Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-10-13

II will be seen that the average wages
of labor in the WOODEN industry of Penn
sylyania Is 1855 per year or 1888 per
week or about 81. - per day. OF course
these figures include stoppages of mills
and the many other Interruptions which
occur in manufacturing enterprises, and
the ordinary earnings per week OF labor
employed in that industry may he ac-
cepted as considerably more than Mr..
Porter's table fixes it. but il is none the
less the truth that the average earnings
are correctly given. As compared with
the nonprotected printers of this city,
the earnings of our wooden workers are
not 30 per cent. of the earnings Of com
positors. and il is fact that the hod
carriers employed on The Times build
ing today receive from 25 to 30 per cent.
more wages than the average wages paid
in our wooden mills.
What is true of the wooden industry
is absolutely true of every protected in
dustry in the city of Philadelphia.
There is not single great manufacture
ing establishment here that pays an
average of weekly wages equal to the
bod carries Of orr nonprotected labor.
and yet we are told that high tariff taxes
make labor prosperous. The Mckinley
tariff increases tariff taxes on woolens
very largely, some to as high as 1876 per
cent, and among the articles most high
~ taxed are womens apparel most COM
monty in use. This was done, as Mr..
Mckinley declares. to protect the Amer
lean workmen against the pauper labor
of Europe The increased tariff taxes
were levied avowedly to increase
wages.
If honestly administered, the Nc
Kinley tariff should have increased the
wages of every protected labor in Phila-
delphia, and yet Mr. Mckinley must
know, il he has inquired of his friends
who entertained him at the Manufac-
turers' club, that in very few If any
instances have wages been increased in
wooden mills, and in many instances
they have been decreased since the pas
sage of his tariff to give increased pro-
lection and logically to increase wages
to labor What lis due to labor from n
protective tariff is, first, the wages fol
like labor in Europe, and, second, the
tariff taxes levied to pay the difference
in the cost of labor here. Has that been
done? Has labor received that which
congress, as avowed by Governor Nc
Kinley himself, declared it entitled to
and levied taxes upon the people to
pay it?
But in large number of our highly
protected industries in this city wages
have been reduced since the passage Of
II
very largely. In a number Of our up
holstery, curtain and novelty establish
ments. on which the Mckinley tariff
taxes were increased IS per cent. there
have been severe reductions in wages If
labor. ranging from 10 up even ~ high
a. 80 pr cent. and in our carpet indus
try. on which increased tariff taxes were
levied 10 the Mckinley hall, IL requires
hard and steady work Tor weavers 10
earn over ten dollars per week.
have carefully studied the history q
our yar.e,l Philadelphia industries dur
irg the last two years since the tariff
taxes were largely incress 4. and thu
t-st results for labor that I can find
anywhere. with the rarest exceptions.
are that former wages have been main
tanned. while in very many instances
thsre have l,ccn reductions II the wages
% labor. and in some instances very
large reductions.
would be glad indeed II | could ex-
hibit better results FOR our Philadelphia
protected industries. People are taxed
20 the highest extent in time of peace
ostensibly TO maintain prosperous labor.
hut the painful fact stands out clear as
the sun in unclouded MONDAY that it is
the nonprotected and heavily taxed Ia
Dor of this city that is prosperous, while
the highly protected labor must be con-
tent with almost starvation wages.