.
maybe, little nerve.
And all this grew up from $1eo, coo,
half cash, in a matter of less than twenty
ys2Fss Yes.
And you werc q foreman2
Certainly.
take it that your services were worth
6 per cent. ON $4,000, or say $1,000 a
year?
a Httlc more Jlan UhaG sometimes. At
other times 1 didn't average quito so
much
Then your skill and labor wcre really
as valuable as the SEQ. GOO cash put II by
either of the partnersY
think so, of course. A mans wages
should be a fair interest ON the real vGluo
of his services-liis services should stand
for his capital.
What is Mr.. Crabs private fortune
estimated at todGy2
That is hard to tell. He is a great gem
ius, you know, and it is put at from $780,
0G0. coo to $50, ,000,o00.
He owns a villa at Naples, does he not2
So understand.
And has a splendid private yacht?
Yes.
And a castle in scotland and another in
Welesg
Yes.
And is building another castle on the
c-est of the Alleghenies, which viii rival
any royal palace in tho world2
He is. Quite q number of us went up
enc day lately to look at tho foundations.
What is @he extent of ar. Gets private
fortune?
He doesn't amount to much. Ho isn't
worth over 81, coo, COO.
And bIr. Hold-what's hc worth?
Well should say about $40, ,G00,00o
Mr. Snatch, I believe, is tho Co. OF the
firm. What may he be worth2
I should say from s7 ora. 600 to 50.