The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-10-20
WAGE ISSUE ILLUSTRATED.


Protection-A Glance at Wages Pa1d
Here and Abroad.
Here is short study in branch OF in
dustrial economy and science OF the great
est possible moment, which will BRING the
question of comparative wages plainly INTO
view, so that 'tthe wayfaring man, II not q
fool, can understand it as we'll as the stu
dent in his closet. It settles fully, conclu-
eively, and once for oil, the fact. to when
the louisville Cou11e'-Jo,1nal has never
ceased to urge public attention, that al
tabor and wage arguments Of the hlgn-tar-
if gospelers are the merest hypocrisy.
BY far the most magnificent Industrial
fabric Of which any nation can boast, or has
ever in all history been in position 70
boast, is the textile manufacture OF En-
gland.
This is no empty assertion, rs we shall
proceed to demonstrate. The aggregate in
ternational trade Of England is equal IN
magnitude to that Of any two other nations
OF the earth combined; and the exports OF
only three classes of her own textile prod
ucts are about one-half Of her total exports
of all commodities. As to ELgland's Chief
manu- featuring interests, the textiles rank
first and the metals second. Now see: The
value of the products of only the larger part
of Englands textile factories cotton, wool
and linen alone, amounts to ss90,00 ,0o0.
1t employs in only three lines 600
artisans.
| The product Of all other Textile factories
in England Silt, 797.000, and the export $780,
100000, making a grand total OF textiles
amounting to ST, 007, 97o, 600, and total ex-
port Of s6l4, 600.
Els immensely and it's connections, its ALI
ances and influences are so great and
varied that il comes III contact with every
interest of domestic trade and finance and
all it's maritime relations. Nothing could
possibly vie with it as q broad and compre-
hensive exeuplar of England's whole IN
dustrial and commercial system.
England's 1,136,000 textile artisans In
these three lines were paid in lSSo-S2--a
date which we select for purposes Of con-
trast with our own National comparisons
last made in 1880 S $3.50, 615 900 in wages Cor
working up $S90,00o,0 600 worth Of cotton,
wooler and linen goods, including $685.
000,OOO cotton goods, 1895, 100000 woolen
goods and 100000 linen goods. Flax,
iute and other textiles are not embraced
in the figures. There were S5225 SOC. 600 OF
these textiles alone exported and sS44, 6l3,.
800 worth Of all other commodities combined.
The home consumption of ts.ese homemade
textiles was $3.50, 900 600 worth.
In the United States in the same year our
own production of these textiles amounted
to S4559, 343 900, and sos, 0N ,506 was paid i'll
wages to the operatives who produced them.
In England the operatives wages
amounted to 2624 per cent. of The value OF
the whole product, and in the United States
to 1924 per cent The honest artisans
share in the product of his skill and labor
was 296 per cent. larger in the factories o!
England than in those of the United Statesi
There were 1,13e, coo workers employed in
she textile factories Of that free trade ma
ton cut of SO, 100000 Of her population, Oh
wage fund OF $685., goo, and there were
347, 029 workers employed in the factoriea OF
the United States, out of population o.
100000 people, on a wage fund OF 500, 00i,.
6C6i
The American factory hand was paid S26s
year and the English $2O5.64. On tho
English ratio of wage to product, that
American operative should have had 1884. u
q year.
The American artisan delivered his EN-.
ployer s., 324 OF product for his S263 in wage,
; and the English artisan turned over to him
only 1888 for dis s205.64 wage.
The American employer got a net profit
OF sl,056 for his average wage payment..and
che nglishnan $5i7726.
The product equivalent Of the average
,, American wage was 63 per cent. more wax
liable III money than that Of the English.
Therefore, to put the American operative
On an equal footing OF wages as measured
ia product with the English, the American
should have been paid IS per cent more
/ than the English wage Of S205, or s22S4.1t
per year, instead Of s2G6. or 80 per cent
re
ployer snoggles So per cert. OF what was
honestly due him OH che English wage rate
to pay exactly rs much for the amount Of
his product as the s'pauper artisan" Of Ell.
land. A rise of 80 per cent. to American
labor over the English wage gives his EN-
ployer 80 per cent. of his extra product for
nothing. so far as labor goes i'll the crea.
ton OF its cost and value.
While the product Of an American factory
hand Is 63 per cent. greater in value than
that Of the English, the latter is 81 per cent
lower, the differences being those between
! discount and premium. So, to prosecute
the analogy, if :2GS, the American wage, be
a fair return to labor for 81 1924 worth OF tex
! tiles, then the English operative for only
$7S3 Of product should be paid 81 per cent
less than the American, or $169.64. But he
is paid $20564. What an extravaganza rasca,
John Bull is, to be sure, in thus paying his
| wretched "pauper artisans 5000 per head
more than the sharp Americans pay the
independent wage-worker Of this glorious
land Of freedom, SIR" for exactly the same
product value from bis hand and skill,
Men and brethren, seeing what an ocean
Of humbug and base trickery has been emp
tied into the economic systems under which
all our interests are staggering, let US de-
voutly hope that there is but small re-
serve of lies and hypocrisy aud cant left to
be devoted to other purposes among us.
But we can't refrain from adding that,
II, in this Nation, o.. systems were reor.
gained to secure readily accessible results
from the cheapest and largest supply OF
material, horsepower, and food in all the
universe, now or ever, the main differences
would be this: We would have 1900, 0OQ
mechanics and artisans actively employed
more than now; we would have 100000
less laborers competing with the farmer
afeld and helping him to overproduce
every thing, and we would have 10000
more artisans and mechanics consuming
farm products at home.
Lying to tho Farmers.