Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-08-24

paid by the Union Steel Company of Chicago is 50
per cent. higher than those paid at Mr.. Andrew Car
negie's establishment, the Edgar Thompson works
at Braddock PennSy lvania. You will notice that in
certain departments labor in Chicago receives over
100 per cent more than the class of labor III
Pennsylvania Will the Union Steel Company do
of the three things you say you would have to do
under similar circumstances? You say i'll the case
you suppose This result would b. inevitable and
there is no escape from it, How is the Union Steel
Company successfully escaping from it? Shouldn't
you write another letter your employees explaining
your explanation ? And shouldn't you tell them how
IS that these two concerns actually exist side by
side it WERE you say transportation is of no
Importance" in the country, under the
tariff and hence enjoying the degree of protec
ton while wages i'll the are 50 per cent higher
than in the other? AS showing that the thing
prevails in other industries might cite the fact that
the wages we pay are one-thrd higher than in the
east for the kind of labor. If you fail to find
food for reflection in these facts, you take nsruC
ton from Senator Sherman who declared at Spring
field Illinois, June I, 1887, that There
things that laws do. They cannot regulate
the price of labor anything else This only be
done by the law of supply and demand" And again
from another Republican United State Senator who
more recently declared that the manufacturers get
practically the sole benefit at least the most d
recty important benefits of the tariff laws" Laws
can never confer bountles upon the many, but they
should prevent the unjust eXaction of a few. You
admit you only pay such wages prevail in the
United States in similar establishments" You will
also admit that Senator Sherman says that the law
of supply and demand determines the prevailing rate
of wages and that the destitute hordes of emgrants
now landing upon shores daily adding to
the supply and relatively reducing the demand and
SO reducing wages to the European plane" Is it
any wonder that the progress of labor this country
is so slow?
Now as to your second proposition that Treasury
surplus is dangerous but very desirable thing.
A business man who can see no danger in
|" Treasury surplus is something Can you put
aside in safe deposit vault per cent OF your quick
capital in cash and feel no inconvenience from 1t? II
you can, you have money in your business than
you need If you can not, why not? Simply be-
leaves you less money to settle your balances
with Money is used only to settle balances. If the
country do its business with I29 millions less
money than have there is no danger aside
from its demoralizng effect upon politicians and people
in surplus to that extent But if it can, then there IS
more money in the country then we need But 1t the
business of the country must be contracted by reason
Of the withdrawal of money and its accumulation IN
the Treasury then a d" Treasury surplus is
pregnant with danger and possible disaster. You say,
only bondholders fear a surplus. Why should they
fear as long as they hold unmatured bonds-which is
their present comfortable condition.
Your third suggestion is to legisate to keep out
entirely the S-oo,ooo,ooo Of PauPer made imports
from which the revenue is derived" If you legslate
:
keep exports in, Europe buy of US unless 1t
can sell US something in return Since the home mar
et take only something like three quarters OF the
farm products OF this country what will the farmers
of this country say to proposition which, If put IN
effect would result in dead loss them OF one guar
ter of all they produce? The loss entaIed by such
legislation would not fall upon them alone, but upon
you and your employees, in common with all the
American people, and the United States and China
would then be twin sisters in industrial bondage.
| Have not travelled far enough toward the COM
petc industrial enslavement of labor without inviting
the logical and inevitable degradation which the pro-
tective system produced in China and which 1t must
produce wherever it prevails Should we not rather
do what we can to retrace our steps toward the INDUS
trial emancipation of labor and the establishment OF
that system which alone protect labor by making
impossible the arbitrary and uni Just exacuons OF ew
towards ystem which will give larger employment
/ to labor lessen the fierce struggle for place, and
quicken our progress make US foremost
among the nations of the world those things which
must be our reliance in the approaching contest tor
industrial suPreacy-the intelligence and character
] of our people. DAVID b. JONES