The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-05-08
MACHINERY AND LABOR
Is tho Former CuTas To the Iattsri
Mhtrs nl,lop pomer Is WIong.


II the Former OuTss To tho Latter
Where HlShOP Potter is wrong.
New York Times. Machinery and lie
way the capitalist looks down upon
those who labor for him, says Bishop
Potter, are the great causes OF the gem
eral III feeling ana uneRslness among
the laborlng Ciasses' The chief OF
these two Is machinery. says the
Bishop:
Not in doing away with intelligence
in labor. II IL turning the labOring
man into simple idiot. Not long ago
visited a large factory In this state
and was much impressed with what !
saw. The owner proudly showed me
around, pointing out the manner in
which labor was simplihed. saw a
young man sitting before some sort OF
large hammer lie sat with his legs
crossed and all his work consisted In
showing into an opening In the mRchln.
cry a small piece OF iron. He would
turn the metal two or three times. throw
Il Into a large box, and take another
piece. That was this mans work, day
after day, week after week. No wonder
that ut night time he drank, Gambled
and fought He had to; otherwise he
would 20 mad. How many OF US would
stand this and not cry out? Not one of
US but would become u striker. Myself
among the first"
Let us put the Bishops young man
on the witness stand and question him:
Q.-WhRt are you making? A.-The
machine is making horseshoes.
Odd your father work at that
trade? Ayes, as far back as 1857, fore
" years ago. he made horseshoes, by
hand, with Just hammer and anvil.
O.-How many hours q day did he
work? A.-Eleyen or twelve, work
ten.
O.-what wages did he get compared
to the wages you are getting? A.
Well, working ten hours day. l earn
SIS. 60 In Just the number OF days that
1t took him. working eleven or Twelve
hours day TO earn $500.
Q.-Do you happen TO know the reia-
tive cost OF living in 1857 and now?
Ayes. taking the general run OF my
family expenses l can get Tor $'O az
much food clothing etc, as father could
get for STA in 1867.
ON other words. you get 81 week.
where he got about 81? Ayes.
O-And your SI2 will buy as much
cIothlng and provisions for your family
as he could get for $3.50 in 1851? A.
Yes.
O,-so that II you live about as your
father lived. you can do as much toward
the support OF your family in six Gays
as he could do In thirteen days? A
That is the way figure It,
O This means that you can 1--we oet-
ter than he did and still lay up money
A-Yes.
Wages higher. prices iower-that Is
the Young mans testimony Inc hE-
ures arc from the Aldrich report. They
present the wage conditions IN 4 great
number OF occupations and the prices OF
a great number OF commodities averas-
ed They ut this young mans case II
he Is at all representative
Ask him II he would rather make
hoTseshoes by hand as his father did or
tend machine" and the chances are
hfty TO one that he will reply that ma
chine tending Is easier and suits MN
better
So his work is easier. his hours are
shorter. his wages are higher, and the
things he has to buy are cheaper.
We must set down Bishop Potter's
views OF machinery as unsound and un.
safe. The conclusion OF impartial and
labOrious investigators Is that the effect
OF machinery is TO tighten labor. and IN
general TO give greater regularity OF
Smployment, and that, contrary TO
widespread belief. II has not caused
any net diInInution OF employment 1t
Is admitted that the monotony OF sons
kinds OF machine tending dulls the
brains OF the workman. For compen.
sation. there are shorter hours and
the smaller expenditure Of nervous and
muscular energy as compared with
hand labor. Cases Of individual injury
there must be. But the gain to the
mass OF wage-earners through the In
ventIon and employment OF machinery
is unmistakable and enormous.