Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-29
WAGES AND COST OF LIVING.
Effect of Dcbascd Money Illustrated
by n RniIrOnd PnN Roll.

Eject of Dcbascd Money Illustrated
by Railroad Pay Roll.
Congressman John X. Cowen dom) at Baltimore.
The engineers on passenger trains of the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad received $2.S7 be-
fore the war, and their wages continued at
that rate per day until 1865. when they were
advanced to $50, making an advance of %
per cent During the entire war down until
its last year there has been no change in the
wages of the passenger enginemen OF the
Baltimore q Ohio railroad. The man who
held the throttle as he watched the smoke
of his locomotive mngling with the morning
mist OF the Alleghanies got the same wages
in 1865, when his living was more than
double that he got in 1859. Why? Because
the currency in which he was paid had been
debased. (ApplausC) The tonnage engine
men got $375 a day until 1854 when their
wages were raised to S3.S7, and In 1860 to
$3.50, advance OF about p per cent. All
during the war there was no advance in
their wages, and when they did get an ad-
vance, the advance was less than ore-tourth
the price of the things they had to buy.
Their wages were cut in two by a debase-
mGnt OF the currency. The yard enginemen
were paid $3.50 until 1865. when they re-
ceiyed $500 day. And they are in the
same condition. Their living had advanced
1T per cent, and their wages had advanced
less than 30 per cent. The passenger fire
men had got $42.5O a month. and they got
that same rate until 1865, when they were
paid $50 II onth an increase of Is per cent,
and all that they bought had more than
doubled in value. The construction train
firomen received $l.75 day until 1864, when
there was an advance of 10 cents a day,
and in 1865 their wages were advanced to
s236 ,Ea day or tSs,r % pfr living 'Gnt baG
more than doubled. The tonnage
brakemen were in the same condition. The
baggage master got an advance OF u per
cent, and he got II the last year oil the war
Now there is one class that did advance a
little more rapidly and that class was the
track watchmen, and they went from 81
day to $1.5O in 1895. The section trackmen
went from $l.24 to S1.G2. The reason that
this unskillod labor advanced lEtle more
RAPIDLY than the other classes Is simple
Why? There were a million men in the
army and more than that with those In
West Virginia, where they were drawn for
both armies. And there was great de-
msnd for this unskilled labor that could be
shifted from one place to another without
great difficulty. and this great demand for
unskilled labor raised the price OF that
class Of labor so or 60 per cent But
it never got up to III per
cent 1t never got up to the point to
which their living advanced, but 1t ad-
yanced more than other classes.
Now, what would be the condition under
free coinage? Your dollar falls to 81
cents. in which you are paid, and products
rise accordingly. VIII the wages OF the
unskilled laborer rise? No. Factories will
close. Paralysis will ensue, Universal de-
structon win be everywhere. Universal
doubt, universal destruction and the throw
ing Of the skilled labor on the market with
the unskilled labor, SO that the unskiiled
labor will not get the wages that II gets
today. 1t viii be a depressed market.
Wages. instead OF keeping the same nomi-
nally, will go down, because the universal
ruin that would come from free coinage Will
discharge thousands and hundreds OF thou
sands OF skilled laborers into the unskilled
labor market,