The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-01-25
A MENACE TO LABOR.

The Review has often been accused of rash
sentimentalism in regard to the negro question 1t
has been pointed out us, time and time again.
first, that the conditions did not exist as
thought them, and that the negro was not sup
pressed and kept in ignorance; second, that if we
lived in the south we would that the negro was
except under just they at present, and third
that the question purely local one and that
there no reasons for northern paper to make
such a fuss about matters which purely the
business of the southern whites.
That the first two propositions are absurdy con
Trajectory never seem S to enter the minds of
southern apologists, and these objections rank
IN wisdom along with the old question propounded
by the forefathers of these apoogiss In abolition
times, ssWould you want your daughter to marry a
ngger?'; there seems to be no reason for further
reply. AS to the proposition that the negro ques-
ton is pureya local one we believe there is room
for argument We have seen occasions both in
the north and the south when the government of
the community had fallen into the hands of the
lower and sometimes criminal Glass; to such ex-
tent that the better element usurped by force what
they could not get by the ballot and have often
seen excuse for such action. If, however, these
communities at the same time made effort to
raise and help these lower classes, if they planned
simply to keep them ignorant and debased and to
continue and perpetuate their usurpaton of power,
then the community committed great wrong, not
only against the constitution but against the gen
eral welfare of their community, and of the people
as whole.
We often hear stated the stump that the
Americans are the best housed, the best clothed
and the best fed of any people on EARTH This is
present of the great industrial states of the
north. Many wisely attribute this prosperous con-
dltlon to the American tariff laws, which prevent
the competition of American labor with the so.
called pauper labor OF Europe. In pursuance with
this idea and for this express purpose, the cheap
collie labor OF China has been prohibited from
/ coming to America. Ask any Labor Union man
what would be the effect Of large bodies Of Chinese
settling on the Pacific coast and he would tell you
that it would Immediately affect the wages of Amer
lean labor in almost every part Of the United
States He would explain this by saying that the
manufacturer looking for location considers sew
era items the cost and accessibility of raw mater
ial transportation facilities cost Of fuel and cost
Of labor The new factory will go to the place
which best untes these advantages and if the cost
of labor s,suficently low, this item will outweigh
other considerations. Thus while we pass laws
against Chinese immigration, while we pass laws to
Il
rope, we allowing system of cheap laborsto
! grow up in the United States which is a menace to
. every northern working man.
We have before US pamphlet issued by the IL
nois Central railroad entitled ssIndustria Sites in
Ten States" This pamphlet contains much valu-
able information, and is intended to attract manu-
facturers to locate along the line of the Illinois
Central railroad Among the items given are the
tax rate, railroad lines, raw material cost of fuel,
and cost of labor
u Let us suppose that the readeri is about to en-
q bark manufacturing enterprise; he takes this
y pamphlet in hand to seek for location. He finds
E that railroad facilities good both north and
south. For instance he takes the town of Holly
Il Springs, Miss, and compares it with Denson. Ia
The towns are nearly of size, both have two rail
road systems; the cost of coal IN Holly Springs is
b given at from 81. 40 to So. per TOM in Denison
soft coal is given at So 90 per ton and slack for
steam at sI.oo. The cost of day labor at Holly
Springs is given at rs cts. per day, the Of day
labor in Denison is given at from 81 SO to 81 90
n per day. Would not this last item be a tremen-
dous factor in determining the location of the plant?
n If the would be manufacturer expected to employ
u a large amount of common labor, would he not go
81 where there saving of at least per cent
in the amount of wages? We have taken the
example of Holly Springs because it was town of
+ about the size of Denison. Looking through the
book however, we find wages approximately as fol
lows: At the only point given In South Dakota
we find that the of common laboris from 81. so
to 81. 90 per day, in Iowa the lowest wages given
are from SI.Io to SIPS per days while in nearly all
cities the lowest wages mentioned are from 81. IS
to 81. 50 placing the average lowest wage at 81. s.
in Wisconsin wages are quoted at 81. co. 81. rs and
81. 5o in Illinois find that in the northern part
Il of the state wages are approximately the same as
in Iowa, ranging from ST. 90 to 81 90 and averag-
n ing the same, SI.35. In southern Illinois where
the negro population is larger we find the wages
given at from IS cts to SI.25 and in city, Muir