Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-31

industry, from 1861 to 1860, and vet there
has been no other period in our history
when the rates of wages fell so raDidlv or
SO low
FOR FREE SILVER.
Arguments by J. II. Teller, A. j. War
ner and Representative Towne.
The advocates Of free silver for the wage
Garner quote as one OF btheir authorities
from The Battle of the Standards" writ
ten by James H. Teller with introduction
by Senator Henry NJ. Telfer In this it is
stated as follows: f'F3
1T being established that the general
level of prices has steadily fallen for twen-
ty years-that is, that the products of labor
have fallen in Value-it would be strange
indeed, if wages had not fallen also We
can hardly conceive of the possibility that
the employer should generously suffer the
entire fall in the price Of his products to
be taken from his profits, leaving labor it's
former share. AS matter Of fact we
know that this has not been done.
Sir Robert Giffen says: Nominal reduc-
ton must come somehow. unless there is
TO be a real rise in wages The visible OPP
portunity of employers is1 of course, the
scarcity of employment, and the disorgan-
ization. of industry which attends great
fall of prices: but employers would OBJ
viously be unable to continue paying for
airy length of time, really increased wages.
There is no Fortunatus purse which would
It.
tempt
The proposition under consideration is
based upon the scale of wages paid in few
favored lines. of employment Those rates
have been kept up by the labor unions.
but we all know with what a desperate
struggle their scales have been maintained
The question is not what have a few la
borers received but how is labor as whole
compensated? 1t is not enough that two
thirds of the laborers receive good wages
while the one-third receive little or nothing.
The Rate Of Wages for Labor.
do even those who are employed at good
wages derive any real benefit from a situa-
ton which imposes upon them the duty not
only Of contributing large sums to labor
union funds for maintaining the scale, but.
also, of aiding in the support of friends and
relatives who are out of employment? 1t is
a fact beyond dispute that there are today
in the civilized world millions of laborers
who are out of employment or working
short time, and the average compensation
of labor Is far below the rate of twenty
years ago. 1t is this fact, the pitiable con-
dition of the fast increasing army of the
unemployed. which makes bimetallism
vital question and arouses the honest stu
dent of monetary science to renewed EFFORT
in it's behalf.
But what profits it a poor man that
prices are low if he has not the money to
purchase? This is the real situation; falling
prices have narrowed the field OF prontable
employment of labor, and the laborer has
M work and no money. If the condition OF
labor is so satisfactory why do we read al
most daily of some Respondent workman,
tired of the vain effort to secure WORK. put
ting an end to miserable existence! have
wages been kept up in England!
''Risng prices do not injure the iaborer.
ard it Is not true that his wages VIII not
for long time be advanced. AS rule
economists have hitherto agreed that iahor
was the last to receive benent from
advancing prices. This proposition Is de-
, MED, however, by so profound thinker as
Professor Cairnes He maintains that de-
ms nd for commodities must be the prin,
I-ciral cause of an advance in prices. and
as demand on the part Of labor-consttut-
ing a considerable part Of the total demand
can come only from an existing .aDlnty
of necessity be one of the chief causes OF
rising prices. and, to a. considerab Die de-
gree precede it. But there are other
grounds for believing that labor VIII OBJ
great delay The statistics of labor upon
which the economic theory under con-
sideration was built uK relate to labor IN
past times when the was far less SIS
took what was offeredr and was thankful
for it. Now he knows his rights and
dares maintain them labor is organized
as never before, and lArge numbers act rs
NnG
ton. and with what SucSess. too. organ
lied labor has resistedea beutting down OF
wages, can we doubt that when prices
| advance labor will participate in the &C
cruing benefits? 81
Labor Would Not Suffer.
when there is an tpcraased demand for
labor. under the stimulus of advancing
prices. all labor will benefit by the terms
obtained by organized Habor. 1t will be the
reverse Of present conditions Now, how
| ever high the nominal wages. there is no
benefit to the laborer who has no work.
Then there will be employment for ALL and
the wages must be on a scale approximate
Ing an average of all wages. The rates Sc
cured by organized labor will thus help to
raise all wages. 1t Is evident. then, that
the fears expressed by the advocates of the
gold standard, lest the laborer suffer, are
not well founded. In any event, 1t would
be better to have some wages than none at
all, and that would be the effect of the
change as to many, who, with higher prices,
would find employment at some figure,
whereas now they have none.
Were labor fully employed and all kinds
or business In prosperous condition, there
would be no excuse for a proposal to lessen
the value OF money. But that is not the
situation OF today. Approaching money
threatens ruin to the industries of the ma
ton; not only threatens, but has already
brought ruin and distress to q large part
OF the people, 1t ia mt a question whef her