The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-03-22
pAupER1ziNe WAGE WORKERS

PAUPERIZlNG WAGE WORN EMS,
The papers on the silver question pre-
sented in the senate OF the United States
last December by Mr.. Stewart were cr-
dered to be printed, and It appears that
copies are being distributed widely, The
authors OF the papers have tried to show
that great injury has been done to the
trade and manufactures OF England by
adherence to the gold standard in tha,
country while the price OF silver bullion
was falling; that gold wages have not
fallen il England nor silver wages risen
in China or other silver basis countries:
and that unless some International agree
ment I'm regard to silver) is come to at
once the result must be the ruin Of many
British industries and the throwing out
Of employment of many thousands of
British workmen. Evidently Senator
Stewart wished il to be believed that
similar trouble menaces the people OF
the United States unless they adopt what
he absurdly calls "bimetallisn." when
every sensible man knows that 1t would
be silver monometallism.
The argument is that the wages of
workers in the countries which are on
the basis OF silver monomeiallism are no
higher nominally than they would be II
the wages were paid in gold at the rate
OF one grain Of gold for every sixteen
ounces of silver in the silver coin But
as the employers OF labor can buy about
thirty ounces Of silver with one ounce
Of gold the actual cost OF labor in the
silver countries is but little more than
half Of what 1t would be II the gold
standard were the rule there, or the cost
Of labor is nearly twice as much In the
gold standard countries as it would be
II they were on the free silver basis.
This means, II it means anything, that
in order to prevent destructive compe-
tition by the products OF cheap Asiatic
labor the value OF wages paid in the
United States must be reduced one-half
II is proposed TO accomplish this under
the sorry and transparent mask Of a
drop to the free silver basis, after which
the wage earners are TO be paid the
same number Of dollars per week or
month as now. while each Of these dol
lars will have only half the buying power
Of dollar in gold. as Is the case in the
silver standard countries. But why not
drop that thin mask and propose hori-
zontal reduction OF all the wage rolls in
the United States while retaining the
gold standard? That would not be a
jot the worse for the wage Garner. By
the latter arrangement he would get just
as much pay for his daily toll as the
free silverites' scheme would give him.
ths pay" being reckonsd In the quantity
Of food. fuel. clothing and other neces-
saries and comforts of life which have to
be bought by the toiler with his wages
for himself and family. And It would
have advantage for the toIler over the
scheme advocated by Stewart and the
other silver extremists that II would not
diminish the demand for labor by cutting
in two the working power Of the money
capital at the comamnd of the employer
This proposed drop 10 the free silver
basis for the purpose Of cheapening the
wages Of the toiler while nominally pay
ing him the same per day, week or
month is a cheat, d-lusion and an in
tel ded share. 1t is pitfall dug for tn
feet Of the wage earners, and all the
more wicked as it is dug by those who
pretend to be their friends. a drop to
the free silver basis, which is the object
ard aim Of the bimetallic movement and
party would do the wage earners OF th=
United States much more harm than they
could suffer by the cutting down Of their
wages one-nalf while retaining the pres
ent standard Of currency values. So
they ought to ask for the latter, If they
want change which will enable them
to compete with cheap Asiatic labor
But they should not want either, and
the way to avoid It is again to declare
for the Republican party Of sufficient
protection to home industry to shut out
this competition instead Of paupsrizing
ourselves in the effort to meet It under
Democratic free trade