New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-17
DOUNW1RD TENDENCIES.

Th. window glass workers. consent 10 r"'l'l'-
lion 81 22I, per cent in fh'ir wages In order I"
prevent the closing II the works 10y foreign com
,..t,l,n urJ.r rh, new duties Most Of these are
skilled workers and get good wages. :" mat
reduction does not mean 70 them. H. ii does To-
=, many others an approach To- starvation. Eut
If /. nom. the les. resented 10y them ~ TIA" direct
.u.c, of 4 Democratic tariff. enacted without Il
.h,,Io, of decent excuse except that. ~ Il time
when all industries were more prosperous than
ever. the people had been foolish enough I" vote
f,r , change This j. one Of The changes ih"y
ar" getting.
The day this reduction WAS agreed 10, whole
sale prices Of all commodities were } per CEN
lower than Two years ago. ~ III" time 81 uhpf''-
,lclli,L prosperity. Manufactured products h'd
declined more aud some Of III" great farm S'1'
plr>. and 1t * presumed that retail prices g"her-
ally had yielded a little more than Wh"h>ii''
Though always slow 10 follow In any DOWNWARD
movement But II is certain that. with rents rep
rescuting IL per cent Of The cost "f living ANA
food ~ per cent, the scarcity ~ corn ana pros
urc;ly,. DEAFNESS Of meats and some other prod
nets making food dclrcr III" cost Of living II
NOT 10 Der cent lower than II was In lNF2.
though wages arr. 10 be- ~. per cent lower. This
new tariff therefore, takes from this class or
workers. beyond all that they may gain by re-
ducrI cost Of living ~ least an eighth of their
earnings A great many workers have already
suffered more. especially In iron and woolcn
manufacturers and with many the loss Of wages
has been 10 per cent. Bui for the moment the
loss of The glass workers may b" taken IA IN
approximatc measure Of the general reduction.
The loss 10 workers comes ont Of any surplus
III huy he q
sby men Of this class were able 10 save 10 per
cent Of their earnings but spent another 10 per
cent In education. churches. associations pleas
urr and luxurcs not strictly included in the bar"
cost Of living Then out of 500 earned. their
cost Of living was $50, In, has now been re-
duccd less than 10 per cent. certainly exceeding
81 They would have SIS left M the outside
with old wages. but the new tariff cuts of So ~
~ that S2S. In order 10 save anything for pro-
lection against sickness or old age. they must
give ND education Of children. associations
churches and practically all rccrcatlons ana uxu
rics outside the bare cost of living.
OF course 1t comes 10 this, that the workers
who are careful and thrifty will change their
mode Of living They will seek less comfortable
houses and rents will go down. They will buy
cheaper qualities Of goods and cconomize In food
the sales OF merchants VIII anu
prices of products of all other labor will tend
downward because Of the reduced demand one
way or another the 22i4 per cent is taken from
what the men hav" To spend or else to save and
the savings Of labor are the capital which sup
ports additional industries TO afford employment
for the increased labOring force Of the future If
labor save nothing. Industries cannot be OK
| banded 10 provide work for growing popula-
ton II the workers much as before.
the 500 formerly spent out Of every 500 earned
must be reduced to 500 20. and In like proper
| ton business and the stimulus for all other in
| dustrcs must be reduced.
| This Is Democratic prospcrity-a general seal
| Ing downward In order To let foreigners have
| larger command Of our markets. and In that
| downward movement the wnge-earncr gets the
| worst of 1t all the time For II the well-paid
| glass workers have reason to complain. what Is
| to be said Of the great multitude whose earnings
were but little more than enough 10 support life
| in deceucy, and who have now to give up 20 TO
% per cent Of their poor earnings also In order