Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1894-02-17

--.S-s Is inrm1cal % cnenh. saanuracrurers |
who have foreign markets are naturally
anxious 70 have wages on the foreign stand |
ard. and when a great COCOA manufactured
In Boston and a great agricultural tool
maker in Philadelphia proclaim themselves
on the side OF free trade we find In both
cases a large foreign trade and along with
IL a desire for foreign wages for their work
ingmen.
confess to you that this question Of
wages is TO me the vial question To In
sure our growth in civilization and wealth
we must not only have wages cas- high as
they arc now, but constantly aud steadily
increasing This desire Of mine for con-
stantly increasing wages does not have its
origin in love for the individual. but in love
for the whole nation in that enlightened
selfshness which recognizes the great truth
that youi fate and mine, Mr.. Speaker. aud
the fate OF your descendants aud mine are
50 wrapped up in the fate of all others that
whatever contributes TO their progress gives
to as all a nobler future and higher hope.
Wages the Great Question.
The increase OF wages which the service
seller ought to have and the only useful in
crease he can ever get will be by the opera
tion Of natural laws working upon the op-
portunitiss which legislation may aid in
furnishing. The increase will never come
from the outside, will never be the gift Of
any employer. Can you get a carpenter OF
bricklayer to work for 25 cents dayi He
did 1t in England in 1725. Today In the
United States it is a poor place where he
cannot get 10 times that sum. Why does
he have to have 10 times as muchf Be
cause the carpenter Of today could no more
live as did the carpenter of IT'S than he
l. 49,. -
food. The difference In wages means the
difference in living. and the q. so is as much
q necessity today rs the IS cents was $50
years ago
This question of wages Is all important as
bearing upon the question OF consumption.
All production depends upon consumption.
Who are the consumersf In the old days,
when the products of manufactures were
Injuries. the lord and his retainers, the
lady and her maids were the consumer, a
class apart by themselves, but today the
consumers are the producers. Long ago the
laborer consumed only what would keep
him alive. Today he and hts wife and their
children are so UNNECESSARILY the most val
liable customers that IL the shop had to give
mp the wealthy or those whom IL is the Gus
| tom to call poor there would not be mo
ment's hesitation or q moments doubt.
| Unfortunately the gentlemen on the other
| side have persistently retained the old idea
| that the producers are one class and the
consumers are another, and hence we hear
\ on all hands such stupidities of speech q,
| those which sum up the workers In each
branch and compare them with the whole
| people. One hundred and fifty thousand
| workers In woolens-you ask what are they
compared with 100000 consumers; 200.
| 600 workers in steel, what are they com
1 pared with T0.000,0O0 consumers; 200, O0(
workers In cotton. what are they compared
| with 20, 000, 900 consumers. and so on al
through the long list, forgetting that al
these people added together make the Who'll,
10000, 900 themselves
It so happens that America is filled will
workers. There are idle people, but thel
are fewer here than elsewhere, except now
when we are living under the shadow of TIT
Wilson bill. II those workers are all get
ting good wages, they are themselves TIT
market, and il the wages are increasing th,
market is also increasing. The fact that II
this country all the workers have been get
ting better wages than elsewhere is tn
very reason why our market is the best IL
the world and why sll the nations of tn
| world are trying to break into it. We d.
| not appreciate the nature OF our marke
ourselves.
EnEiishnan, S1g American, SLIGO.
have given you already the glowing tes
timony of Englishmen who have seen u
with their own eyes-"Amazing prosper
ty," Greatest market In the world, !" Par
adise OF the workingman." These ar
strong words, but let us see If cold maths
. matics do not put to shame the fervor @
adjectives.
We are nominally 20, 100000 people. Tha
. Is what we are in mere numbers But as
-. l..1,r
we are potentially 2o0, Oo0, 600 as compare
! with the next best nation on the glcb'
Nor is this difficult 20 prove Wheneve
Ell Englishman earns 81 az American earn
: S1.6Q
/ speak within bounds. Both can get th
food that keeps body and soul together an
l ! the shelter which the body must have Il
co cents Take co cents from 81, and 70
have 40 cents left. Take that same 90 cent
from the 81. 60, and you have 81 left, just 2,
times as much. That surplus can be sper
: in choice foods. In house furnishings,
: fine clothes and all the comforts of life
: word, in the products of our manufa
lures. That makes our population as col
sumers Of products as compared with I'll
English population. 20O, 100000 Their POP
J, ulation Is S7,000.o 900 as consumers of prod
: ucts which one century ago were pure luz
!, uries, while our population is equivalent 3
y 200 ,0Oo, 600.
: If this is our comparison with England
: what is the comparison with the rest of tn
: world. whose markets our committee AT
so eager to have in exchange for our own
: Mulhall gives certain statistics which wi
: serve to make the comparison clear. o
page S65 of his Dictionary Of Statistics
= says the total yearly products of the mani
!. features OF the world are "a. 474 O0o. 900.
y which the United States produces 81 AS
900, 900.
America Produces y Third
do not vouch nor can anybody vous
b for these figures. butsrhe proportion of on
1f third to twothirds nobody can fairly di
"a pute. We produce one-third, and the re
" of the world, England included. two-third
ot The population OF the world is $500. 00t
10 900, Of which we have 100000 while
s. leaves ,43o, 900. 900 for the rest Of nankin
e, We use all our manufactures OF the equi
10 alent OF them. Hence we are equal TO on
" half the whole globe outside of ourselvt
+ England included, and compared as ms
ket with the rest OF the world our popul
to ton is equal to 715,OO0.OO0.
ID repeat. as compared with England h,
self as a market. our people are equivsle
ar to 200, 100000. AS compared with the II
ch of tho world, England included, we 3
- equal as q market to 715, 900.
OF But all these questions Of wages are
an be met. says the gentleman from New 70
On CMr. Cockran), by our superior civilizatic
1n and he accuses me of "confessing that civi
IT. cation at the highest level Is incapable
a meeting the competition of civilization
X its lowest level"
y. Now, ~ is = e NJ truth that civilizati
cfsrIl horf ,ur