Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-05
GOLD STANDARD CHEAP WAGES
UPWARD ATKINSON. in The

r. Record. lays down the PROPOSE
- ton that high Z III money
or what money will buy. are Tie or
relative or result Of a low cost of pro-
duction in all arts 10 which modern
science and Invention have been ap-
Piled" He then adds: The highest
prices are or will ultimately be paid
at those points mt which any given
product or fiber can hc made az The
tive price"
j ask this plain question: Is The
hove proposition true III fact?
/ hold that il is incorrect. ] lay
down this proposition: That The whole
theory of reasoning hy which the on
clusiOn is reached is fallacious. and cal
not stand the test of Il thorough analy
sis. The idea Of high wages beng the
result of a low cost of production wher-
ever art and invention have been
applied is absolutely ridiculous.
TO illustrate: Art and invention have
been applied 10 the manufacture %
locomotives until the cost has been r.
duced one-half. or 20 per cent. TO the
consumer. If Mr.. Atkinson's reasoning
be true. then the labOrers who make
the locomotives should now receive
more wages than when the higher
price was paid. The plain and simple
truth is hat they receive much less
wages now than then. Mr.. Atkinson :
theory will moi apply to the coHdi-
tfanS thot onVirnn tho In horrors NJ ms
| time. art and invention" have bccn
applied to farming until n cost of pro
ducing wheat and corn has been very
greatly reduced. Do farm hands re-
ceive higher wages now than then: |
tell Mr.. Atkinson that instead of III
| creasing. wages for farm hands have
been steadily growing less in Indiana
| for the last fifteen years.
art and invention have been a1-
! piled to the production Of wagons ana
| carriages until the cost of production
has peer chcapcncd one-half. How
fares the labor that makes them? It's
wages are reduced on an average -
| per @ instead of being Increased.
Take the manufacture Of carpets.
WHERE Al lltl NflVAiN HAbr VI ''F'
| of production has been brought about
by art and invention Nc sane man
will pretend that carpct-wcavcrs ar"
paid higher wages now than formerly.
Take another line. steel. When IN"
Carnegie company, by the aid OF art
and invention so chcapened the cost
of its manufacture that other manu-
r u. t-ftl loot -
ton of heir business. how mucA OF an
increase i'm wages did ii bring 10 Ia"
workmen? Let the story OF the bloody
strike make answer. where. 10y power
of arms. n heavy reduction OF wages
was enforced. Carnegie can produc"
| steel chcapcr-ycS. does produc. Il
chcapcr-than any of his competitors.
| Does he now pay-has he ever paid
the highest wages i'm his line. ! say no.;
! he never did. nor does he now.
could follow this into a score Of
other lines and in each one demon
strate the fallacy. ! simply dismiss
| the fallacy with this remark: II Will
not stand the analysis Of application 70
existing industries: il is shown 10 be
theory run TO seed. ! tell the people
hat high wagcs never have been. ar"
not now and never will lac prcdicated
on the low cost of production. Cheap
cost of production means, in IFS last
| ANALYSIS. cheaper wages. not hiShcr.
| This is the Irresistible logic OF the sit
uatiOn.
LET mo say right here. that the farmer
whose land is most productive II who
therefore produces wheat. corn. hay.
oats. and barley ut the least cost per
| bushel. and the manufacturers VINO
produce the output of their works at the
| least cost. regardless of what they
make. are the ones who reap The bene-
| fit of low cost of production. instead
| of the labOrerS who do the work. 80
| the railway company that owns Il lire
! hat was honestly built. whose stock
has not been watercd. that has been
honestly managed. is the O whose
| owners reap the profit of cheapened
cost of transportation instead OF the
men who do the actual work for the
| company. The road that has been 50
| dishonesty managed that its stock is
| worth : cents on the dollar pays it's
| engineers. ircmen. trainmen. track
men. and conductors just h same
wages that are paid by the company
| whose stock is worth 10 per cent more
than par.
Lower cost of production means low
or wages, for the reason that labor is
| the chief item of expense in the pro
duction of all articles where art and
| invention have been principally util-
lied, and how car you cheaper the
| cost of production without cheapening
| the price Of the principal element of
it's cost?
High wage are paid only when lower
wages cannot he secured. The rate of
| wages is controlled Ivy demand. not by
| cost of production. 1t is the inexora-
| bic demand for labor, skilled and un-
skilled, that regulates wages. If 800
men are struggling to secure 100 places
| wages cannot be so high as they will he
If 300 places are open to 100 men.
Abraham Lincoln said: "You car
co folv roocop npop tho proatpr nv the