Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-05-11
No More Old Wages.


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armies" in various parts of the
country will not work under any cir
cumstances. This is true of some OF
them. Many are tramps, pure and
simple, the familiar vagabonds OF the
Roadside, aggregated into an army.
Many more are men who have worked
at employment of their own choice,
and at wages exacted by their unions,
and will not take less agreeable work
and lower wages. There are many idle
men of this class not yet aggregated
into "armies," but whose complaints
that there is no work in the country
swell the general chorus of discomfort.
1t is matter OF common knowledge
that many men have left steady work
at living wages to join the " industrial
armies" here and on the Sound. 1t is
notorious that men in the "armies"
have refused contemptuously offers Of
work at moderate wages. The army
now camped at Puyallup drained the
hop yards in the valley of laborers and
compelled the employment of Japanese.
The Fry contingent was driven out of
st. Louis by the offer of work at $1.50
per day. The history of the march of
all the armies is full of less conspicuous
instances like this. The principle on
which these men act was clearly stated
by some members of the Puyallup
"army," who had left employment to
join it. These said, in effect, that they
could get no more than q bare living
by working; that the "army" offered
them food and lodging without work
and they preferred it. That is, they
would not work unless they could get
wages enough to command certain
luxuries and enjoyments to which
they had been accustomed, in addition
to the necessaries of life. If they can
get no more than a bare living for
work, they will try to get living with
out work.
The general existence of this spirit
among workingmen is ominous, be-
cause nothing 10 more certain than
that men must work for many years
to come in this country for much lower
wages than have been paid for many
years past. 1t is even doubtful whether
these high wages ever will be paid
again. Men who must have old wages
or nothing will get no work, because
business and industry simply cannot
gain returns out Of which old wages
can be paid with loss and ultimate ruin.
Whether they are paid or not, the re-
suit is the same, because all wages
would stop with ruin of employers.
Men who demand old wages or none
will get none. now or in the end, and
they cannot go on indefinitely living
upon those who are willing to work
for the revised scale of wages and
profits enforced by new conditions.
The country soon will grow tired Of
feeding armies.
They who reflect can understand
readily why the scale of wages, of pro-
fits of industry, of returns of business,
Of interest upon investments, must fall
permanently much below what it has
been for ten years past. We haye
been living here for more years than
that under unnatural conditions. We
have anticipated the growth of half
century in city buildings, railroad
building, street-car lines, water works,
bridges, and all the things that go to
make up the social plant. We have
done enough of this work in ten years
to last US fifty. Now the work must
stop until population and industry
grow up to and beyond it.
Most of this work was done on credit
aud in feverish haste. High interest
was paid for money and high wages for
labor to do it. This was necessary, as
both had to be tempted out here from
the East. 1t is probable that more
than $780, 0,OOO, 900 of Eastern money
has been spent in the last ten years
upon enterprises that, on the whole,
earn little more than the bonds or
mortgages they bear. Large parts Of
this money was divided among work.
men in high wages, which they spent
freely, making trade active and times
good. Now all this has stopped. No
more money can be borrowed in the
East, and interest on that now here
absorbs all profit of business. Men
cannot be hired at any wages to con-
struct railroads or street-csr lines, to
build houses or bridges, to lay sewers or
pave streets. We have enough of these
things to last q generation, without ad.
ditions. Men can be employed to
carry on enterprises already created
only in diminished number and at
reduced wages. No large sums can be
paid out for labor, to fructify trade and
make times good. Instead OF money
flowing into the country for invest.
ment, money! is flowing out for interest
and reduction Of principal, wiping out
profits of business and reduction OF
even the normal wage fund of the coun-
try.
Only one conclusion is possible.
Profits have come down or disappeared.
industrial enterprises no longer make
money and must struggle to avoid loss.
There are no returns for investment OF
money. Wages must come down with
the rest. Many wages hsve disap-
peared entirely. No more money is
paid out for building railroads, street.
car lines, bridges, Office buildings or
residences. All men thus employed
must find other work for other years
to come. Crowding other employ