The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-01-26

the south, which permitted The eastern
manufacturers 10 turn out as much
Work In ten hours NJ the southern inpnti-
faeturers could produce in eleven or
twelve hours. Mr., Dlngley answered this
proposition, evidently made through ig-s
notanec. BY stating that labor in cotton
factories consisted chiefly OF attending
to machines, and that machines did the
york; that the output depended alto
gethcr on the number OF machines.
and on the speed with which they were
run. n x
We regret that space torblds the quo
tatlon OF Mr. .Dlngley's entire speech.
and his answers to Democratic inquiries,
not one OF which was demagogle Enough
TO attempt, like our Wheeling Popo-
ractlc nelghbor. 10 Involve the question
OF money standards In the discussion.
In the course OF his remarks he said
many things that made very clear the
causes OF the strike. Among other
points Mr.. Dlnglcy called attention to
were the following:
y Tho production, OF the United States
fixes the price OF cotton for tho world. and
when the planters Of the south grow ono
or two millions moro bales OF cotton than
the world wants, with the pressure for
mistake is in not having a more diver.
slled agriculture In the south, SO that the
production Of cotton beyond the. worlds
wants shall not take place and the price
OF what Is grown may BIO more remunera-
"a decline took place In brief period
from about s cents to below cents. As 4
large proportion OF tho mills In New Eng.
mos ahesa ESo Sod tSe Stock &c
were caught when ton fell with goods
to that extent made from Scent cotton.
The buyers, finding cotton had declined
to 9 cents, naturally went Into the mar.
price at which cotton goods could be made
with G-cent cotton. Immediately sales
stopped in New England, and southern
mills took the market until northern mills
that all the cotton mills In the country
that had goods piled Up found themselves
with immense losses. That was the sltua-
ton Of nearly every mill in New Eng
This involves the loss OF millions inev-
itably. But that OF itself would have been
temporary and would have been soon
overcome by the mills pocketing the loss,
4 that had been all there was in the case:
What else came In? 1t so happens that
during the past ten years the cotton In
dustry. which has been concentrated SO
largely in New England until within ten
years. has been growing rapidly In the
south-properly so, to the qualification Of
every right-minded citizen. The growth
OF tho cotton industry in the south has
been uneIampled. Before It was hardly
recognized It was found that the add tlon
to the cotton spindles OF this country
largely In the Southland exceeded the de-
mands OF the country for cotton goods.
It so happens that wages in southern
mills-of labor which had not before en-
joyed AN opportunity OF entering manu-
featuring industrles-are lower than they
arc in New England. l have here the re-
port OF the committee of the Arkwrlght
Club-the cotton manufacturers associa-
ton OF New England-that investigated
this question OF comparative wages and
It will be seen that the wages of the south
for the time being are from 20 to 80 per
cent less than the wages In New England:
I'm due time, by ordinary economical
processes In the development Of the south.
the Introduction of new machinery and
new methods Of industry will bring the
wages in New England. But they have
not done It as yet, although wages are
slowly rising there.
That Is not all. In New England every
state has labor laws, and these labor laws
restrict the hours Of daily labor for women
and children to ten hours per day. In some
states to fifty-elght hours per week, and
the restriction OF the hours OF labor Of
women and children In factories, deter
mines the number of hours that the fac
tory can run. In New England In no state
can any factory, In consequence OF these
labor laws. run over ten hours day ex-
cept for few days under exceptional. cir
cumstances. But In no one OF the SOUTH
-ern states, under Democratic control. is
there q labor law that undertakes to limit
the hours OF daily labor, with a apostolic
exception OF one or two states.
There Is no mystery about this matter.
A protective tariff cannot reach and equal
lie competition between different parts OF
the same country; It does not profess to
do 1t: Il simply reaches and cquaiizes
competition from other countries. There
is no competition from other countries In
[ the common cotton goods made In this
country. Isl,
thing to do with this. The tariff. SO far
as 1t Is based on. the protective idea. deals
simply. as ] have said. with competition
from abroad. We do not have competi-
ton from abroad on these coarse goods
with respect to which the difficulty has
arisen The competition Is only from the
south: and 1t liz serious Satlthe present
time because OF the fact that the standard
OF wages at the south is lower than that
OF New England and the hours Of daily
labor are longer. And 1t III becomes those
whose legislation allows eleven or twelve
hours per day In the mills of the south
ern states to rise here and reDrovc the
conditions In New England, where no fac
tory can run longer than ten hours per
day.
We hope that We may be pardoned
for devotlng SO much space 10 this ques-
ton, but so much Misrepresentation OF
the true causes Of this strike Is being
published. that It seems necessary 10
make the truth plain. The fact is, that
conditions exist in the cotton industry
which cannot be found In any other in
dustry, and all intelligent observers OF
the situation know 1t.
DemagoSues seem to have forgot
ten that within the recent past, and at
time when unparalleled prosperity eI-
listed in this country. a strike of iron
and steel workers at Homestead was
seized upon in this same way for politi-
cal purposes. and by Misrepresentation
regarding the causes, workmen were in
duced to vote against the protective tar
IN. The four years OF depression
Which followed convinced them. when
100 late, that the demagogucs had been
needed once too often. That lesson has
not been forgotten by the great wage
earning classes In the country. The at
tempt TO work the cotton-splnnrrs'
strike for The same partisan advantage
will not succeed.
s-E. ----0-~-------t
Two Able Contemporaries.
The PnrkcrsburE State Journal cclc-