The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-09
Mr.. Hill Gloomy Again.

Mr.. Hill Gloomy Again.
Mr.. ]. J. Hill has contracted such a
habit Of late of being misuuoted that it Is
with the greatest circumspection that we
approac CHI the interview with him published
in the papers to-day It must be under
stood that whatever is said below, with
the alleged interview as text must be
taken upon the superstition that Mr.. hill
really said what it Is said he said. In
other words, if Mr.. Hill did say it, why
then we say what we say, otherwise 1t Is
to be as If we kept silence. 7
The first general observation to be made
ID that this time Mr.. Hill is in gloomy
mood again; we are again reminded that
Mr.. Hill, like lesser men, is a man OF
moods A poorly settled dinner or the
Irritation of the demand Of his trainmen
for higher pay, may have been responsible
for putting Mr. Hill in ill-humor. The ILL.,
humor causes him to take a pessimist1c,
gloomy hopeless view Of American indus |
try Having taken the view he sets his |
mind to work to support it. The process
is familiar to all of us weak mortals. The
mood full often determines the view;
whereupon reason is called upon to argue
for it. ... " ..-.. .
High prices will ruin, are running our
industries, Mr.. Hill says, and adds that
high prices are due to labor unionism,
which is forever pushing up the rate OF
wages. American workmen work shorter
hours than Germans and get more pay.
Unionism has already ruined England and
will ruin us. r. ~
1t would be interesting to have Mr.. Hill
present the figures that show that Ameri-
can manufactures are losing ground or
even that we are not the worlds leading
manufacturing nation. AS a matter or
fact the statistics show that we are far
away the leading manufacturing nation OF
the world, and that our capacity Is in
creasing much more rapidly than that Of
any other nation. The figures are too
familiar and in too common use to be
worth citing here. MIR. Hill is represented
as having made the, mistake OF taking our
exports Of manufactures as the thermom-
etef of our manufacturing growth. It is
true that there has been decline IN our
exports OF manufactures for two years.
Why: Because we are manufacturing
less? Mr.. Hill knows better. He can't
help knowing better with the railway con-
gestion staring him in the face, with the
best railway organization In the world
helpless, delnoralized and paralyzed by the
demands made, upon it.. The reason is
that home consumption has grown and ex-
banded and increased with such bounds
that domestic manufactures have had in
some degree to abandon their foreign
trade to supply. the more profitable and
more pressing home demand Why, merely
to take care Of the $4,000, 900 to 10000, 600
people we are adding to our population in
this decade is stupendous task, to say
nothing of looking after the foreign
market. Does Mr.. Hill imagine that we
are importing foreign iron and steel be-
cause we are producing less at home:
Does he know that blast furnace projects
now on foot will add as much to our iror
capacity in the next two years as the
total present capacity Of Great Britain
and Germany together? The truth sim
ply is that the most remarkable industrial
expansion In the history of the world ha:
swamped our manufacturers as it ha
overwhelmed our railways.
The trouble with Mr.. Hill is that he see
menace In labor unionism and then an
ticipates a future of his own creation
Yet there is food for serious thought ii
his complaint. There is real danger tina
wages will be pushedStoo high during tn
present period of prosperity, with the re
suit that when it is less turbulent and W
begin to need foreign orders again, Their
will.haye to be: a sorrowful process q
contraction. %
But the blame here is as much with tn
capitalist as the workman. The forme
has tried to capitalize present prosperit
at too high a figure, and has overlaid til
solid stratum of actual capitalization wit
deep marsh of watered stock. TIL
workman, seeing this has demanded In
share of prosperity in higher wages. Tt
only way in which he can water his stoc
is by raising wages and shortening hour
but it may prove equally disastrous whe
carried to an extreme, of which there
a present danger. How 1t operates ws
suggested by the conditions among tt
building trades of Chicago year or tu
ago, when building had to stop till II
workmen came to their senses.
In this connection it is pleasant to no
that Mr.. Hill denounces stock waterin
and is not opposed to regulation that W
prevent it,
In view Of the ease with which T h