New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-02

statesmen he sounds-"the frau sa am tp
And YET throughout the Iengh ana brosh face to
ys ast h ned nd1putabe to give
the lie to the soundest ana mo-. e''
copied aXo nnv OF do sold ndisputable facts seem
70 1--WE the lie the soundest ana mos u,t ,bsy IA
,,C.soo,,,,oJ xoms OF political economy, Dui HeY w
r it, and 50 does the whole hstory oil M, MOST conn mn
iry If what he calls the soundes, avn axIoms A. all
,bis c3yuntrv ought to have been permanently lor
thirty wears in the situation wh.h ~ Srsa,rade
tomuorarv after eleven months OF tnis G az
nr"htmarr We ought have been hattns III , 49,
branch of manufacture; we ouspt ~ we we're vast
ng both capital and labor in unproiape, ein Pm
men our workmen pennen up -, III t he markets OF
th world omsnt to be impoverished beyond az fn
experience Of history Instead oil ,a1 of the
gentleman from Naw-York, Mr.. cochran WIN he
approval of the distinguished secr sro,n Demo
cr3iis Bureau Of Statistics shows that since 1860
9r If yon Say and you would be right in 50 say
ns. that wages should b, measured by Wna' Tx TX
s ~'rr reoort shows that measured by prices OF
things bought. wages have risen, real waseS - per
cent by which mean 70 say mat e werg nave ave- how
one dollar and sixty eight cents ana SIX n, h n
nil in consumable wealth During the same period
the hours of labor by average IN all the occupations ,
count that and reckon the mans hour saved TO be
worth %pc to MIN as e u'F Tar TO De fa 10 81 PER-
cent and you find the wage-earrer to-day, after
1850 he had but single dollar. The history Of the
world shows nothing like IT,
The Aldrich report declares that there rXsts no
thorough digest OF facts relating To- IsuroPeia an
wages but If you will show me any hsures OF IN
scribsl in frceDrade England you win discover
what my search has not been able to mo. od.
falling. with lessenlng hours of labor. what more
10 You want excep: more Of the same sort?
THE QUESTION OF WAGES.
The truth IS that this very question Of rising
wages IS what makes good many men Tree
traders People with fixed incomes think that any
thing which raises wages is inlmical 10 them
Manufacturers who have foreign markets are natn-
rally anxious to have wages the foreign staha-
ard and when a great cocoa manulactur'T ~ pnio
ton and a great agrcultural-too maker IN f1 MA
delphia proclaim themselves on the sde Oh IL. rig
trade. find in both cases iarse dO',s, ,,as for
confess TO you that this question OF Wasrs a is
TO M tho vital question. To insure onr XII, b,ya
civilization and wealth. We must not ohly nay. I
wages az high as they are now but constantly am
steadily increasing This desire OF ine io' origin
stantly Increasing wages does not hay@ ~ ho,
love for the individual but IN ioye OF uns p
Nation. in that enlightened selilshness VIII Nv
uuires the great truth that your fate ana nlc MI
Speaker. and the fate OF your ,a,o of al Others
,baf whatever contributes to their progress gives
to us all - n1 s ind fu word @ canbae as Adequate
- describe the Influence Of wages on human prog
fIemdn da upon wages and the consequent dlsri.
button Of consumable wealth are bas, 49,, an gu. u.
,'p cllzaton Tho progress Of this Nation IS de-
pendent unon the proGrress o, All IN ms ,be cylizS
tlon of Rome. a civilization OF ncbes anu aye
but civilization which tends to destroy ! a1d
There are some men IN this world and in this
XatIon who do not like that When talk about
wlgcs use the word in its broadcast sense as the
pric" and value ot and II coninno9s
hencyolcnco or Of charity: or the fantasy Of mind
LONGING for no possible.
RE Increase OF waess which The servcc-seler
ought TO hav". and the only useful increase ne en-
eyer get. viii BE- 10y IL" OPP ration 81 mature, avs
working upon th" opportunlie5 Wnicn lrgiS,arom
come from the outside will never be the glf OF any
employer l. must come from me improv.ment III
hrlckayer to work FOR - cents day? ~ dil T. IN
4 poor ulac" whore he cannot get ten uincS ina
sum. Why does +" hay" - nave tn tlim,,i ~
NOR. live AS did The carpenter - l7g than b" could
i've IN "A cave and hunt snakes for food The diff"r;
~. g - is as much necessity today the p
cents WAS hnnlrel AMI MY years ago. ;, D.,
Ni, ''i H. mus, have whatcy4r his neighbor has
Implies a larger consumption ~ consumable wealth
mn'le hv man and contributes To his ENJOYMENT,
whether It be- loaf ~ bread novel or concert
Tho more a man wants of consufnahe wealth the
more his wages are likely to be But by wants
d. not mean any VIA ionsnT tor %ha, Is psy si
ply which De- has such longing as VIII make nm
SUPPLY AND pEMiND.
VIVA, f. the rule and measure OF wages There
has never been subject on which much in
genuliy has been wasted and where the political
economist has 50 befoggod the world. lie had
fund set apar, In his mind which he called the
wage fund Divide the wage fund by the number
Of rvice-sellers, having due regard 10 difference
Of service. and there II was pain as mathematics
body had ever seen H. 1t was In nobodys book
keeping but 1t was comprehensive answer, ana
ries to-dav dsDosa of IL bv the catchwords sup
ply" and demand" and though the listener had
acquired some words he had acquired very little
In thus speaking silgh,insly Of supply and de-
tween the worker AMI the work has no Influence on
wages What say j. ihat in nj, no sense soly ,
builders and material men AMI the workers met To-.
geher 70 see II. In response TO supply compared
with demand concessions could be made. The
material men were ready 10 yield. hut the work
men whose labor was the oniy perishanie article
demand they ought to have been hustin each other
they are ready to struggle ana to endure priva
tOns rather than give up what have become II
have to submit unless this bill is beaten but there
are limitations beyond which you cannot go. No
nation cam endure In peace any cut which goes into
the quick.
PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS
This question Of wages is all important as bearing
upon the question OF consumption All production
depends upon consumption. Who are the consumers?
In the Old days when the products OF manufactures
We're Injuries the lord and his retaners the lady
and her maids, were the consumers, a class apart
by themselves. but to-day the consumers are tine
producers. Long ago the labOrcr consumed only
what would keep him alive. To-day he and his wife
ard their children SO mmeaSurdbiy the most
valuable customers that II the shop rad give
up the wealthy those whom II * the custom TO
call poor. there would not be a moments hesitation
moments doubt
Unfortunately the gentlemen the other side
have perssteny retained the old idea that the pro-
ducers one class and the consumers another and
hence We hear on all hands such stupidiies OF
speech as those which sum up the workers in each
branch and compare them with the whole people.
one hundred ana nifty thousand workers in woollens
you ask what are they compared with 10000 600
of consumers 200 900 workers In stee-what they
compared with i0WOWO OF consumers; 300 40 workers
in cOtton-what are they compared with 7O0,OO0J Of
consumers? And on ali through the long list,
forgetting that all these people added together make
tn" whole 100000 themselves.
1t so happens that America is flied with work
There Idle people. but they are fewer here
lhan elsewhere. except now. when living UNI
der the shadow OF me Wilson bill. II those workers