The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-06
sEATTLE. TUEsDAY. SEP. 9.
THE PARADE AN OBJECT LESSON.

THE PARADE AN OBJECT LESSON.
The labor parade yesterday was con-
elusive outdoor argument that exposed
the utter absurdity Of the calamity" cam
paign speech Of the Peoples party evan
gelists from General Weaver and his Kan
sas Cassandra, Mrs. Lease, down to Broth
or Ennis, the local grand master of the
guild of jawsmiths. and the puissant pull
verizer Of the PosF-1sTELLIsEEcER.
The labor parade yesterday was COM
posed OF men whose happy, healthy coun-
tenances and neat holiday attire proved
that they were well fed and well clad and
are in the enjoyment of fair wages. There
Is not a city in Europe whose Labor day
parade would include so many we'll.
dressed men of spirit and intelli-
gence as were found In our local
parade yesterday, and yet these
outward signs of comfort and prosperity
are not peculiar to the ranks of our local
labor. Wherever yesterday, from the
Golden Gate to Portland, Me-, from the
Canada line to the Potomac, the ranks Of
labor paraded the same signs of comfort
and prosperity were observed. At the
South, where there is comparatively little
manufacturing, and where overproduc-
ton, consequent upon three enormous
cotton crops, has caused industrial depres-
sion, it is possible that the ranks Of labor
do not make as good a showing as at the
North; but at the North, where industries
are diversified, the Labor day parades
were an object lesson that ought not to be
lost upon those who have been taught
that American labor IL suffering from q
year of calamity; that 1t is ill paid,
down trodden, oppressed; the restless,
wretched slaves of monopoly.
II the American workingman is "a
slave" he il certainly the most cheerful
and spirited bondman the world has ever
seen. He does not talk like slave, walk
like slave. feed like slave or dress like
. slava II the American workingman is
- saavep' We should like to have his de-
trsstoTS define the conditions of freedom;
We should like to look upon their picture
Of . prosperous ideal freeman. Contrast
the wages OF the American worker with
that Of the English toiler; contrast the
general condition of American labor with
that OF foreign labor and then say
whether the wages. the mode of
life OF American labor furnishes
any justification for the outrageous
definition Of the American nottingham as
the ''slave Of capital" an American serf
ground down to state OF hopeless penury
and suffering by the tyranny Of capital.
According to an official report made to
the British parliament and the report of
the Massachusetts bureau of labor statis-
tics. wages in the cotton mills in the
United States are about 100 per cent. high
er than in Great Britain. For instance, a
spinner earns So in Massachusetts, and
81. Is in England.
According to the Manchester Courier, IS
per cent OF the members Of the Fedora
ton Of Master Cotton Spinners have ex-
pressed an opinion in favor of 10 per
cent reduction in the miserable wages
now paid in the English mills. Contrast
this with the recent voluntary increase in
wages In Fall River. and the fact that the
mills are running night aud day.
In the worsted mills of Utica, ". Y, the
wesvers are receiving 81 a day against 90
and 70 cents paid for the same class of
work in England The working girl, in
the collar factories of Troy, \. y, earn
SL50 day against 20 cents a day earned
by the working girls in the collar factor
les of Germany. In Pennsylvania wages
are II per cent. higher than English wages.
The statistics Of the commissioner of
labor for New York state show a net in
crease in wages of s6.377, 9a5 for 1901 over
1sao in the industries for which he has re-
ceived returns. This is nnmistakable evil
denee of the prosperity of the wage-earn-
ers, and the report the Democratic super
intendent of the New York state banking
department shows a large increase in the
deposits in the savings banks. The in
crease In deposits during the last SIX
months exceeds 100000 600. and the gain
since January 1, 1889, is $50, as2.5l6. One
report thus supplements the other.
TAis great stats Of COCO. 900 of people
shows n large increase in the earnings of
the working people aud corresponding
Increase In the savings of the same class
for the last year. The savings banks re-
turns for lows show al enormous increase,
as do those Of Massachusetts,. The tesii-
rnony is overwhelming all over the coun-
try that the past year has not been one Of
calamity 10 labor. but syear Of peace.
plenty, prosperity, protection and prog
ress. South Dakota has . wheat crop OF
e. loo. 90 OF bushels, ana yet later is so
scarce tia. s. to 50 was offered for har.
vest workers.
What nonsense to tell about s ves- of
calamity when such prices ara offered for
isbor in vain. VIVA; a luna,icai liar is
thai orator Of the Peoples partv, who
rsiAts the picture Of q psurer. red, naslaa-
ehosy. thriftless tramp, holds i, up before
the average Western farmer and saws. Re
Ibid your image" The farmers ~ Ne.
eraska and Kansas have been rapidly re.
oCclng their mortgages: they ger ali the
money thev want at q per cent: their
crops are enormous, aud vat We are told
that this is ths year Of calamity for s.th4
farmer" When the circus brought The
farming population into Seattle Sjsi any.
eody see any evidence of poyss,y among