Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-09
SUPERIORITY OF AMERICAN LABo,

The superiority Of American labor as
compared with labor in other civilized
countries is a theme of a new book by
Emil Levasseur, the great French po-
litical economist. In this work, which
is entitled THE American Working
man." and which embodles the results
of personal observation and study as a
visitor to this country, Prof. Levasseur
hits the nail squarely on the head by
declaring that the industrial success of
the United States is to be ascribed prin-
cipally to the ingenuity, inventiveness
and industry of the American working
man.
What has made the greatest impress
sion upo Prof. Levasseur, as it has
upon all students of our conditions from
abroad, is the extraordinary degree to
which American labor makes itself
adaptible to the use of machinery and
to the constantly improving mechanical
processes Of production. Whereas
abroad the workman often persists In
performing his task in a particular way
because 1t is the custom of the land
or because his father did it that way
before him, the American artisan is
alert to every opportunity to increase
his capacity by taking advantage of
new tools and labor saving devices as
soon as they are perfected to the point
of practicability. The enormously In
oraoand at,ty,,f 90 y,a1n-. ,.uI o.J e..
tory can be explained on this one
ground, and a realization of the won,
derful strides already made In this
country through the introduction of
automatic devices is what is now giving
Europe for the first time a thorough APP
probation of the Industrial competition
it will have to meet with the succession
of American mechanical trlumphs.
The most gratifying part of Prof.
Levasseur's investigation relates to his
inquiry into the actual standard of liv-
ing of the American workingman. While
it goes without saying that far higher
wages are paid in this country than in
Europe for every class Of skilled and
unskilled labor, the question is fire.
quently debated whether this means
better and more substantial conditions
Of life among the laboring classes. One
French observer unhesitatingly bears
witness that the American workingman
lives, dresses and INDUCES in luxuries
that would astonish the old-world la
borer engaged in corresponding occupa-
tons. The comfortable character of
the workingman's home and the liberal
care bestowed on wife and children, for
whom a generous allowance out of the
weekly earnings is set aside, attract spe-
eial attention in comparison with the
scanty home life of the family of the
European wage worker.
In veuturing the opinion, however,
that the future must In time bring a
fall In the American wage level as a
result of great conflicts Of labor and
capital, Prof. Levasseur gives way to
the temptation to speculate without
sufficient groundwork to build on. The
wage level has gone steadily, If slowly,
upward In this country from the very
first without any noteworthy lapses, and
there is no good reason why the up
ward currents should fail. Even IL the
nominal wages should remain station
AIRY, the constant increase of productive
capacity, reducing the cost Of neces-
sarles and comforts aud bringing them
within easier reach OF all, would mean
n constant betterment Of the standard Of
living and elevation Of the working
classes. OF this we may rest assured,
that so long as American labor main
tains its superiority over its competi-
tors, America will have the best paid
and best provided for w~Orkingmen in
the world.