Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1892-05-04

Wa088 A8c NtSIU0s
Ne cs.ssasss. "a They ssavs rnnss =
Observation-Disclosures i CAsss Of Aavuncs
- Decline Prove NethinH-Acc Re-
enits Onty roea1o1o by Thorough Ins~~tt-
kAti"n. which ssa~ shown Higher Wages.
II has been asserted and reiterated
over and over. again that wages havo
fallen since the Mckinley tariff was en-
acted. II is the one single survivor of
the multitude of falsehoods sent abroad
during the campaign of lying In 1890.
IL survives, not that 1t was moro fit than
the Others prices. -" for ex-
ample but from the difficulty of secnr.
ing labor statistics complete enough to
ohliterate IL mckinley prices were
iisproved by simply comparing the
market reports rs published before and
after the new law took effect But
there are no regular reports published
on rates OF wages. Tens Of thousands
of changes are annually made in this
country. some involving increased.
others decreased wages or hours 81
labor They have occurred. do occur
and will occur Independently of any
tarih IN response to the varying condi-
tons of industry. IL orders FOR goods
come flowing in, the labor in the indus
try which makes the goods will b. fully
employed and wage reductions will be
impossible. But II short crops curtail
The purchasing power of consumers, or
The demand be,0mes Inadequate to the
mpply because of overproduction. or "a
mango IN fashion even. or for any other
cause. labor In the industries con ,crncd
viii br injuriously aifectcd, and il the
nnfavornblc conditions continue, wages
viii fall. The law of supply and de-
mand will continue % operate inside
aud, 50 far. Independently, OF any tariff
law that can To- framed Thousands OF
changes In wage rates, both mp and
down, were made i'm the most prosper
Gus years this country ever knew; they
are made now under the Mckinley tariff
and viii be made unless Edward liellaIny
or Henry George succeeds In revolution.
izing the existing industrial system
As "A rule, changes in rates OF wage.
lo not get into the public press beyond
he local papers A reduction i'm wages,
'cinv more unusual in this country than
IN advance, ~ more likely 20 Toe chron.
icled. Ever since the Mckinley law
passed.. the free trade papers all over
the county have watched like vulures
Tor instances OF wages reductions, and
gloatcd over these misfortuncs OF the
working people like birds of prey. The
New York Times in particular has been
ON the alert to record and exult over
every reduction of wages, in order "a
ascribe IL 10 the Mckinley law Read
ing It's editorials on this subject one
would get the impression that five or
ton. a
unknown occurrence before the Mct<in-
ley act passed. We have before pointed
out its shallow dishonesty In this re-
spcct. IL collects ten or "a dozen or u
score of eases of reduced wages. and
proclaims that wages generally are fall
ing. IL heeds not the thousands OF
cases of increased pay which have oc-
Cured under the new law
Only after n painstalsinp canvass OF
all the industries OF the country, and of
the wage changes occurring in them,
can any one form an intelligent opinion
as to whether the general course of
wages Is up or down. But your jealous
zee trade ''reformcr" does not care for
that. He is bent on making out case
against protection. and, In his desperu-
ton at the lack of favoring evidence,
does not hesitate 10 manufacture IL.
In this connection we have already
called attention % the fact that the
annual report Of the bureau Of statistics
OF labor OF New York state for 1891
chronicles ,g4l cases OF increased wages.
2,0s5 eases OF decrease In the hours OF
labor-virtually increase OF wages also
and only AL eases Of reduced wages.
Yet all that year the New York Times
was loudly proclaining that wages
were generally falling.
No less instructive is the record OF the
State bureau Of labor statistics OF
Illinois, which has issued "a report ON
coal statistics for that state. Not only
has NOR. coal been mined in the first
year of the new tariff and more men
been employed than ever before, but
wages have averaged higher while coal
has been cheaper. With single ex-
ception, and that the most unimportant,
wages were higher in 1891 than in any
Of the three other years considered.
These are the results arrived at by
scientific investigation. Similar results
would appear in every state from similar
Investigations. Wages are going up
under the new tariff