Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-09-14
AN orfIcrAL LABOR OPINION.

AN OFFICIAL LABOR OPINION.
The National Labor Tribune. which is
the official organ Of the Amalgamated AS
ISOLATION of Iron and S!eel Workers. the
National Federation of Miners and Mine
Laborers, and d. A. 1S5, K. of L, says:
The glaring inconsistency Of the Repub-
lican party in the present canvass grows
out Of the fact that every m~onopolist IN
the country, almost every rich manufac-
turer. and every man identified with cor
nering the necessaries of life, and every
man financially interested in trusts, belongs
to the Republican party, and demands
that the old war tax shall be kept mp on
food and clothing, and that their products
shall be protected. And at the same time
these same people demand that the gates
of the world shall be opened to them to
secure the cheapest kind of degraded Ia
Dor. If these would-be champions OF
American labor would protect labor and
paw it q fair price out of the war taxes m
posed by a high tariff, the appeals to the
miners of coal and mill men, and heweIs
of wood and drawers Of water would DO
consistent and fair, and the wsge worker
might be expected to join hands and sus-
tain them in their demands.
Now, what are the facts? Mr.. Carnegie,
who is q fair sample Of the men engaged IN
manufacturing-and his methods are the
same as those employed By other manu-
fscturers-msde up his mind in the early
months Of the year that the organized
labor employed in his works must be dis-
organized and made to accept whatever
conditions he imposed. Now, hat condi-
tons did he want American labor to ac-
cept? He had three sets of men employed,
working eight hours each, and he wanted
to discharge one-third of the men, or n
set, and make the other two sets work
twelve hours each, with q trifle more COM
pensation for twelve hours labor than they
had formerly received for eight hours.
The men refused; q strike resulted, ana
the works were closed in the interest OF
American labor 2).
The strike did not hurt Mr.. Carnegie;
be had made enough in 1887 to keep the
wolf from his door, and in the interest OF
American labor (?) he went to New,York
to map out his plan Of campaign, and from
that city he issued orders to close up the
works. During that year he made 1872, 1913
tons of steel rails, every ton of which cost
him for labor but four dollars and nine
cents, and on every ton the Government
guaranteed him an advantage of seventeen
dollars, for that is the present tariff on
steel rails. The net cost OF these rails to
Mr.. Carnegie was $26 70 Per ton, and the
average selling price for the year was
S37. 121, showing a clear profit OF nearly
tiro millions of dollars, and Mi. Carnegie
admitted that he had drawn one million
fire hundred thousand dollars as his share Of
the years work. How much of this did
he divide with his men? Not a penny.
On the contrary, he ordered q cut OF ten
psr cent, and actually starved his men
into submission. When he had 80 hum
bled and reduced them the works were or
dered to start, and q company Of Pinker-
toms detectives or police were placed
there, armed with Spencer rifles to protect
him in the degradation of American labor.
When he had succeeded IN dlsorganiz-
ing organized labor, and crushing out
every spark of independence, he took an
ocean steamer and went to Europe and
there entertained for q month or more that
other distinguished American laborer,
James G. Blaine.
Now, this is the kind Of protection
afforded the bread winners of this country
under a very high protective tariff, and
these are the kind Of gentlemen who are
parading as the special champions OF Amer
lean industry. Is il any wonder that even
in rock-ribbed and iron-bound Pennsylva-
mia there is q widespread revolt against
that protection which makes the rich richer
and the poor poorer, aud against that svs-
TEN that permits the corporations Of the
country to actively employ labor for eight
months of the year and starye ii for the re-
naming four months2 If the tariff could
be reduced to a Just and honest basis the
rich iron masters and the coal bsrons must
OF necessity actively employ labor during
the entire year, and it would so cheaper
the product as. TO enter into competition
with the world.
This may be better illustrated in this
way: The tariff on steel rails etfectually
shuts out everything that is foreign except
labor. Now suppose there had been a
demand during the year 1887 for 1872, 99S
tons of rails and DO more, and the Carnegie
mills had double that capacity, does any
one suppose that half the capacity would
be exerted and employment given to halt
the number of meh for the entire year?
Not at all. Mr.. Carnegie knowing that
he controlled the market, would work his
mill to its full capacity for six months and
let it be idle for the balance of the year,
letting labor take care of itself during the
other six months, with the full knowledge
that at the end OF that time the resources
Of the men would not only be exhausted,
but that they would be heavily in debt and
their labor mortgaged in advance.
This is called protection in this country,
and every miner and mill man and laborer
has experienced it. Much has been said
about the poorly paid labor Of Europe. but
nothing at all is said about the Euro
pean lsborer who is imported to this coun-
try and placed alongside Of the honest
toiler who is struggling for his rights and
asking for that protection he has heard so
much about, but that no man extends to
him. We are told that Mr.. Carnegie and
men of that class are the life Of any COM
munity, and that his gifts for free libraries
have an ~elevating influence, giving tone to
4 SURELY, duu GIG lhCthtiNCo W AobOk' W.
do not believe it. Men to enjoy the real
fruits of public libraries should be content
ed and happy and have peace of mind.
| None of these conditions exist where labor
does not get its proper reward and the
sweat of the brow brings no adequate re-
turn. 1t is an easy matter for Mr.. Carne-
gle TO donate $3.50, 900 to q public library
when he can cut his wage list ten per cent.
and make the workmen foot the bills.
Mr.. Carnegie is a high tariff man. He
favors a very high tariff on the things be
produces; but he wants more than that;
be wants the freest kind of trade in labor,
and he is not at all particular where that
labor comes from. Now, Mr.. Carnegie
wants Mr.. Harrison elected, and it is fair
10 assume he would not want him if he
thought bis election would advance the