The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-11-11

Gloversville and Johnstown, n. A., u
that they had heard of no wage advances
In any factory there. 1t may he OBJ
served that no paper printed IN Fulton
county had published these reports.
The factory of Alfred Dodge, OF Dodge
vile, N. ", was also visited. Tn re-
mort said that wages had been advanced
20 per cent. here. Dodge manufactures
,iaao felts, sounding boards. cases and
other piano supplies. He also makes felt
shoes and slippers. He employs alto
gether nearl, 800 persons. 1t Is the Gus
tom at Dolgeville to hold an annual re-
union. At such times Mr.. Dodge, the
p~aternal proprietor Of the place, makes
an address and announces the promotions
and advances in wages To be made for
the ensuing year. The new employees
who have been earning what may DO re-
garded rs apprenticeship wages and some
Of the older employees who have served
their employer most faithfully. expectto
have their wages advanced AZ tins time.
II is Dolge's boast that in this way he
stimulates his employees TO do their best.
Twenty or twenty-five who have worked
hard and ov ,rearned their old wages OF
perhaps <i.a5 or Sl.37is per day. usually
get an advance Of about one SHINING
Many Others are disappointed. but Dodge
gives them hope by telling them that II
they do their full duty their turn VIII
come next.
At the reunion in February. 1891. be-
tween forty and fifty had their wages
advanced a shilling each and the hours OF
labor were reduced from 10 To 9l9. with
the promise tthe supply Of promises is
never short) that if the employees ac-
complished as much in Oh hours as they
formerly had done in ten, the hours
would be further reduced to min at the
next annual reunion. This advance IN
wages wa slightly more than usual. II
may be accounted for by knowing that
DOLCE, 10y a gross Misrepresentation OF
facts. had been successful in 1890 in hav-
ing the duty on piano felts increased
from between 60 and 20 to an average OF
about 100 per cent. Dodge already had
a monopoly of American made felt and
this would cut or much Of the foreign
competition.
Besides. he had from a free trader IN
1888 become "a most ardent projections
list. and had told his employees in his
speeches that higher duties meant higher
WAGES. The men Intended to take him
at his word. In the next place Dodge
had been figuring TO get the Reput ican
nomination for congress n his district'
and knew the value OF such q move In
politics. Then, also, he appreciated the
advertising that his business would get
through Republican editors who were
- A. ,nl,t,..1 md Industrial
horizon 10 find a case Of higher duties
followed by higher wages. 1t IL also
sal. Nv the very best judges, both In and
ont Of his factory that he ie making at
least 100 per cent. clear PROFIT on his
felfs. which ht sells for about ~ per
nouui. II he lad not made advances III
wages his own employees might have
exposed his g-eed and the falsity Ct his
PROMISES. He has gotten thousands OK
dollars worth II advertising and has
had his vanity tickled by having his per-
s~onality and his business described IN
nearly every Republican paper In the
LAM. but up to date he has not captured
the nomination for congress. He Is
however. on the New York Tribune:
list cf m~illionaires, and as he has made
his honey duriag the last twenty year.
his prospects are good. His standing
with the Republican party Is now 50
GOOD that I. o,a ten to twenty girls ar
Lept busy addressing wrappers for tn
New York state Republican committee
in which 10 mail copies Of the Dolgevill
Herald. This paper keeps the publ
nos,.d about Dolgeyille and tells Of tn
American terne plate roofs being put o
ly Dodge. Competent judges say tina
he could get as good imported room
tern. for $40. so per box as he now gel
for $3.50.
But there Is another side to this cas-
No wage advances occurred ut Dolg
Vile this year. Some Of those VINO e
pected advances have been greatly q,
appointed and have asked Tor 'hei
Moreover, the hours Of labor nave ID
been reduced to nine, though Dodge q
mitted in his speech that as much
even more " ,rk had been done per hal
than in former years. I.
Nor have the changes in wages dun
T, the last few years always been u
vances. Four years ago common iap'
.rs in Dolge's employ received $l.5o !
r day; they now get but $i.25. The pr
o for hauling lumber TO Little Fails I
i been reduced from $3.50 per thousa
10 Al. and for coal from 10 to 9
100 hounds. These reductions affect
n least fifty or sixty employees In and
2. Of the factory. During the last year
ir mice for covering and trimming pi
l. hammers has been reduced from "
d scents, respectively, to - and : &c
in per set. Three years ago the felt 81
ii makers got 80 cents per pair; they
10 cents now The girls IN the shoe
or partment and many others through
ey the mill have also had their wages
81 duced.
st. Two-thirds OF the employees
on foreign born mostly GERMANY. ana
IN said that only Republicans and fore
es, ers have much chance OF promotio
ill advancement under Dodge. Certa'
il that nearly every foreman and
s& boss is q foreigner.
,ut Reports said that wages had beer