The evening times., 1899-02-25

living: the American does not get any
thing like sixty-five times his living The
natural conclusion is that something is
faarfuliy wrong somewhere.
But, though it is quite true that there
is something wrong, this is one of the cases
in which statistics prevaricate, if they do
not dtfite Ifee There are several circum-
stances which may tend to modify this as
tonishf1fg dtscrepanty. In the first place,
the American shoe which is made in eleven
minutes is not always as durable or as
high in price as the German shoe made in
half a day. Before the improvements in
machinery in this country shoes often cost
$S and $40 a pair, and that without being
remarkably fine shoes. In those days peo-
pie expected to buy best clothes" and
make them last for years, and fabrics were
made to last for many seasons, to be re-
modelled and cleaned and dyed and worn
until the last thread was breaking. In
those DAYS factory work was in its infancy,
and the operatives usually laid up money
in the savings bank and often owned their
homes. They made money. and so ala the
farmer. because there was less competi-
ton; but their ways of living were SIM
pier and they regarded many things as
Iuxuries which people now consider ueces-
stiles 1t would be poor family nowadays
which had no light except that of the lire
on, a candle, but that was the state OF af-
fairs in we'll do farmers houses two
generations ago. The factory girl in our
grandmothers' time had possibly one new
gown a year: now she has two or three,
but they may not last as long as her grand
mothers one. Instead of doing her own
sewing she finds it more profitable to buy
ready-made clothing and take the time
thus saved for earning more money. Con-
ditions have changed all the way around,
and one of the causes of the present dis
content and suffering is that the question
of supply and demand. and the other prob
lem of division of labor, has not yet been
satisfactorily settled. When a capitalist
does business on a million-dollar scale,
taking risks in proportion. he must nave
larger sinking fund than his grandfather
did in doing thousand-dcllar business
with scarcely any risks 1t all. Ihat Is SELL
evident. And if the poor man can get his
clothing for one-third of the price his
Z
| him if the clothing will last one-third as
long; otherwise not. If the factory girl
! can buy gown ready made for less than
! il cost the woman of fifty years ago to pur-
chase the material she has saved the price
of her time if the gown lasts as long as
her grandmother's did; otherwise not
If the conditions OF our living today de-
mand that the workman, in order to have
the necessary Intelligence for his work and
be a useful member of the community
shall spend twice as much as he did fft!
years ago, that is a good thing if he ha'
twice as much TO spend; otherwise it is {
most mischievous thing. And one OF th'
EMBELLISHMENTS of the time is that in SOM
| places the workingman of today is bette
off than the laborer of fifty years ago, ant
in others he is not. 1t depends partly oil
conditions which no one can regulate, part
Iy on the intelligence OF the man himself
and partly on the enlightenment and sens
of Justice of his employer. On one sid
the union is trying TO give the workingmal
a fair chance, and on the other the syndl
cate is trying TO give the capitalist NOR
than a fair chance; that is the way 1t look
to the unpre;udiced observer. When tn
capitalist uses his surplus, his sinkin
fund. to secure himself against a sudde
drop in values, 10 enlarge his operation
so that he gives work to more people; whe
he improves transportation facilities an
helps to open up great tracts of land
agriculture, he is doing good in the ent
though usually at the expense OF somebod
else OF course, every new labor-saVln
improvement throws people out OF worl
and every increase in production lessen
somebody's profits But that is, after al
a temporary evil. It is bad, but ii can
endured.
The real evil comes in when the capitals
begins to use his money for personal gal
. which does not enrich his fellows Whe
he spends 1900 to buy votes for tn
United States Senate he is paying for jus
that much of corruption among his fellow
,, ,, men. When he makes money off railroa
because it is the only means of transpor
tation for a large and busy district. and nc
body dares run an opposition road, an
when his earnings are out of all proportio
to the money he pays his employees or th
comforts and conveniences he furnisht
the public. then he is literally highwa
robber, lust as much as if he put a tollgai
across the road and stationed men benin
1t with pistols, to collect dues from ever
traveller. When he sells shoddy goods fs
more than they are worth he is a thief. Al
when he cheats the public and the govern
ment of his country with poisoned and il
ferior beef he is a murderer.
The capitalist should not be blamed fl
conditions which are beyond his contro
But he is to blame if he uses his wealth
such way that il is a public menace.
An Abused Young Man.