The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-04-22
WAGES AND THE MILLIONS.
Under the Republican Policy the Adj
vance i'm Many Industries
Goes MerriIy On.


A few items, of the kind which demo-
cratic editors would naturally hide in
remote places and small type, have
greater interest for three-quarters of
the people than all others. They show
| that at Fall River and Providence and
Lowell the cotton mills, at various east
ern points the wooden mills, at Spar
| rows Point and some others. and in the
valleys, the iron mills, and in West Vir-
ginia and southern mines the coal min
ers have been advancing wages. The
advances in all the cases observed were
| apparently voluntary, and not demand
ed by the workers, though it has been
| generally understood in several indus
tries that better wages would be paid
as soon as definite improvement in
business was established. 1t may be
roughly estimated that over 100000
hands were affected by the advances re-
ported on one day alone, and these
advances average about ten per cent,
so that the influence upon the purchas-
ing power of wage-eaners was not in
considerab BILE.
| More extensive information than
most readers have at command is neces-
sary in order to appreciate the relative
importance of such movements, and yet
| all can understand that an advance SO
| general means better times for the
workers. and, because they are thus
enabled to buy more literally, larger
business for traders and manufactur-
ers. Still, it should be added that the
cost of living is at present lower than
it has ever been at any previous time of
general prosperity, and materially low
er than in 1892, when conditions were
on the whole more favorable than ever
before. If wages have not in most cases
advanced beyond the level then at
who receive them because the selling
prices of commodities are on the whole
much lower. 1t is not to be forgotten
that the condition of the working mills
is even more greatly improved, with
over 100 hands employed instead of 80
most of the time in recent years, and
100 in 1892, the year of greatest pros
perity hitherto.
No one can measure the influence of
this change in the circumstances of the
great majority of voters. 1t is never
safe to forget that the voters of this
country are in the main wage-earners--
not members of organized bodies which
embrace less than thirtieth of the
workers for wages, but men whose
daily earnings. with the subsistence
and the comforts of their families, de-
pend upon the relation between the
prices OF commodities and the wages
received. When wages are high but
commodities relatively high, the mil
4 lions are apt to be dissatisfied. When
wages are low and the large proportion
of the willing hands are out of work, as
in the years between 1892 and 1897, gen.
era and profound resentment is sure to
show itself in elections. and a change
of national policy is demanded. But
when better wages and lower prices of
commodities, with increased employ
ment of labor, go to help every family
of the 24.OO0OOo depending upon ma
tional welfare. the people are apt to ex-
press their approval as they did in No
vember.
1t may be fairly inferred that the
later events go to strengthen the re-
publican national policy, because it
steadily and materially improves the
condition of millions of workers. To
judge otherwise is to suppose that the
millions have not enough intelligence
to realize when events are actually
working in their favor. American his
; tory furnishes many proofs that such
changes in the condition of the work
ers, for better or for worse. are swiftly
and almost invariably answered by the
ballots cast at subsequent elections.
Better wages under republican laws
naturally produce larger majorities for
, the republican policy, and it would not
, be creditable to the people TO expect
, anything else. Whatever the theorists
and the demagogues may say will al
ways count for less than the balance
of accounts at the end of the month";
n. Y. Tribune.