New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-19
WAGES AND PROSPERITY

I, + ,h. ,nos, striking fac, about the recovery
IN business, thus fIr tina; II has been lcu ana -
large extent caused by recovery 81 wages
Ordinarily. according To common understand
ing II IL Just the other way: rising wages come
as a consequence Of business expansion bnl
m. prosiration Of 1898 and lNt had :" greatly
reduced the amount paid for labor. which con
siliuics the purchasing power 81 the millions
that substantial recovery in business ana III me
various industries could not he expected uh'u
the pcopl, We're enabled by larger earnings I"
cxpcnd more freely. So the first clear sign "r
recovery was the advanc" In wages M many
cstah shmcnis. notably ~ the coke works ana
M many cotton mills Shortly many IRON works
followed and this general Improvement con
Times. owing 10 difficulties caused hy the new
tarir IL Is retarded In II measure Ia the ilhplA'r
works. pOtt,rics and glass works. anu some
minor manufactures. ana especially III most
branches of The woollcn manufacture. Many
workers I'm these suffer because of the discrim-
mating unwlstom If those who framed The tariff
~ "p,rtidy and di>honor" But il is gratifying
10 know that in most departments of Labor The
urocrcSs toward restoration Of wages paid III
better times Is reasonably rapid.
According to The census of 1880. the persons
over ten years ~ age having galnlul "ccupa-
lions numbered -, 1861. and the average paid
- i71ISl2 employed in manufacturing AMI
mechanical industries WAS Sis5 yearly. Wages
Of about S,OOODO persons employed In agrl-
culture and fisheries averaged SOMEWHAT less
where steady employment was given throughout
IN, wear but Including harvest work probably
ns much ~ $500 per year. while most of The rail-
r,,d hnuds received considerably more than
hnnds in manufacturing The army OF clerks and
other, n mercantile, banking aud Insurance bust
u,ss certainly AVERAGED more than $500 yearly
and the .5OO,OOO IN dos,csiic service received
loss Ia nancy. and set a comfortable SIM when
fair allowance ~ Included for their living 'N
pcusrs Altogether the wages "i those employed
IA rnlnfu occupations must have amounted Il"
/ M lcnal SSWuu WlO 600 nnd the disbursement or
This enormous sum for the support of the wage.
,nrncrs nnd those dependent on them constitutes
the controlling part ~ the country's busncs'.
II these people earn mitch they pur'ha" mn'h'
and then the demand for products of all labor
Is rpoL. industries thrive and business Is active.
Ru when wages are suddenly reduced - per
cent. as they were directly az Indirectly for Il
large proportion of workers In iS!'3 and 1894.
either In rates paid per day or per hour or IN the
number Of days or hours work obtained, the
Take off "A quarter If the demand for almost any
manufacturing product and prices will fall 81
far rs to close many establishments Take off
"A quarter Of the trade Of almost any store and the
profits are turned into losses. When The busl
ness Of the country has been adjusted to II dis
ribution II Ss,OW.0D.OOO In a year, and the
amount Is reduced To SGOOOOOOOW disasters
such as have been endured become inevitable.
The political philosophers who try to benefit
the people by chcapcnlng the products Of their
labor begin at the wrong end. AMI the people
now know what fatal results they reach. The
first effect Is to cut down the wages Of labor
and so the sum distributed In purchase Of prod
ucis, and consequently the demand for I'LL prod
ucs Of industry and the business OF all mer
chants and transporlcrs The way out Is to i'm
prove the returns Of labor, and thus to enable
the millions TO buy more freely. Happily,
marked recovery in wages from the depression
Of 1893 and 1894 il made possible, by the fac
that In most branches the new tariff does no
expose American workers by any means as mucl
as was anticipated to the direct competition o
, foreign labor. With every step that can b'