The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-09-17
s4o4 p Ss96.4s Sss. g.

The Massachusetts report for 1897 Cpage
.'5l presents comparative statistics for
49, Identical establishments for the years
1896 and 1897. showing average annual
earnings as Sz26-66 in the former and $421. 50
In IN the latter year. The average time
2sS.S2 days in the latter tear Thus there
vas % less pay for over two days work
The report for 1858 page 10 gives sta
IlstlcS OF 4 al esta blishmentS for the wears
1851 and 1897: which show average annual
Inc working time had Increased from
Zo-:go Gays TO ISIS days Thus there was
work.
The Massachusetts, and PENNSYLVANIA
reports for 1893 are not yet at hand. That
they may show some slight increase in
average wages during that year is not IN
hkely But that they Eiil show an in
crease at all commensurate with the in
creased cost of hVing is altogether i'm
probable The statistics presented how
ever. seem sufficient TO conclusively dis
prove the claim of a great Increase in
wages Immediately following the advent
Oh the present administration.
Compared with the reports of earlier
years according to the Massachusetts,
manufacturing returns average annual
atIIiiIlgs decreased from 1882 10 1888 $50 %,
Sh9 sucn earnings We're one-third of a
dollar less in 1898 than in 1894 a panic
which though worldwide. may in a
measure, at least be attributed to legiSla-
ton for which the Republican party and
Its leader are responsible
The reports quoted plainly Indicate that
the measure of prosperity enjoyed by
Wage-eaFners in the protected Industries
or Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania since
IS but an increased amount of labor at re-
duced wages If there has been any con-
siderable increase in wages outside of the
protected industries 1t must have been in
spite OF and not because of protection for
the protective policy is claimed to affect
such industries only indirectly through
5he increased wages paid in protected in
The disastrous effect of this poIic~
through fostering trusts and combine
IONS to increase prices is fOrciblv illus
trated by the conditions existing in this
city IN the building trades. When wage
ea-ners demanded q slight increase of
WAGES to meet the great increase in the
out which has thus far been maintained
since early spring chiefly because of ex-
iStlng high prices of building material.
win cheap building material offering
profitable investment in buildings the
labor unions could easily have succeeded
in enforcing their demands. The result
of a policy fostering trusts and high
prices has thus been a decreased demand
Tor products at home through the de-
creased ability OF wage-earners to pur-
chase and growing necessity for for
elSn markets TO be obtained even at the
outlay of treasure, which expense must
finally fall upon the wage-earner
The most reliable statistics indicate not
only fall in wages since the panic of
1893. but that there has been an almost
continuous decline from the high wages
preceding the panic of 1913, panic re-
sulting not only from legislation for
which Republicans are responsible but
occurring during period of Republican
rule.
The data of the Aldrich report fairly
summarized indicate a define in the gold
value of wages since 1872 and 1873 of not
less than 20 per cent When during the
last campaign 1 called the attention of
a writer of Republican campaign litera-
t,=a to the fallacious character of the
summary of the data Of the Aldrich re-
port he declared il "a good enough Nor
gan for that campaign Doubtless Re
publican sDellbinderS will consider the
statistics of the Republican textbooks 4
good enough Morgan for the present
campaign. Can success be again attained
by such methods?
H L. BLISS