Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-05-04

over. he has spent his whole life in contact
with the processes Of production on large
scale.
1t is from the data thus gathered that be
exposes the fsllacy of the reasoning on tbs
other side, that a comparison Of the rate OF
wages III different countries Will ascertain
the cost Of production of any given article.
or that low rates of wages are necessary 10
low cost Of production, and establishes the
fact that almost invariably high wages &C
company low cost OF production. THAT
labor, he says, has in fact proved to be
the cheapest by which the largest product
for each dollar expended was assured, and
that has been the highest paid labor"
Gen Francis A. Walker. whose discus
sions are perhaps more satisfactory than
those OF any of our American economists.
confirms Mr.. Atkinson by saying: THAT
as general rule low cost of production il
accompanied by high wages to the working
tngman.
/ have here little book by Mr.. Thomas
BraSsey, OF England, on'W York and " ages"
Tia conclusions are founded on the eI-
psrience of his father, the great railroad con-
tractor, who. doubtless beyond any man That
ever lived, was a hlrer OF labor in all parts OF
the world except IN America, and who, even
In the unskilled work of building railroads,
found the English NAVY as cheap at three
shlllng5 a day as the Last Indian at three
But maintain unhesitatngly that the daily
wages are no criterion o. the actual cost Of exc
cutting work. On my father extensive
contracts carried On in almost every country OF
the civilized world and in every quarter of the
globe, the daily wage of the laborer Was fixed
az widely different rates, but 1t was found to be-
the most invara6ie rule that the cost Of labor
was The same; that for the sane sum Of money
TIE same amount OF work was every where or
formed"
SIR the wages of labor ere the laboring
man S share OF the joint product of labor and
capital. Tho larger that product is the larger
his wages arc. by, Sir, my friend from
Massachusetts (Nr. Ailen) made speech in
this House yesterday in which, with his
usual eloquence, be gave us a beautiful
picture of the operatives at Lowell. / VEN
ture TO say that nine-tenths Of the operatives
at the Lowell factories are not Americans.
They are foreigners who have taken the
places OF former American operatives, be-
cause the American operative has better
wages and better position.
But, MIR. Chairman, If, as my friend from
Lowell and the other gentlemen from Mass
achusetts contend, the protective tariff
makes wages, what / can not understand is
how a law Of Congress should operate so I'M
equally and so unevenly. l have here in my
hand an address delivered before tho Homo
Market Club OF New England, by Senator
Frye, OF Maine, on what he saw III Europe,
III WHICH, 2ltcI tu0 gOOu Oiu-lASHlOuoC pro-
lection logic, he pictures the wretched con-
dition of European labor. Now, the Home
Market Club is composed largely of gentle
men who derive dividends from the present
tariff, and who, naturally. do not want it
disturbed.
Mr.. Morss-Exclusively.
Mr. Wilson, of West Virsinia-Ths preface
| OF the address has q statement to show 1.-THE
vast interests New Englan has in protec-
| tive tariff, and 1t gives the manufacturing
statistics OF all the New England States ex-
| cept Rhode Island. do not know by they
| LETT her out unless It was because she had a
Democratic Governor At that time. laugh
| tsr.j
According to this statement here, the
capital invested In those i've States Is $54s =
652. lis, the number Of employees 5o4, ass; but
when it comes to wages find the average
wages OF An employs in the State of Maine
to 10 S251 . year. whereas in the State Of
Massachusetts, be gets s364, and in the little
State Of Connecticut SSo5. Now, what can
| not understand u this, II q tariff, law Of
Congress, makes wages, why ooes it operate
20 unevenly between the smploys In Maine
and the smploys in Connecticut, and why is
the Maine man worth only two-thirds as
We come to Vermont. the State OF our vsner-
able friend st the other end Of the Capitol, I
| find that the average employs gets only $SO3.
Here the hammer fslD.
The Chairman-Ths time Of the gentleman
from West Virginia Or. WILSON, has sx-
PRED. tt 20
Mr.. McMnln-l ask unanimous consent
that the gsntlsman's time b extended.
The Chairman-Ths gentleman from Ten
nsssse asks unanimous consent that the gen.
tlsman from West Virginia may b per-
mitted to conclude his remarks u there
objsotioni The Chair hears none.
Mr.. Wilson, Of West Virginia-Mr. THAR
man, II . tar6 does make wages, then the
protective tariff u the most ungrateful thing
that ever existed in the history of the world.
Why should it give to the fellow citizen and
compatriot Of the last Republican candidate
for the Presidspcy only S257 year, while il
gives to the operative in the good old State
that voted for the author Of the last Presi-
Dental message tSS6 q yearl And why
should It give to the fellow citizen Of the
author Of the Morrill, Tariff Bill sos yearl
But, sir, the statistics OF the Home Market
Club are exactly in line With the figures EN-
braced in the report of the Commissioner Of
industries in this country, Colonel Wright
says that IAN examination Of these reports
Will show that there IL no such thing as an
American rate Of wages" For example. in
the manufacture Of agricultural implements
Q blacksmith gets is per cent. more in
Illinois than in Indiana, while . foreman
gets 80 per cent. more in Pennsylvania than
In New York, and painter nearly 40 per
cent. more in Pennsylvania than in Maine.
In the boot and shoe industry buffer gets
81. ~ in Pennsylvania and only 81. AZ in New
York, which would clearly dispose Of the
Presidential boom of our late esteemed col
league (Mr. Hiscock), did we not find that .
button-hole maker in Pennsylvania, if .
woman gets ~ cents, while New York pays
t1.04. When it comes to heelers, New York
gives g. So and Massachusetts, only $1.72.
But there il still hope for my friend from
Massachusetts mir. Long, for the Presiden-
tial nomination, for Massachusetts pays her
packers 81. o., while New York neglects hers
with . cold sos.
MIR. Farquhsr-I suggest to the gentleman
that 'hseisrs" are always high In the State
OF New York.
MIR. Wilson. Of West Virginia-So when
We come to the table of cotton goods we find
that Great Britain pays mule-spinners $l.57,
Massachusetts, 81 Is, and Vermont only
81. ~, and that tho average rate of wages
paid in the cotton industry In Great Britain
il 81. II per day, while in Vermont 1t is only
81 10; SO that, when Senator Morrill, became
20 alarmed Tor fear that his fellow citizens
were going to be reduced to the level Of the
pauper wages in England, it meant simply
that they were going to be kicked upstairs
from Sl.15 10 $l.17, tho average wages III
the cotton industry in England.
Tue HON. ROGER Q. MILLA
Wages Depend On supply and De.
mnnd, ana the Productive Capacity
OF tho LaboTer.