West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-11-03
WAGE QUESTION AT LAST SOLVED
Tho solution Not Acceptable 90 Manu-
fncInrcrr aud ProtcctionIsts.


facturcrs and Protcctionists.
Tie New York Press of Sept. 20, saws
that about 900 immigrants land weekly
at New York 20 find employment in do
,nestic service, and that the stoppage of
immigration has raised the wages of
girls doing general homework from
twelve dollars To from sixteen TO twenty
dollars per month.
Now, what an object lesson this is for
Mckinley, Harrison, Carnegie and the
other tender hearted friends of labor
who have been trying in vain TO raise
wages. This cholera scare has cost us
millions of dollars, but it will be pay
ing investment To the present admins
tration If 1t has given us "A solution of
this wage question. Hundreds of mil
lions have been invested in the McKin-
ley bill and other high tariff measures
10 no purpose. Now, almost by acct
dent, the question is solved right in
front of our eyes. And how simple an /
complete. No theory and no guess
work! Wages actually advanced 80 per
cent. in few weeks, and the cause will
not be disputed 10y any party! 1t was
not caused by a high or low duty or by
any duty at all on goods.
1t was caused by the stoppage Of i'm.
migration. Nor is it strange when the
matter is considered under this new
light, for isn't the labor market ruled
by the same law of supply and demand
that likes prices everywhere? And is it
not the immigrant who has been bring
ing in fresh supplies of labor to reduce
wages here almost TO the European level
when product per Garner is considered:
1t Is by checking immigration and not
goods, then, that we may hope to main
tam higher wages here-if they really
are higher. And now you would think
all of the generous and sympathetic mil
honalre friends Of labor would at once
LISin to make laws to stop immigration.
No; such is not likely 10 be the case. In
ct these good manufacturers are likely
~ fight against duty on imported labor
as hard AS they fight for n duty on inn
Iorted goods. They had their contract
labor laws" in the sixties to induce i'm
migration here TO keep wages down. and
1t is their boast that protection" en-
eourages immigration.
The New York Tribune said on This
same day (Sept. 22): Protection has
- - wi P"AiNS ioI NlllIlN years. i EN-
millions of aliens have been brought
from Europe and supplied with remu.
lucrative employment under the stimu-
iatlye effects Of tariff policy" The
same New York Press also BOASTS edito-
rally that our high tariff policy is
draining Europe of the cream of her
iaborers, and that the monarchs there
are doing their best to keep subjects al
home. What is the poor laborer to do:
Shall ne continue to place his trust in a
party that for thirty years has been ex.
periInenting in the wrong direction tc
raise wages, and that will not adopt tho
solution now that it comes from another
directionI Shall he form a new part,
to stop immigration, or does this biz
and thickly settled country have nee6
of the Drawn squeezed ont Of the mon
archies of Europe? How would it do e
take duties of of the necessaries of lif,
and raise wages at once by increasing
their purchasing power? Perhaps aftel
all, 1t Is less and not more interference,
with trade and commerce that is in tn,
interest of labor.