The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-08-10
Experience About Wages.

anything and everything else except
the thing that most helps their wages.
They were expected to vote for pay
ment of wages in deprecated green
backs, and also in 80 cent silver dol
lars. They are expected to yoteS2r
a ticket of dummies wheneverEt has
the word labor" printed on it, and
to vote against the party which has
added more to the wages of American
labor than any other, in order to help
the party which has thrown more
men out of employment than any
other. If the Democrats really be-
lieve that wOrkingman is necessarily
an idiot they might find that excuse
for the various plans they have de-
Yised to catch the labor vote" This
year, because industrial corporations
have been especially conspicuous in
earning wages, the wage earners are
all expected to go wild over the cry,
Down with the trusts - Yet exper-
fence might have taught these people
that a steadily increasing proportion
of the wage earners throughout the
country has been voting against the
Democratic party ever since it tried
to overthrow the protective policy
Unwise counsels so reduced duties in
1888 as greatly to depress some indus
fr.inS o,11
Then Mr.. Cleveland was elected with
bare plurality of 200 votes, and
soon devoted an entire annual mes
sage to an attack upon the protective
tariff; and though he failed to get a
tariff bill passed he kept industries in
hot water until his defeat by Presi-
dent Harrison was assured. Then re-
covery began, the volume of business
increased in the last two months of
1888 about 1928, 100000 outside New
York, and 81, 0O0,O0O,O00 the next year
with Harrisons inauguration, and
wages which had fallen a little. rose
higher than ever. That was only thsl
first lesson. The Mckinley t9T1ff'
came in 1890, and wages rose still
higher; the volume of business in 1892
was the largest then ever known
1862, 322 100000 through clearing
houses and Al per cent. greater than
in 1884; yet, strange to say, part of
the wage earners We're led to believe
that their prosperity had been due to
their own organizations, embracing
less than a tenth of their number,
and not to the tariff at ALL
Mr.. Cleveland came in again in 1898,
and business began to shrink the
very month of his inauguration The
worst panic for half a century drove
more than two million men out of
employment and deprived the rest of
nearly 20 per cent. of their former
wages. The volume of business in
1894 was over a quarter smaller than
in 1892 and the Wilson tariff taught
the country what Democratic theories
meant when practically applied. The
result was the heaviest majority for
President Mckinley, Trainer of the
tariff Of 1890, ever cast for any Amer
lean President The votes of workers
in the great industrial States were
overwhelming, and the election of
Republican Congress gave assurance
n n Tho National ,NAliotr
which defends American labor. Some
improvement came at once, but much
more after the present tariff had been
enacted, so that within the last twelve
months the volume of business
through clearing houses has been
1884, 175, 900, 600, against $50, 763, 900, 900
in the twelve months ending with
Clevelands retirement. Wages have
not only risen to the highest general
level vet attained since they were
reckoned in deprecated dollars, but in
many branches are the highest ever
paid in any kind of currency.
These are lessons which have come
home TO the personal experience of all
who have been earning wages for
fifteen years. The greatest changes,
| first downward and then upward
have touched the pockets of all who
have been seven years at work. That
means great majority of American
wage earners. After this generation
has passed away, when another has
come up from childhood or from
across rhe ocean without the expert
ence of the last decade, it is conceiv
able that American workers may
again be found blind to their own in
terests. To suppose that the men
who have lived and worked during
this decade can end it by giving proof
that it has taught them nothing
what greater insult could be offered
to American workers.?