Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1900-10-13
4 few WORDS
To the Man Who Carries Dinner
Bucket

Does the laboring man want a
change, and, more especially does he
wish to return to the condition which
prevailed during the last administrss-
ton OF President Clevelandg
Believing that the laboring men IN
Richmond have had steadier en-
ployment during the last three years
than during those Immediately pre-
ceeding, and therefore even though
the rate of wages per diem may not
have increased to great extent,
that his annual earnings have been
materially enlarged, have recently
made careful inquiry among most
of the leading manufacturers here
who have been engaged In
the same line during both the
periods above referred to, and
the result has been to find that the
actual figures obtained covering the
wages paid show that the average
weekly pay rolls of the establish
ments whose figures | have asked for
and they constitute the bulk of the
PAYERS of wages for skilled labor in
Richmond-have been during the
three wears of President Mckin-
ley's ADMINISTRATION larger by
IS per cent. than they were during
the last three years of the last adj
ministration of President Cleveland.
The per eentage of increase in differ
ent factories has varied from IL per
cent to 100 per cent, but all show
some advance. Does the wage Garner
want change which shall reduce the
annual wage roll to the old stand
ard?
There has been for some time past
an apparent indisposition on the part
of manufacturers to purchase ma
terial or to make up stock except
such as they have contracts for the
sale of, and the number of hands em-
ployed and the hours of work are al
ready being lessened on account of
the fear eff a possible change as re
suit of the coming election.
This is no story concerning condl-
tions in far off states and cities, but
a statement of the facts as a careful
inquiry shows them to exist right
here in Richmond, and which any
wage Garner familiar with his sur
roundings can see and verify for
himself and which can hardly
nave tSCdpto LIS nOoiCo- AHahy
an individual wage Garner who
reads this may not have been per-
sonally benefited to any great ex-
tent by this increase, but let him
consider the experience of dozen or
more of those who are now working
with him and | think he cannot fail
to see that as whole they have been
largely benefited.
/ have in my employ many work
men whose politics are wholly I'M
known to me, probably in the main
because | have never inquired. Some
of them have worked for me more
than twenty-five years during all
which time | have reason to believe
their votes have been cast against
what l believe to be both their
interest and mine, and | feel
sure no one of these ever felt
for moment that his tenure of
position would be jeopardized by
my knowledge that he SO cast
his ballot, hence | feel free to urge all
such, and all wage earners he.e or
elsewhere, to give this matter care
full thought, to consider conditions as
they exist today as compared with
those which prevailed when the gov
ernment wna in the hands of those
who oppose the present admlnlstra
preparing their ballots vote as they
may believe their own best interest
demands. w. F. SPENCER.