The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-08
TeIephone No. GO.
wHDRB WAGES WE'RE ADVANCED

At last a genuine, undeniab.e and i'm
portant advance in wages has been an
nounced. 1t is an advance of from 10
per cent to 22h per cent over the for
mer rates, and its benefits are enjoyed
by very large number of workmen.
moreover, there is explicit testimony
the first OF the kind o nrecord-that this
increase was due directly to the enact
ment of the German Wilson tariff. Hav-
ing said this much, 1t is, OF course,
scarcely necessary to add that the in
crease has taken place on the other side
Of the ocean, and that foreign and not
American workmen are its beneficlaries,
These benefciaries, to come down to
details are the employees of the great
tin plate trust Of South Wales and Mon
mouthshire, in whose interest the late
Democratic congress reduced the protec-
tion on tin plate from 2h cents per pound
to rs cents, and thereby afforded a
most unexpected and most undesirable
answer to the vexed question, "Who pays
the duty?" These Welsh monopolsts had
good reason to believe that they had
been paying It themselves, and seeing
their Amerisan markets steadily drift
away from them into the bargain with
the steady multiplication of competing
American factories they very natur-
ady set out, therefore, to pocket all of
that cent pound bonus which the Cleve-
lands and the Wilson's and the Germans
and the Breckinridges had kindly con-
ferred upon them, but unfortunately their
presumptious employees would not have
it. The worlcmen informed the exultant
Welsh mill bosses that there would be a
strike IL they did not divide the swag.
They demanded an increase In wages. a
restoration to- the old figures of 1874, and
as the Welsh manufacturers are prudent
men, who believe in making hay while the
sun shines, and tin plate while the duties
are low, they got 1t.
Significantly enough, at just the same
time, there was a change In wages in the
tin plate industry on this side of the
ocean, but It was in the other direction.
1t was downward. The 40 American tin
plate mills which had grown up under
the increased Mckinley duty found them
selves, In critical position when the vim
dictlve free trade politicians took almost
han Of their protection away from them.
Their managers saw that they mus;
either reduce the labor cost Of their pro-
ducts or shut down their machinery ana
quit the business. They called their work
men together and explained the situation
TO them. The workmen, like sens .ble
men, saw that 1t was question OF
lower wages or no wages. and accepted a
reduction OF from 10 to 20 per cent.
Thus 1t happened that while wages
were going up in Wa,es they were going
down In America. Mr. Cleve.and's con-
sui at cardlff has stated the facts in the
case, but he has dlscreetly refraned from
Offering any explanation, Nor indeed.
Is any explanation necessary. The facts
speak for themselves. The passage OF
the Gorman-Wilson tarff was the sole
cause OF the phenomenon, 1t increased
wages In Europe and reduced wages in
America, precisely as the Republicans
said 1t would. just as It had done In scores
OF other countries. and Just as suea legis-
.atlon win do every time the American
people permit lot OF incompetent or
malignant law makers to get into power
In washington,