The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-19
interested in High Wages.


gated villain and let it go at that?
Interested in High Wages.
The common cant of certain type of
labor agitators that the great Industrial
combinations are intended primarily to
reduce the standard Of wages should
not deceive any man intelligent enough
to do his own thinking, and reason from
home market has built up the manufac-
tories Of the United States? The one
reason why our home market is, out of
all comparison. the greatest in the
world is that the standard of living
among wage earners Is far higher here
than 1t Is elsewhere. This home mar
ket absorbs the greater portion Of the
product Of American industry. Foreign
markets are chiefly important as TAX
ing the surplus after home wants
have been supplied. That surplus, while
enormous in the aggregate, is relatively
small as compared with what Is con-
sumed at home.
To imagine that the men at the head
of the great industrial concerns of this
country would deliberately enter upon
a policy designed to reduce the wages
and consequently the consumptive ca
pacity of American working men Is to
give them credit for possession Of but
little ordinary business sense. They
know, as every student Of economic
conditions knows. that every general in
crease in wages throughout the country
is followed by an increased demand for
all classes Of goods, and generally
enhanced Industrial activity cumula-
tive in its effects. On the other hand.
every widespread reduction OF wages
means reduced demand, ultimate clos
ing Of factories and depression in all
the avenues of business, for all are in
terdependent.
So far from Its being to the pecuniary
interest of the manufacturers or other
large employers of labor to have a re-
duction Of wages throughout the coun-
try, the precise contrary is the case. 1t
Is little profit to manufacturer to re-
duce the wages of his own employees,
for every active competitor will follow
the same course, will sell on as close
margin as he does. and his profits will
al N ha IN Ia
goods, no higher than before the reduc-
ton. But whatever may be his inter-
est in reducing the wages of his own
employees. there can be no doubt that
he has q most decided interest in hav-
ing wages elsewhere kept at the highest
possible standard. If wages through
standard of continental Europe the
comparative consumptive demand
would drop to the same point. and a
large percentage of the industries of the
country would be without a market. If
wages dropped to the Asiatic standard,
as some wild-eyed agitators profess to
pelieNt tHey VIII III the luluIes ouF III
dustrles would practically vanish.
Nor is this true of this country alone
Industrial development demands a
higher rate of wages and higher stand
ard of living all over the world. Since
Japan has taken up Western methods,
one of the most noticeable features Of
its advancement has been rapid in
crease in the rate of wages paid, the
higher standards of living which the ma
tives have adopted, and consequently a
heavy increase in the trade of that
country with the outside world. as well
as marvellous industrial activity at
home New wants grow with the means
to supply them, and instead of Ameri-
can wages reaching the Asiatic stand
ard, it is lar more likely that Asiatic
wages will in the future gradually ap-
proaeh nearer and nearer to those Of the
United States.
South Carolina is getting even on her
record in 1861. The Society of Patriotic
Reward, composed of women of that
state, has presented a gold medal to
Lieut.. Victor Blue, who, at imminent
risk of his life, discovered that Ger
| yera's fleet was actually In Santiago