Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1899-03-29
TIE uAcr IMppourMrNr
Better Timc~ Have Been Coming
Ever since the Republican

vances IN wages. particularly for the
many thousands employed in the iron
and cotton industries. is but the natu-
raj movement toward better times for
wage-earners which set in soon after
the election i'm November. 1896. At that
time million would-be workers were
out OF employment, and those who had
employment were not fully occupied.
The improvement from the date of the
recovery in December. 1896. was slow
but progressive. Industries began to
work full hours and then they began
TO employ more men rs prospects inn
proved. Two years this Improvement
went on silently. until the mass Of men
who were idle in 1896 were taken off OF
the streets into the workshops and the
factories which had been working ten
hours on half the days were operating
on full time and some OF them day and
night
All this time there was no apparent
improvement in wages. Agitators.
calamityites and demagogues allied to
disaster declared that there could be
no better times until there should he
an advance in wages. The regular en-
ployment which succeeded three or
four days "a week and the demand for
labor which had absorbed the million
of idle men. thus adding TO the ag-
gregate weekly amount paid 10 wage
workers IS or ~ per cent. were as
much an advance OF wages rs il few
cents day bad been added. Ii is The
full employment Of labor n fair
price which measures the general pros
pcrity OF the country. because such en-
ployment gives 10 workers the largest
aggregate Of wages.
Is the year opened the Improvement
in demand and prices made il possible
TO take the next step in two or three OF
the larger Industries, which was the
advance OF wages. This followed natu-
rally after the absorption OF the un-
employed. The upward movement had
begun. In the pas; two weeks the
wages OF more men were advanced ten
per cent. than during ary similar time
in our industrial period. And the re-
markable fact about this advance is
that il mas been made without q strike.
Without demand. but by the free act
OF employers. In this connection the
returns Of wages by the recent bulletin
of the Massachusetts, bureau of labor
shows some interesting facts. The av-
erage of daily wages paid in Is employ.
| ments in II cities OF the United State,
was a. follows; 1870, S2.2OL; 1850
| $751;: in 1890. S2.4S; in 1898. Sa.i9: il
1896. $40; 1S"7. $40; 1895. $2.3Sts
But for the fall in the wages OF brick
layers the wages Of 1895 would hav,
shown gain over the preceding wear
by liradstreet's index numbers IL an
pears that in October. l $50. given quan
Titles OF lO7 staples cost 105.996. tina
the same quantities could bc pur
chased durin. The entire year 1896 fol-
C5.'77. and that prices began 10 rise IL
1897. and during 1895 the cost thereof
averaged 1887. This means that be
tween 1890 and 1896 wages fell only 80.
per cent. while prices fell Is per cent.
and between 1899 and 1895 prices fel
26.s per cent.
This means that If oil wage-earner,
could have had full employment he
tween 1890 and 1896 AT ten or fftecn pei
cent. lower wages the fall in price,
was so much greater that they would
have beer quite as well off /: not better
off. II was not the decline in wage,
Of the employed whicls caused the dis
;ress during the period which followed
the Inauguration Of Mr. Cleveland II
1898 but the entire loss Of nay nv ,