Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1892-10-26
WAGE QUESTION AT LAST SOLVED.
The Solution Not Acceptable to Manu-
facturers and Protectionists.

facturers and Protectionists.
The New York Press of Sept. %, says
that about 900 immigrants land weekly
at New York to find employment in do
mestic service, and that the stoppage of
immigration has raised the wages of
girls doing general housework 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 it has given Us solution OF
this wage question. Hundreds Of mil
lions have been invested III the Mckin-
ley bill and other high tariff measures
to no purpose. Now, almost by acci-
dent, the question is solved right in
front of our eyes, And how simple and
complete. No theory and no guess
work! Wages actually advanced 80 per
cent. in few weeks, and the cause will
not be disputed by any party! 1t was
not caused by high or low duty or by
any duty at all on goods.
1t was caused by the stoppage of i'm
migration. Nor is il 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 fixes prices everywhere! And is its
not the Immigrant who has been bring
ing in fresh supplies of labor TO reduce
wages here almost to the European level
when productper earneris considered!
1t is by checking immigration and not
goods, then, that we may hope to main
tain higher wages here-if they really
are higher. And now You would think
all of the generous and sympathetic mil
1ionaire friends of labor would at once
begin to make laws to stop immigration.
No; such is not likely to be the case. In
fact these good manufacturers are likely
to fight against duty on imported labor
as hard as they fight for a duty on inn
ported goods. They had their contract
labor laws" in the sixties to induce i'm
migration here to keep wages down, and
IL Is lltAI bbAri tiitb pAObtNAiOh
courages immigration.
The New York Tribune said on this
same day Sept. 22) Protection has
been our policy for thirty years. Ten
millions of aliens have been brought
from Europe and supplied with remu-
nerative employment under the stimu-
lative effects Of tariff policy" The
same New York Press also boasts edito-
rally that our high tariff policy is
drai3ng Europe of the cream Of her
laborers, and that the monarchs there
are doing their best to keep subjects at
home. What is the poor laborer to do?
Shall he continue to place his trust in a
party that for thirty years has been ex-
perimenting in the wrong direction to
raise wages, and that will not adopt the
solution now that it comes from another
direction? Shall he form new party
to stop immigration, or does this big
and thickly settled country have need
of the Drawn squeezed out Of the mon
arches of Europe? How would it do to
take duties off of the necessaries Of life
and raise wages at once by increasing
their purchasing power? Perhaps after
all, it is less and not more interference
with trade and commerce that is in the
interest of labor.