The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1892-07-22
What observation-disclosures KNOWS

THE ARGus-LEADER KNOWS
f@ The esteemed state organ of tariff
sssfeform makes no attempt to an
sSsswer the recent queries put to it by
aassTHE REPUBLICAN, concerning the re-
ssslation of the tariff aud the Homestead
affair, but devotes nearly column OF
tits valuable space to telling what
SSit knows. Fully three-fourths of this
space is given up to mere assertion, of
which the following is fair specimen:
lit knows that MIR. Carnegie in 1883
made many speeches to his men in wes-
tern Pennsylvania, threatening them
with reductions in case of Republican
defeat, but promising increased wages
#shOuld Harrison be elected.
" 1t claims also that Carnegie made
1000, 900 year on s5,0oO,0OO capital;
THAT he has combined with other capi-
s$talists to control the steel market: that
;She has imported cheap labor; and that
She is q bad and bloodthirsty tyrant on
sgeneral principles: all OF which may or
may not be true but affords no argu-
SSment in support of the organs PROPOSE
4 tion that the tariff causes strikes. We
v are still inclined to doubt the Argus
y Leaders, knowledge of the subject un-
der discussion, for assertion is not
proof by any means.
VIZ 1t also asserts that:
T% sc
4 the $500 hands was but little over two
gidollars per day OF twelve hours and
u that to secure this required high skill.
We quote from Manager Frick's tes-
timony before the congressional investi-
Il eating committee:
4 In our 23-inch mill, our two rollers
Z were paid in May s235 and S247, the six
4 heaters each got $3.50 and the heaters
helpers, $75.
N Austin Colbilcsh, one of the rollers,
+ testified:
q BY the reduction he would receive
( $92 a ,nonth. Shear helpers would
now make ST. .9S for eight hours.
{ Also:
3 Mr.. Boatner asked if the table made
4 of the amount paid the men was for
themselves and when MIR. Flick said
4 "Yes sir, MIR. Boatner said, "Well
those are the highest wages I ever
heard Of"
The Argus-Leader goes on to say:
It knows that the men in Homestead
were the last to feel the force of this
greed, that they were mostly American
citizens, that from their scanty earnings
they had purchased or built little cot
tages, bare and cramped, but as dear
= to them as the homes of the rich, that
they had gathered about them families
and were struggling to clothe and feed
and educate their children as other
American citizens do.
We quote again from Mr.. Frick's tes-
timony, which was not refuted by any
of the strikers:
AS to the mortgages held on the
property of the employees at Homestead,
Mr.. Frick said these were issued only
to aid the worklnen in building homes.
Never once has a mortgage been fore
closed. The interest charged was
per cent. The men were allowed the
same on money deposited with the firm.
These sums amount to $4,000. The
mortgages amount to $4,000.
In other words these taritf-trodden
workmen, whose wages MIR. Boatner, a
Democratic member of the committee,
said were the highest he ever heard Of,
have managed to save about $100,0CC
from their scanty earnings, even after
paying for their homes in full; and on
this 100000 the "would-be-tyrants, y
of whom the Democrats press are
bowling, are paying 6per cent. interest.
For further information as to the true
inwardness of the Homestead situation
we can but refer the Argus-Leader tc
the full testimony which this same in.
vestigating committee brought out, and
which will soon be embodied in report
to congress.
We believe the state organ will then
be forced to admit that the contention
has been almost entirely over the rela
tive strength of capital and OF organized
labor, and that no question OF tariff and