The weekly tribune., 1892-08-06
THE QUESTION OF W.,

Wages may be looked at from
different standpoints. and a.
wages may be high from one s,a' '
and low from another. If A rscaia
dollars day for his labor and 'S"e "
him two dollars day to live i
said he is making living wages y lug 'la
is not; for, if through sickness wy ~
dent he lose a day or week bo W.
possible show to get even by bia 10y
If B receive one dollar day apdi'
him fifty cents day to live be r,.'
better wages than A, for he c.,I
more money. If c receives pinstr
a day and it costs HIM twentv ..
day to live he receives better wag.s
either A or B.
Therefore when it is argued m,,
ceives two dollars a day in this oa
and a much less sum in some otbo,
try it means very little. A labor,
not work to get a certain ANN.
money but to get enough to men,
wants and lay up something apara
inevitable rainy day. He mesen,'
labor by what it brings to him y
shape of life's necessaries. Totbsi
er his wages is high Or low acco,s,
the relation between bis pay a,
prices of the things ne wants.
Protectionists claim that nro,,
increases wages. Let us examiD.
proposition. 1t is readily seen M
protection increase wages it is bs,y
it enables the employers in protec,si
dustries to pay the increase in ",
But the employers do not nav s'
crease in wages out of their own no,,
but out Of the increased profits on n
products, or in other words they nay !
increase out of the pockets of their ]
tomers-the consumers of their prodr !
The employers must add the pd,|
the wages they pay to the cost Of j
ducing their finished products Or n
would lose money. They never !
money. Thus it appears that if pwI
tion give the laborer more money
spend it also makes him pay more
what he must have; it decrease; \
purchasing power of his labor For \
laborer is a consumer of the product,
protected industries and must hep !,
the cost of producing protected artid,
But as matter of fact prote,.,
does not increase wages. For. as \
been stated, the laborer measures
wages by what his wages will purcha
To illustrate. II ID can purchase "a
of flour with one days labor he receiv
twice the price for his labor that a,
who must work two days to purchss
sack of flour. And yet d may not rziu
in dollars and cents as much fr n
labor as G. does. Still d eceiysI
better wages for its purchasing poEei
much greater than the purchasilgpO1,
of Cs wages. Protection does n0
crease wages; it simply increase
profits of employers who produce 4
tected articles. Tariffs are not
for the protection of labor, but "a j.
protection of employers Of labor i
labor market is free market. Emp}
ers of labor 90 into the cheapest ma,l
to get their labor. But the products
that free labor go into protected msIs'
and the consumers of protected prodlt
must buy in protected markets. Thu;
will be seen protection is one sided
the side of the employer.
IL protection increase wages the ,,
of labor in protected industries sh1
be the same in Georgia and Alabau!
it is in Pennsylvania and Massachu;e
and it should be the same for like Id
in every state in the union, Butits
by a wide difference. The price Of a
is fixed-not by protection. but BY
supply and its quality just as the Pi
of other commodities is fixed. For Ia
is simply a commodity subject to
same laws of supply and demand WI
govern the price of other marketa
commodities.
The laborer is imposed upon. III
persuaded into the belief that protect
gives him better wages. It does not
it gives his employer better profits u
the products of his labor. From the'
ployer's point of view wages Is hlgh
low as wages adds value TO what II
duces, For instance, laborer who !
duces 81 in value in day and wno
ceives $3.50 is paid more than the Ia'
or who produces 50 in value a da!
who receives 50 in wages, ltsW
the employer makes upon the TABOR
his employees that is taken into acco.
by HIM. He pays for protection 10
contributions to political campaigns
must make the contributions frOH
profits upon the labor of his emp@'
and il to make them he must reou
wages to starvation point he will Old
the cut. Protection has nothing 70
| in ipcraaSlpU Uuuec. IL hoe avprythllg