The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18

of Minnesota are women. In the coun-
try towns the proportion is smaller, but
1t is seldom found to be less than one
fifth. These same statistics also show
that the wages of women average 90 per
cent less than those of men. Now. mas
much as one-lfth to one-third of full
pay wage-earners are actually displaced
by that number of half-pay wage-earners,
what other result can be expected than a
depression of the labor or wage market
to an extent equal to the difference be-
tween the wages of the latter and the
former, which, in the case OF, say 20O,OOO
workers, must of necessity be very ap-
preciable? Assuming that there are in
Minnesota 100000 laborers whose wages
under normal conditions would average
$3.50 per day, the result would be $3OO,0OO
per day as the returns of this labor Now
displace one-third Of this number by
women at IS cents per day, and the days
earnings, instead of being $SOO,0OO became
$3.50, 900, q reduction of $4,000 day, which
for period of one year of 800 working
days aggregates 100000 of loss TO the
2OO,O00 workers and their famiies-a loss
which would not be sustained by the
laborers If there were none at hand to
step In and take their places at less than
living wages.
There is no disposition to find fault with
the self-Supporting women as such. 1t
is the wages she consents TO do a mans
work for that accomplishes the injury
complained of. If the woman's husband,
father or brother works in the store, shop
or factory for barely enough to support
her and himself, and she consents to take
his place for what will barely support
herself alone, II is plain that she has
thereby cut off the living for one Of them,
and made of herself an automaton in the
bargain. If she would at le3st insist on
Il, of no ma Wi n
whom she is competing for the place, the
injury would not be so great, for in that
case, if she displaced her husband, IA
ther or brother in the store or factory,
she would still maintain the income of
the household, though the man should be-
cone idle in consequence of ner position.
AS for the employment of children, that,
too, constitutes an important factor bear
ing on the subject of wages in general.
Statistics seem to indicate that only
very small fraction of the lab0ring class
consists Of children. But this is because
the labor laws do not regard as children
those who have passed their sixteenth
birthday. Were this limit raised to elgh-.
teen, instead of sixteen, it would be found
that their number in the labor ranks Is
truly startling In numerous establish
ments, employing hundreds of peopie
EACH from 80 to 75 per cent of all en-
ployes would be found to be under elgh-
teen years old, and these minors, doing
adult work, receives from So to 50 per
week The result on labor and wages in
general Is, of course, the same as that
of cheap female help. The work for
which adults ought to receive at least 50
to $12 per week is done by minors for
from s. to 50. The father cannot obtain
the work, because his child has been hired
to do it at one-third of the price that
would have to be paid to the father in
order to enable him to live While work
ing, and if his child did not accept it at
that rate, dozens of others would offer
to do so.
These are some Of the chief factors
which operate to depress the condition of
the Iaboring classes. The remedy may
not be clear undcr existing social condi-
tions yet thorough understanding of
the nature of things may aid in suggest
ing improvements at least At any rate,
an awakening of the public conscience to
the subject might result in checking
downward course of events. which, if
persisted in for the next ten years at the
pace of the last decade, must needs re-
suit in the utter decentralization of the
Iaboring classes of the United States.
N 2. Olson.