Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-10-13

1t will be seen that the average wages
Of labor in the woolen industry of Penn
sylvania Is 1856 per year or $6.S3 per
week or about 81. 10 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 be ac-
cepted as considerably more than Mr..
Porter's table fixes it, but it 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 woolen workers are
not 80 per cent. Of the earnings Of COM
positors, and it is fact that the hod
carriers employed on The Times build
ing today receive from % to 80 per cent.
more wages than the average wages paid
in our woolen mills.
What is true of the woolen industry
is absolutely true of every protected in
dustry in the city of Philadelphia.
There is not single great manufactur-
ing establishment here that pays all
average Of weekly wages equal to the
hod carriers of our 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
ly taxed are women's apparel most COM
monty in use. This was done, as Mr..
Mckinley declares, to protect the Amer
ican 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, if 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
woolen 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 is due to labor from IA
protective tariff is, first, the wages for
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
the Mckinley tariff, and in some of them
very largely. In a number of our up
holstery, curtain and novelty establish
ments, on which the Mckinley tariff
taxes were increased 85 per cent, there
have been severe reductions in wages OF
labor, ranging from 10 up even as high
as so per cent, and in our carpet indus.
try, ON which increased tariff taxes were
levied by the Mckinley bill, it requires
hard and steady work for weavers tc
earn over ten dollars per week.
have carefully studied the history Of
our varied Philadelphia industries DIR
ing the last two years since the tariff
taxes were largely increased, and the
best results for labor that can fine
anywhere, with the rarest exceptions
are that former wages have been main
tained, while in very many instances
there have been reductions of the wage:
OF labor, and in some instances very
large reductions.
would I've glad indeed if could ex
hibit better results for our Philadelphia
protected industries. People are taxed
to the highest extent in time of peace
ostensibly to maintain prosperous labor
but the painful fact stands out clear a!
the sun in unclouded MONDAY that it i!
the unprotected and heavily taxed la
Dor of this city that is prosperous, while
the highly protected labor must be con
tent with almost starvation wages.