The western sentinel., 1895-08-01
MEASUREMENT EXPOSED.
Reductions OF Wages Set i'm Under
the Mckinley Tariff.
Kansas City Times

the Mckinley Tariff.
Kansas City Times.
The New York Tribune insults the
intelligence of it's readers by printing
this plain lnisstatement in recent
issue: 'In October, 1892, the last
month before The Presidential elec-
tion, which turned over the law
making and executive power to the
Democratic party the mills and fur
n8ces of the country were fully
employed and hands were getting
the best wages, on the whole, they
have ever received" As matter of
fact, reductions OF wages set in
within n year after the Mckinley
tariff law went into operation. and
lock-outs and shut downs were com
mon occurrences during the whole of
the year 1892. In the midsummer
of that year, when the Homestead
slaughter occurred, wages had
reached the lowest point in the
history ot the country since the
beginning OF the war, and there were
more Idle mills, factories and men
than at any previous time in the
history Of the country.
In proof Of this, take the industrial
record. The Mckinley law went into
| operation OetGber 6, 1890. On
February /, 1891, the Bethlehem
Iron Co, reduced wages 10 per cent.
| On January, /, 1891, the Carnegie
Steel works reduced wages 8 per
| cent; February u of the same year
4,G0C men were let ont. April
made another reduction of > per
cent August $500 men were dis
charged, and on july /, 1892,
$500 men struck against Il heavy
| reduction aud a bloody riot ensued.
| On January =, 1891, the Illinois
| Steel works, ut Chicago, discharged
| 800 men and reduced the wages of
their other employees August II,
| 1892, the Milwaukee Iron Works,
owned by the same company, re
| duced wages 10 per cent. On Janu-
airy %, 1891, fifteen blast furnaces
in the MahOniug valley, Ohio, and
| ShenangO valley, Pennsylvania,
closed, turning 10000 men out of
employment. June | of the same
| year the wages at the remaining
furnances owned by that company
were reduced 10 per cent, and on
| April 10, 1892, there was another
cut of o per cent. On January 10
and Il and May II the three fur
naces OF Laughlin Il Co., Piutsburg,
were closed. On January II, 1891,
the Pennsylvania Steel works, at
Stullin, Pa, reduced wages 10 per
30, respectively, the cambria Iron
Co., at Johnstown, Pa, reduced
wages 10 per cent, making d total of
|
Allentown, P'I, reduced wages 10
per cent February ,, 1891; the
Illinois Steel Co., ut Joliet, locked
out $500 men Oh March g, 1891,
and, after ii period OF idleness, the
reduction was accepted. On July 2,
1891. another reduction of 10 per
cent was ordered, and the plant shut
down, resulting in "A compromise on
August ,, 1892, on the basis of a
reduction of 23 per cent. On
August II another cut of 10 per
cent was ordered, and carried. The
Edgar Thompson Steel works, at
Pittsburg, closed March 10, 1891,
and reopened at greatly reduced
wages October %, 1891. On April
10, 1892, some Of the workmen were
discharged, and August 6, 1892,
two of the big furnaces shut down.
The Reading Iron Co., at Reading,
Pa, reduced wages 10 per cent April
2, 1891, closed one mill February
%, 1892, made a reduction of 1C
per cent April II, 1892, and closed
two furnaces July Is, 1892.
These represent only single in
dustry, and the very extensive oper-
ations in that line. The Lackawan
ma Iron and Steel Co., Scranton, Pa,
the Lochiel furnaces, Harrisburg,
Pa the Junction Iron and Steel Co.,
MingO Junction, Ohio, and, in fact
every iron and steel works of every
description in the United States
; followed in the course of those
named, and the measure of distress
that prevailed was pitiable. The
same conditions existed in all the
other industries of the country, anG
Industrious and willing workers tC
the number of millions were forced
almost to the point of starvation
1t was on this account, more than
any other, that the Presidential
election "turned over the law max,
ing and executive power to the Dem
ocratic party" aud because the evils
have been corrected an prosperity
restored that party will be retained
: in power indefinitely.