The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-02-18
FACTS FROM A WEEKS NEWS
PAPER FILES.
This Is Another Hard Winter-Reduc-
tions OF Wages Together with In
creased Prices for Goods Show That
the Trusts Are Supreme.

The lambs are bleating in the mead
oWs;
The birds are chrping in the nest,
The fawns are playing in the shadows,
Inc flowers are blooming toward the
west
But the young, young children, O, ny
brothers,
ihey are weeping bitterly.
lhey are weeping in the paytime of
the others,
IN the country of the free.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
OVerseer Schmidt, of Davenport, Ia,
mad a Christmas celebration for poor
children to whom Santa Claus is indeed
myth. He figured on entertaining
1oo children, or so; about 800 came, and
the result was that hundreds had to
go away with practically nothing.
owing to the increase of child labor
IN New York state, the percentage of
children attending the public schools
mas fallen from 1855 Of the school pop-
ulatlon in 1851 to 57.S in 1891.
The'annual death roll in the United
States is 100000 persons, of whom
ooo'ooo are children under years of
age, the high death rate among the
children being due, physicians say, to
lack OF proper nourishment, clothing,
shelter, etc.
Last year, in New York city alone,
nearly 1000 babies were found in ash
barrels, areaways, vaults, etc.
Inc Wholesale reductions in wages
mat so startled the mill hands through
out New England last month continue
without any abatement. In Maine it
IS estimated that no less than 10000
operatives will be affected bv the re-
auctions. which in most cases amount
70 ~ per cent, and in one case affecting
S'ooo men near Lewiston, reach Is per
cent. Mr.. Dingley, of tariff bill fame,
is largely interested in mills in Maine
ana ne is uttering the usual platitude
ABOUT currency agitation. Throughout
massachusetts the wage reductions are
going steadily on and, although tbe
men are very much inclined to protest,
they recognize that they have little
to do but submit.
Inc steel trust has advanced the
price OF steel structural material one
dollar ton. 1t also reduced wages a
month ago 10 per cent. But reductions
IN wages are usually accompanied by
rises In price. Thus the department
stores OF our large cities are warning
their customers that prices are steadily
rising and that purchasers ought "a
hasten to buy now in order to save
money. That great and good man.
John Wanamaker, continually warns
the public. in his faring advertise
ments, that the prices of textile goods
are on the rise and that they will be
on the rise for good while to come
But, at the same time, we hear of moth
Ing but 10 and Is per cent reductions
III wages in the textile mills Of New
England. There is profound neon
s1stency in this situation. WHY sbnuld
wages go down if the prices of the
products OF labor are mounting sky
ward?
The answer to the riddle is that
prices are increasing only in those
lines Of goods the manufacture OF
which is controlled by trusts. and
which the new tariff has given a mon
opoly of the home market, These same
trusts, while raising the price of
their goods. can reduce wages because
OF the great surplus OF labor seeking
employment. This army Of idle men
would not exist if farm products were
selling at prices to enable the farmers
to consume a normal amount of manu-
featured goods. The single gold stand
ard causes a worldwide reduction in
prices of farm products; American far
mers are, therefore, compelled to re-
strict their consumption on manufac-
tured goods: this throws vast numbers
OF people out of work; but the tariff
and trust trick enables the millionaire
to actually raise the prices Of their
products, in the face of the general
fall Of prices. and at the same time
to reduce wages. This is the necessary
result Of McKinleyism.
A correspondent who has made a
personal investigation Of the state of
the principal industry of Danbury,
Conn. the hat trade. finds it greatly
misrepresented by Danbury paper.
He says:
Without attempting more than the
brlefest notice OF these deceptive re-