Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-08-02
Free Trnhe ni.npoin,men,.

Ever since the present administration
came in, the free-trade papers have been on
the alert TO catch up every instance of bust
ness or labor disturbance and use it as an
evidence that protection is running the
country For some time their richest NOR
sells were got from a strike among the
workmen of the Carnegie iron works in
Pennsylvania Mr.. Andrew Carnegie is a
man who came to this country without a
dollar, and who has built up an immense
business and made fortune with his own
energy, industry and sagacity as the foun
dation stones of his success. He is a Re-
publican and a staunch protectionist, and
used his best efforts to secure Mr.. Harri-
sons election last year. The favorite Dem
ocratic epthets as applied to Mr.. Carnegie
are Carnegie, the "robber baron" Carne
gle, the iron king, ~ Carnegie, the 'monop-
olist, ~ Carnegie, the "foe to labor, and so
on, the purpose being to fix him in the pub
lie mind as a type of the harsh, grinding
monopolist, who profits by the protective
tariff while his employees are crushed and
starved.
When the strike came in the Carnegie
works because of an attempted reduction
of wages one would gather from the ac-
counts printed in Democratic papers that
Mr. Carnegie, having spent millions of mon
ey to carry the election and intrench
himself behind the tariff, had forthwith
proceeded to cut down the wages of his
working people, and deliberately wiring the
life blood out of them-a thing that could
only be done, the free -traders assume, un-
der the protective system.
But the strike has now been settled, and
the Boston Advertiser takes occasion to
state the facts exactly as they are
"At the Carnegie iron works a scale of
prices has been in operation some 20 per
cent higher than that fixed by the labor or
carnations in the other establishments OF
the same character, because he has endeav-
ored to maintain the wages in his shops at
the highest possible point. This he found
impracticable, aud reduced the wages to the
same scale as agreed upon between the
manufacturers and the Iron and Steel
workingmen's association. This scale is
in force almost everywhere in PennsYlva
mia, and the Carnegie works fell into line
with the prevalent price. This was the ba
sis for the strike, which Of necessity was
short-lived, and now the works are running
ON the same level with those about them
with this single exception; Mr. Carnegie
has agreed that if the price of his product
increases after the LIST of January, he viii
make a corresponding rise in wages paid
and if, on the other hand, it decreases, he
will ask his working people to submit to 6
pro rata reduction. That is to say, to avoiC
further conflicts and to put an end to the
complaint that, with good times wages new
err advance and with poor times they al
ways are decreased he proposes that, aftel
next January, good prices for his produc
shall mean corresponding gain in the rat
Of wages, and vice versa, To most mind
this would seem to he an eminently fair ar
rangement, and one in which the 'robbe
baron and his people fare in equal ratio. !"
1t is not pleasant for the freetraders t.
see this disagreement settled on a just anC
amcabe basis, for it knocks out one o
their stock arguments. Every American
manufacturer is expressing his workmel
according to their theory, and from thi
standpoint the only logical result of tn
contest would have been for the workmel
to 20 to the wall, bringing up in condition
like that from which they have fled in tn
free trade countries abroad.