The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-12-22
Capital Percentage
Labor's Percentage

From the corrected columns we see that in
the fairly well returned industries the laborer's
share has fallen flom 50 per cent. in 1850 to 10
per cent. in 1850. and to 43 per cent. in 1880: and
that the capitalists have taken and added TO
their share the one-ffth which labor has lost.
In other words. the laborer is now getting but
| four-ffths as much as formerly, while the cap
italist is getting six-ffths.
The second part of the question is, Does
labor receive more Of the necessarieS and OF
the comforts of life than formerly
according to the ninth investigation into
farm wages made by Mr.. J. r. Dodge, as
statistician OF the department Of agriculture,
the average monthly for farm labor was Si1.d
in lses. IS Mr.. Dodge's estimate for 1861 was
s11.63, the increase during the thirty-one years
was just about 8 per cent.
Again. the census Of 1850 put the average
yearly wages paid in manufacturing establish
ments located in places Of less than 10000 in
habitants of S2S per hand. The census Of 1850
was worked up on methods which resulted in
about the same percentage OF error as that Of
1850. 1t placed the average at 1901, in towns
which had less than 10000 inhabitants. This
was an increase of only 2 per cent. for the twen-
ty years
In marked contrast to these modest increases
are the statements in the tables OF manufacture
ing statistics. found on page lO9 OF the Abstract
of the Eleventh Census. This table is entitled
Comparative Summary OF Totals for the
United States. with Percentage Of Increase,
1880 and 1890"
1t places the increase in the average number
of hands at 65.0 per cent. and the increase in
the amount OF wages at f3l-l7 per cent. The
very fact that the percentages in this table,
entitled Comparative Summary" are figured
out to the one-hundredth part Of I per cent. is
proof to the reader that the writer considered
the figures accurate and comparable. These
percentages Of increase indicate an average in
crease in wages per hand of 391s per cent.
This is an incredible increase for one decade.
Hence let us examine the parts which go to
rnnEn ny tho fnfnl obtained from mn ruQnpfaa-
turing censuses. and We will discover increases
which prove the reduetio absurdum. For in
stance, the breweries with a product of s1sa,-
f3l ,62 are accredited on page 120 with an in
crease OF 20 per cent. in average wages per
man. The establishments producing mems
clothing in New York city. which turn out an
with an increase OF Ill per cent. In other
words, the average wages Of the hands en-
ployed is said to have increased from 1894 in
In the boot and shoe factories Of Richmond
Va. which turned out an annual product rum
ming into the millions. the average wages are
reported to have increased from &4 per year in
1850 to s67i in 1890, or an increase of 81 per
cent. in a decade. BY the way, the largest Of
these factories is accredited with raising its
months. or iOc per day. in 1850, to over 500. OF
e. per day, in 1880. Is 1t possible that any es-
Establishment in the United States. which in
e per day for the same grade OF work, and the
same amount Of efficiency!
So much for single industries. turning out
from a few to 500, co., 900 worth of product per
Rnnum. Let US combine the industries which
show these enormou increases. Taking all
The establishments in the states south OF Penn
Kentucky and Iowa. and those wages
the Missouri and Red River OF the North.ex
ccpting California, and adding selected indus
tries which were accredited with large in
from the other nineteen states, we
-. ~ ct.hlietrnopt t,-u;.- ..
of ss.0oo.00.c0O worth per annum,
whose average wages in 1850 was
t2Sl, and in 1850 S491, or an increase Of 15 per
cent. in ten years. Everybody knows that
there has been no such increase in wages
the great south country and the
broad west. This great increase is due chiefly
to the fact that the census Of manufactures for
was worked up on an entirely different
basis from that OF 1890. In the former census
the officers and firm members were reckoned
among the number OF hands employed. but.
were not accredited any wages, except In ex-
ceedingly few cases.
In 1880 the hundreds of thousands of officers.
firm members and statesmen were each accred-
tied with large salaries, aggregating upwards.
Of 50 100000. Some salaries were equal to.
that paid the president OF the United States.
the other hand, in the census Of 1880 the
figures purporting to represent the average,
number Of hands were for about half the estab-
lisinent Identical with the greatest number
Of hands employed during the year." In
he other half they represent for each estab-
Iishment the average number employed dur
the few months when the establishment
was running q fell force As q result there
we're almost always more than the
average. and often several times the average
IS figured out by the methods employed 10.
compiling the census Of 1880. Hence COM
.rerisons involving the number Of hands em--
> verv Aocafvfn0 asnc~fatI.
enormous salaries Of fSeoare ~includeded.