The Advocate and news., 1898-03-16
Labor Versus Gold.


III commenting on President Willis
money article in the New Time, the To-
peka Capital in one place says that the
sound money people have examined the
subject Of falling prices and have also
looked into the wage question, and their
conclusion Is that improvements In
processes Of manufacture and sale have
brought down the cost" They have also,
the Capital says, examined into the
prices Of labor and have shown that
1t has risen with regard to gold. Hence
they say that If gold has appreciated in
value, labor has appreciated still more"
The Capital would learn at least two
important facts If 1t would continue It's
Investigations and probe the general sub
jeCt deeper One Of these facts is that the
wages of labor have fallen and not risen;
the other fact Is that limiting our basic
money to gold alone has had more in
t'uence in depressing prices than the inn
proVements In methods Of manufacture
and sale.
The Commissioner Of Labor for the
United States, after what he regarded as
a careful and unbiased investigation, re-
ported that about one and One-third mil
lion work people were idle all the time,
and that about three million were idle
part Of the time. Before we say that the
wages Of labor have risen, we must show
that all the workers are employed at in
creased pay. If there are one hundred
and fifty workers and work can be found
for only one hundred hands working
on full time, and If the aggregate worth
Of the labor to be performed is one
hundred and fifty dollars, 1t is evident
that II but one hundred men are put to
do the work their wages will be 80 per
cent. higher than the wages of the one
hundred and fifty men II they were all
employed on the job.
II our sound money advocates will ap-
ply this rule to the labor Of the country
and divide among all the working force
what Is paid to them that are employed
1t will be discovered that wages have
fallen like prices Of wheat and cotton.
Another thing Is lost sight of by the
sound money people. Invention has dis
placed much labor, and at the same time
has opened new places for skilled labor.
The linotype has displaced three out OF
four men who set type by hand, but 1t
needs the fourth to manage the machine,
and he gets better wages than he did
when working at the case. Many similar
cases will suggest themselves 10 the mind
IL the subject Is pondered.
So, in the great field Of labor, the
wages Of unskilled workmen have not
advanced above what they were ten or
fifteen or twenty years ago, while in
many cases of skilled effort wages have
been advanced for men who formerly
worked for less.
And now as to whether gold has ap-
preciated simple test may be- applied.
John and James each made an invest
ment on the first day Of January, 1879,
when specie payments were resumed by
the government, and all our money was
at par with gold.
John put away 800 Of full weight
United States gold coin and James put
away as much property Of-say flfty or
100 different kinds in general use-as
$1CO would buy. The object was to as
certain whether the purchasing power
Of gold would increase during any given
period. The time Of trial was to be until
January 1, 1893.
Gold, of course, would not deteriOrate
by lying idle, so 1t would not need to be