The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-15
THURSDAY, JANUARY Is, 1903.
BRITISH AND AMERICAN woRKMEN

The report of the commission of British workmen
which made its Investigations the conditions attend
ing the lives of American toiers has yet made its
appearance But enough has been made public of the
views of individual members of commission to enable
to form clear idea to the trend of the collective
opinions of the members
The last member of the commission to treat the pub
lie to statement of his impressions is Mr. George
NJ Barnes, the secretary of the British Amalgamated So
clety OF Engineers Mr. Barnes conclusions differ
rally from the recognized opinions of MANY of his asso-
cates and declared to have given surprise to
those who have had experience on both sides Of the At
lanc Briefly stated, Mr. Barnes believes that in no re-
spect is the American workingman in better circum
stances than his English brother save alone in the d
rect1on OF the wages paid The American worEingnan
IN his understanding receives wages in all the call
lngs than the British nottingham
Now this is almost prejudgment of the question at
issue When in addition, this observer from abroad in
slstS that the productive capacity of the British laborer
man tor man, is less than that of the American it
seems difficult to understand why, least the cond-
tons Immediately attending his toll the American is not
the better off But Mr. Barnes to this that the social
conditions OF the American less pleasant and that
the sense of civic responsibility does exist among
American workingmen anything like the extent to
which It has prevailed among the British.
Viewed purely from the social point of view it seems
little hard to agree with Mr.. Barnes conclusion The
American workingman if he were compelled to practice
the many restraints his expenditures and ANYTHING
like the economical methods of his British brother would
be much better off in every way He IS as rule extrav-
agant and often foolish in his expenditures In the big
Cities such New York and Chicago his home assoca
uonS and environments are not agreeable as they
might easily be made He has to pay too large pro-
portion Of his wages for his housing and his bill for
drink and tobacco would probably be found to go far
above those Of the British workngman similarly situated
But, II he knew his interest and aimed as the
Brtsher usually does to make every dollar go the
tul length possible to it. he only would be able to
secure more pleasant social conditions but could realize
those which utterly beyond workngme on the other
SIDE OF the ocean, In addition to this laying the lines of
his social life down those which prevail abroad and
making his needs and his luxuries correspond to those Of
the foreigner he would be able his foreign brother
not to lay aside sufficient money take of him long
before the dead line in life reached There are
no such foolish social distinctions and divisions to lessen
his own sense of selfrespec visible everywhere
i'll Europe.
Until the movement of population everses itself and
American aborers, skilled and unsklled start to make
their homes abroad and the foreigner refuses to
the Atlantic the social and industrial philosopher will
find himself confronted by hard when he seeks to
establish that the British any other foreign worker is
better off than the American