The Washington times., 1894-05-13
FOR TEE LARoRER.

1t is idle for poor man to cherish ill-will
toward his neighbor who is well-to-do. Both
obey the same law Of their natures, to get the
best return for their endeavors possible.
1t is the fear OF want rather than the love
Of money that makes men so eager to accu-
mulate riches. 1t is not possible, nor even
desirable, to wipe out this fear. 1t is the
handspring Of all prosperity. A thoroughly
contented man, be he rich or poor. is thor
oughly useless one.
We need social and industrial laws which
will open the fullest opportun ity to all alike.
No one should be permitted to accumulate
the earnings of another.
Among legislators of to-day property rights
seem to be the first consideration and human
rights take second place. No change can be
expected from those who profit by the present
inequalities, but it must come in spite OF
them.
Any law which returns the wealth created
by labor, whether it be by hand labor or head
labor into the pockets OF its makers is to be
commended.
The American ideal is that the many shall
govern. not the few. We are still far from
that ideal, but so long as the spirit of equality
is not stiied by want and suffering we will be
on the march forward.
The signs of the times are that we are be-
ginning an era in which industry will be re-
warded and labor ennobled as never before
DOLLAR AND A HALF IS NOT TOO MUCH.
A ''bill 10 provide work for unemployed
persons in the District OF Columbia" that
was presented by Senator PETER and referred
to tine District Commissioners, has been re-
turned by them with amendments. The
Senator's bill proposed TO make work by
opening new highways, improving existing
ones, the construction Of bridges. etc., and it
provided for the employment of persons
within the District who had no other present
employment at a dollar and a half day OF
eight hours"
The Commissioners do not altogether op-
pose Senator Peffers measure. but they offer
several amendments. As to the most of these
we are unable to speak, because the bill is not
at hand, and We remember only its scope, bnt
one OF them proposes TO reduce the sum ap-
pFODFldteu 10 S1OU.Oto. anu uEOtNeE 10 Iii tuc
clause in relation to wages and hours.
The fixing of the wages and hours at s1.50
fo- eight hours. say the Commissioners. will,
if enacted into law, ''result in great hardship
to all employers of labor in Washington"
Why? Because all the labor that is now re-
ceiving 81 day contentedly and perhaps
working ten hours Tor it will seek employ
ment under the District at the higher wages
and the shorter hours. As result wages viii
rise among laborers.
Where this will ''result in great hardship TO
employers" We are unable to see; but then we
are not Commissioner. and therefore not co.
dowcd with the gilt OF seeing into the future
Employers, as we understand it, pay the
least wages that laborers will consent to re-
ceive. ii the general day wages for labor is
a dollar and a hall. the only hardship the
employers can possibly "suffer" will be to ad-
vance the cost Of the things that he with his
iaborers makes.
There is great deal of humbug about the
assertion that high wages will work handl
cap to any one. There is no such thing as
high wages. As q rule wages are fixed by the
law of supply and demand. II idle men are
plenty, wages are low and times hard; if there
are no idle men, wages and times are good.
There be economists and thinkers who say
that the prosperity OF a country depends upon
the cheapness OF labor. The facts are against
it. The lowest wages in the world are paid
in China and India. In these countries the
working people are reduced to the lowest
depths OF degradation. In the parts of Eu-
rope where the lowest Wages prevail there
we fndI the lowest grade of humanity. The
European countries Of higher wages contain
within their borders the higher civilization.
This country, which to within few years
paid to its work people the best average wages
paid anywhere in the world, has long been in
the lead in the advancement OF invention, the
arts, and the sciences. If we are going back,
it is because OF the chain Of circumstances
which is reducing wages and filling the coun-
try with idle people.
Let us see what the effect would be OF rals-
ing the wages Of laborers from 81 day and
ten hours to S1.50 day and eight hours. In
the first place-for a while-laborers would
have so cents day each to spend or save. As
a rule they would spend it. Then 1000
laborers would throw into the channels OF
trade among our clothiers, butchers. bakers,
and grocers- $500 day, which sum, prepar-