Evening journal., 1900-10-23
LABOR THEN AND NOW
The Trade Unions Own ES-
innate of Two Periods in
Our Recent History - Will
the Wage-Earner Dig Pros
perity'S Grave?

Garner as distinguished from the employ |
er-is wont to point to this or that politi- |
cal platform as n guaranty OF good
faith. This Is natural, and goou enough
so far as it goes. But alone, platform
pledges as to labor are hardly sufficient
to convince the intelligent wage-earner,
since they are always practically parallel
in their expression of frlendlness and
solicitude. "By their deeds shall ye
know them" Performance is the clinch-
ing argument. The business men Of New
York, the city which contains more wage
earners than any other in the United
| States, seek the aid of labor to retain
the present federal government, but only
on the record Of what has been accom-
plished The record Of three years is the
only platform they submit.
A singular fallacy is the widespread
impression that, because our States are
sovereign commonwealths, they can, by
| State legislation, cure every grievance
and affliction of labor They can do
much-many of them have done much;
but they cannot reach the very root Of
labor's welfare. This is grounded in
national conditions. The regulation of
hours, prohibition Of child labor and the
sweatshop, sanitary safeguarding of en-
vironment. and all measures protective
of life and limb. are admirable. But
there must, above ALL exist general con-
ditions throughout the country that will
insure, first, employment and second.
ability of the employer to pay fair rate
of wages without disaster to himself
These are the essential preliminaries of
all else
The vital question confronting the
wage-earner in the national election is
not so much whether there shall be a
Republican or Democratic government
at Washington as It is whether he is
likely, as a result of government policy.
to have steady employment at good
wages, partial employment at poor
wages, or no employment and no wages.
He knows, unless his memory prove
false that he was we'll employed in 1892.
He knows that he was persuaded to be-
lieve. in that year, that he was not as
well off as he should be, and that
change Of government would result bene-
ficially TO him. He had his way. He
had also his protracted idleness or ill
requited labor, He had his hungry fam
ily his debt and his eviction. He had
all the hardships that are possible to
commercial stagnation. These were lifted
measurably with the election Of 1896 and
completely by the change OF economic
policy in 1897. These are the facts Of
history. Yet he is asked to-day to put
his head again in the lions mouth.
LABOR THEN AND NOW.
In 1896, under what was sought to be
t made a free trade tariff. there were paid
in wages in the United States s2,291, ,O16,-
b 600.
e In 1900 Fiscal year,, under the restored
r. protective tariff, there were paid il
+ wages SO ,O56 6S5 900.
S The savings bank is invariably an in
l. dicator of Industrial conditions. In 1895
j. the year following the adoption of tn,
+ low tariff, there were in the United States
T 4.S75,519 savings bank depostors and IL
1899. under prosperity's impulse, there
= we're .6S7. .S1S. In 1895 the total deposits
# were $3.50, 597. .o2S. and in 1899 s223O.
II 866. .954 In 1895 the average due each de
e positor was $371.36, and in 1899 1t wa
= SS9218 In 1895 the deposits Represented
e an average per capita of population fl
e the United States Of $25SS, and in 1S9
the average was $2924
&c To any man who has ever put by any
n thing from a modest income these com
q parative figures must tell an interestin
e. story. But there are official figures sti
II more striking in their relation to the tw
Is periods. 1926 and 1S97-1900. In 1S9
first year of the destructive low tariff pC
"a Rod the savings bank deposits of tn
'r country fell off SS3 100000 as compare
ID with 1885, In 1899, in the midst Of th
v new order Of things. the deposits wei
1928. 900 900 in excess of 1896, the la
year OF the low tariff period
DO such astounding contrasts carry I
lesson to the understanding Of the wag
Garner? They have never been eQualC
he in any country in the world-and to-da
We our savings bank deposits are doub
| '|l- those Of any other country in the worl
m, Does the wage-earner propose 20 turn h
yn back upon this record. and turn the go
OF ernment over to economic doctrines SUE
ip- as those which founded the charity sou
~ house only few years ago?
be LABOR's OWN VERDICT.
.S "a SO far as organized labor's own recor
On ed opinion is concerned. we are bound
Icy accept. as a fair medium Of its EXPIRE
sion. President Samuel Gompers Of Z
American Federation Of Labor At I
annual convention in December. 1S'
- when a low tariff was assured and h
ted precipitated business pane, ne sal
Of "Since August we have been in the gre'
zen est industrial depression this country h
ior ever experienced. It is no exaggerati
- to say that more than 100000 of q
si feilow-toilers are without emplovme