Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1890-05-20

Can the advocates OF our present sys-
TEN truthfully say similar results have
been obtained for the working people
of this comtryi
The president of the Statistical
Society of England, in an essay writ
ten in 1884, on the progress of the
working classes in the last half CEN
tury, says:
! In all cases where / have found it
possible from the apparent similarity
of the work to make comparison, there
is an enormous apparent rise in mon
ey wages, ranging from 20 and in
somc cases from 80 to 100 per cent.
and in one or two instances TO more
than 100 per cenA This under
estimates, believe, the real extent OF
the change.
The average increase in tho wages
of laborers in England is stated by
the same authority to be over 20 per
cent. This estimate is based upon
statistics and official records.
But this advance in the money rate
wages is not the only benefit that has
accrued to the Englishman under his
free-trade system; the hours of labor
have been shortened 20 per cent. He
gets ON an average 20 per cent. more
wages for 20 per cent. less work than
the same laborcrs in similar employ
ments received there under system
OF protection.
While the ratio of wages has steadi-
ly advanced in England the cost of
articles consumed by the working
classes has remained about the same.
Referring to this feature of the sub
ject, Mr. Griffin, in his Essays on FL
nance, says:
II is important to begin with that,
as regards prices of commodities gen
orally, therc seems to be little doubt
things are much the same as they
were forty or fifty years ago -
The conclusion is, taking things in the
mass, the sovereign goes as far as it
did forty or fifty years ago, while
there are many things in existence at
q low price, which could not then
have been bought at all.
1t was recently asserted on the
floor of this House that the decline in
agricultural interests in England had
been greater than In this country.
Without now entering upon that sub
ject will state fact which Is in the
line of the present discussion that
would seem TO disprove the correct
ness of that assertion, which is, that
the rate of wages paid farm laborers
In England has steadily increased du-
ring the last forty or fifty years.
Card, in his work on Landed Inter-
est, page 90, says the rate of wages
received by farm laborcrs at present,
as compared TO the period just before
the repeal of the corn law, is GO per
| cent. higher.
Another thing has transpired in
England under its system offree trade,
that should not be left out of the ac-
count, which is that capital has been
more fairly divided with labor than
IL was under the system Of protection
which formerly prevailed there. Cap
iial has not been concentrated in the
hands of few. While the wealth of
the country has increased over loo
per cent, IL has been distributed into
many hands, and the evils that result
from great inequality of condition
have been avertcd.
The results which free trade has
worked out for all classes of laborcrs
in England may be fairly stated, as
follows:
First. An increase in Money wages
of 70 to 100 per cent.
Second. A decrease of 20 per cent.
in the number of hours of labor.
Third. The purchasing power Of
money is as great as it was forty or
fifty years ago.
Fourth. Better homes TO live in
Fifth. A large decrease in pauper-
ism and crime.
Sixth. That while wealth has ac-
cumulated, it has not been concen-
trated in the hands of the capitalist
class.
Mr.. KERR, of Iowa. VIII the gen
tleman yield for question:
Mr.. ELLIS. Yes, sir.
Mr.. KERR, of Iowa. How does the
gentleman account for the fact that
80 many OF those English working
men come to this countryl
Mr.. PERKINS. And none of them
go back.
Mr.. ELLIS. l do not admit the
truth OF the proposition which the
gentleman asserts in the form of
question. II is not fact many of
the English workingmen come to this