The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-10-04
THE EFFECT ON WAC s.
How the Tariff Reduction Win 4 Hect the
 Workingman's Pay.

Many of the newspapers contain re-
 ports of interviews with business men
 in regard to the effect of the new tariff
 law on the labor market. They unan-
 imously agree that the price of labor
 in the United States must be reduced,
 in some departments more, in others
 less, but in all enough to enable the
 domestic manufacturer to meet the
 greater competition from Europe that
 ensues from lowering the import du-
 ties The democrat testifies to this
 as well as the republican. The change
 in the tariff has been political meas
 ure, but there is no party in the re-
 sulting depression of prices for the
 finished product, and therefore for the
 elements of cost, labor being the prin
 cipal one.
 In November, 1892, the worlSingmen
 voted as they believed, and believed as
 they had been taught by the profes. sional labor agitators. They were
 told that the wages of labor had lit-
 tie to do with determining the selling prices of the articles that are pro- duced by it, that the capitalist" got
 a great deal more than his share, that a lower tariff would force theodomes-
 tic manufacturer and merchant to sell at lower prices, but that this would make no difference to the wage work CTS. At least those of them who were members of trades unions were not to be affected, as they would be able to dictate terms to their employers and successfully resist any demand for a reduction. They expected to have goods offered them more cheaply than before the change in the tariff went into effect, but foolishly supposed that the difference would come out of the pocket of the employer 'ar the cap. italist who furnished ths money with which to buy material ard pay the wages of labor.
 Now the workers are finding out that they made pitiful mistake. Most of them still may entertain the idea that the employers could pay the old wages if they would, but have con vincing proof that the employers will not pay the old wages and cannot be forced to pay them If the workers will not accept the truth they have to face the fact. There is no getting around that, and the sooner they are | willing to look at the matter in its true light the better it will be for them. The surveying of the situation for themselves and repudiation of the labor agitators who have misled them | to their own undoing would not imme- diately restore prosperous times and | bring back the rate of wages which | was the rule with them two years ago. But it would enable them to bear more philosophically the evils now suffered, to understand they cannot be without removing the cause and to resolve to remove that cause at the earliest opportunity afforded them at the polls. In order to remove lost ground they must vote out the demo- crats, who are not content with the mischief already wrought, but are the country with another lose of the same poison which has af- flicted the toilers with nausea during many months past and now is about to operate more severely in the system. If they would not be far worse off shan now they must rebuke democratic policies next November and follow it lp two years later with an overwhelm- ng repudiation. Chicago Tribune.
 GSS The long train of disaster which !