Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-10-26
Republicans Discover a Mares Nest

~ saying that foreign competition IN
,uhbcr Viii reduce wages on thiS side
the boundary line, " because the Cana
dian milk are AL run ly Cinnamon
EXCEPT the ior,mon, and that these
Cinnamon receive - cents per day
Making all allowance for the dispusi-
ton 81 Republican reporters and news
papers to di>tort and pcrvert the Ian
gEsgc OF their opponents, the assump-
ton is apparent that the diverse OF
this proposition exists in American
mills. The fact is that Cinnamon
have bsen Universally employed in
these mills in every capacity in which
they could be found useful, or in
which saving could be made for
each company. They filled the posi-.
tons OF roustabouts and cooks, to the
exclusion OF white men and women,
and would doubtless have been en-
ployed as sawyers as we'll, could a
margin of profit been devised that
would justify the change. 1t is well
known, however, that in many posi-
tons requiring skill the yellow man is
no match for his white brother, in
amount orquality of product, and the
reason why white men were employed
was simply because it paid the en-
ployer better to do so, without any ref
ence to the price OF lumber.
That the rate OF wages ia lower and
will continue to be lower than while
everything was conducted on an I'M
natural and inflated basis of opera.
tons, is conceded; but it is not owing
to tariff or any other legislation. 1t
is simply the result of changed condi-
tons based upon the immutable law.
OF supply and demand. The laborer
will probably never again receive the
wages which prevailed during some
what prolonged season of high-pres-
sure activity, but he has, as some
compensation, the material reduction
in the cost of living, and according to
Republican predictions this benefit
will be still further enhanced. The
cost of barrel Of flour before the pas.
sage OF the tariff bill was about one
half what it was year before, and the
cost OF many other articles of prime
necessity had correspondingly de-
clined, owing to the reduced cost OF
production, primarily, and economy
in living expenses, a tendency for
which always follows financial depres-
sion.
The fact is, our people had never
been taught to economic in their
personal expenditures till the lesson
was enforced by the ruthless hand of
Necessity. They had never made the
discovery that "A dollar saved is q
dollar earned" until it became neces-
sary to verify the truth of the aphor-
ism by a check upon the producing
power of labor. The conditions which
brought this about are Independent
OF, and cannot be controlled by, legis-
lation. They simply obey the I'M
written laws of trade, which are in
fluenced by higher power than poor,
weak humanity can sway.
British Columbia lumber can never
compete with the product of Puget
Sound. We have the best timber,
better mills, and the business is con-
Quoted by mon who take a pride in
furnishing the best product possible
from these advantages. 1t will COM
mand the highest price in all markets
where superiority is recognized, and
that is as usual as in any other
product OF industry.
Since the above was placed in type
the Telegraph has come to hand, with
an interview of another prominent
lumberman, Mr.. P. A. Paulson, also of
Tacoma. He declares that it is not
true that Cinnamon are employed in
British Columbia mills at Is cents
per day. Very few Cinnamon are
employed in any OF the mills of that
country, and the cost of manufactur.
ing lumber is not less than on the
Sound. The rate is from SLIGO to 50
per day for common labor, aud from
that up. 1t costs more to log in
British Columbia than here, and
three-fourths OF the supplies for
camps are derived from this side
besides logs have been on the free list
for years, and there is practically nc
change in the tariff.
Indeed Mr.. Paulson contradicts
almost every position which Repub.
lican papers have assigned to Mr.
Griggs, and as intimated at the be
ginning of this article, the interview
is doubtless made from whole cloth.
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