The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-07-13
Washington Letter.
Special Correspon dence

|
Special Correspondence.
Washington, June l0-The republican
party has good cause to ask the voters
of the country to continue it in con.
troll OF the government and to reflect
President Mckinley. The results which
have followed the application OF repub-
lican principles to the administration
of the United States have not been acct
| dental. Aside from the conditions
arising from the war with Spain, no one
will dispute that the nations affairs are
far better than they were under the
democratic administration which pre-.
coded the election of Mckinley All
financial and commercial conditions
have improved. The riots incident to
the strikes during the Cleveland ad-
ministration were the acts, not of the
strikers, but of starving and unemployed
men.
Within two years after President Nc
Kinley was inauguarated, all of the idle
of 1895 were at work, so much so that in
the strikes of 1900 it is not possible for
employers of labor to fill the places of
men going out on strikes. Never be-
fore have employers been so able to
meet the demands of strikers. In every
line of employment of labor there has
been an advance in wages more than
equal to the advance in the cost of liv.
ing products. 1t is now seen that pro.
duction has run beyond the limits of de.
mand in many lines, and this will ad.
just itself by lower prices in 1901 than
in 1900. The adjustment has been 60
ing on for three months, and now prices
in all lines of iron materials are lower
than in 1899. One year ago the trusts
and large manufacturers advanced
prices. and when they got them beyond
reasonable limits the consumption
ceased and values had to fall. Manu-.
facturers have thus learned that they
can not maintain unreasonable prices
by stopping production. They have
also learned that they can run their
plants to full capacity if the prices of
their commodities are reasonable.
The tariff for protection excludes the
products of cheaper labor in other
countries. The gold basis of our none
tary system enables the purchaser to
buy the raw materials at the lowest
prices in any market in the world.
The American mechanic is today with
out a superior on earth. He does one
third more work in day of eight hours
than the men of his trade IN any part of
Europe, and he does it better. He is
therefore entitled to one third higher
wages than are paid in European coun
tries which would like to compete with
us for our home market. An increase
of wages to American employees does
not mean an increase beyond reasonable
limits in prices charged the consumer.
The rule is coming to be understood
that wages and prices must be reason
able if the products are to be sold, and
this rule is being gradually applied and
adjusted between employers and EN-.
ployees. In no period of our history
has its march been so rapid or so marked
as under the administration of McKin-
ley. Why?
No man who ever filled the presiden-
tial Office has had so broad an experience
in the economic questions of labor and
its products as had Mr. Mckinley. For
thirty.five years he has watched and
studied these questions and, as presi.
dent, he has shaped, as far as he could,
all results to the ends ofjustice between
employee, employer and consumer of
manufactured products. Years ago he
saw that we were gradually changing
from an agricultural to manufactur-
ing people. He saw that we must adj
just our legislation to meet the coming
change, and that such changes must be
gradual, so that there would be no
violent shock to any interest.