Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-05-03

| mower the political tricksters would be
in a position to snap their fingers at
The public. But no one imagined that
the leaders of this fraud would so soon
confess it. would acknowledge that all
their promises regarding the restoration
of good times and the certain increase
in the wages of labor was mere cam
paign trickery and falsehood meant to
deceive the voters, promises which the
unscrupulous demagogues uttering
them knew would never be fulfilled.
Hardly was Mckinley warm in his
presidential seat ere the high priests
of his party began to write articles for
the press TO show that it was foolish
to expect any return of good times
such as we have had in the past for the
reason that those times were due TO in
fated conditions that cannot be re-
stored. And now we have no less
prominent Republican leader than Sen
ator Stephen B. Elkias. Seclaring that
Wages must go down.
Why did not Mr. Elkins and his
colleagues tell the voters this before
election, instead of promising them in
creased wages Immediately upon the
election Of Mckinley?
Wage carriers" continued the SEN
ator. do not wish to see it, or believe
it. but il is So" Wages must so down.
Why. then. were wage earners told
before the election, that wages would
90 up if Mckinley and sound money
triumDhed?
And Furthermore, Senator Elkins
said: WAGES IN AMERICA STAND
AGAINST ANY REVIVAL OF BUSI-
NESS" In other words, according to
this prominent Republican leader, not
only were the workingmen lied to by
Republican writer's and speakers in the
! last campaign. but were all the while
marked for sacrifice. Despite the high
est tariff in the world which is now be-
ing piled still higher, wages must be
cut down still further before the cap
tains of industry, such as the Senator,
will feel safe in or iermg forward
march.
I'VE do not export coal to Eu,cpe,"
says ;he Senator, because We have
wages against us" And he bi-.erly
/ c.n.Ula,ned Of the Supreme Court dc
cision making railroad pooling impos-
sible and thus breaking the comfortable
combination between the railroads and
the mine owners. who can find no other
way to recoup their failing revenues
than by cutting down the wages Of
labor.
Every tolerably informed person has
been aware of these facts, but never
have they been put so bluntly, not TO
say brutaIly. to the people before.
And how does it all happen? How
does it come that all these corporations
are so rich that their millionaire own
ers don't know how to spend their
money. and yet they can't do business,
even under the highest kind of pro-
tective tariff, without grinding down
wages that are already at the rock
bottom. starvation point, in many in
stances? We do not mean to intimate
that Senator Elkins does not deal fairly
and equitably by his miners; he is IN
doubtedly doing the best for them and
his industry he can under the circum-
stances. while the conditions of which
/ ne speaks are beyond doubt true.
Let the Senator look to the gold
standard of money, which ne advocated
in the last campaign-al although previ-
GUS to that ne had never believed in it
I for the explanation. In this era Of mon
ev contraction throughout the world,
as the dollar rises in value everything
else. prices and wages and all values
must come down, all industry is
/ squeezed. everybody is crowding into
one little iron-bound boat to be saved
and it won't hold all. Senator Elkins
saws some one must lose, and that it
won't be the railroads nor the mine
owners and hence it must be defenseless
labor
Thus Mr.. Elkins meets the logic of
the situation when he says, WAGES
/ MUST GO DOWN." WAGES IN
( AMERICA STAND AGAINST ANY
| REVIVALOFBUSINESS. There isn't
a shrewder business man in the country
than Senator Elkins and he knows
what character of men have taken pos
session of the Republican party and
what their methods are; he knows that
the men who supported Hanna in the
last campaign and created the present
pliable administration with their
wealth. would abolish wages altogeth-
er. if they could and still have the labor;
they would give to labor no more than
enough to keep it il good working con-
dition. as they would horses and cattle.
Senator Elkins sees and realizes these
things and is bold enough to state them
as he sees them.
"WAGES MUST GO DOWN" This
is the gospel truth and there is no
escane from il if the policY which was