The river press., 1904-09-28
THE PAY OF LABOR.
Republican Policy Tends to 1t41
Increase of Wages. al

Aepu.DAAcan n ToHcy lende t0 q BE41I
Increase of Wages. s n n
The question OF wages is vitat cussA
tion in this country, and the late Thouaas
3. Reed, in 1883, said: ITO insure 90
growth in civilization and wealth -
must not only have wages as high -
they are now but constantly and steadllE
increasing"
It was then thought by some Of Mn.
Reeds friends that he had gone tao II,
toward promise as to the meaning e
the Republican policy Of protection, ~
that his prediction would lead worksar
men to look to this policy for bene6ts
that could not always come.
It is now sixteen years since Mr.. Reea
made his speech defending the vita. sues-
tion in our economic policy, and ehers
have been three tariff laws since tl1f
time. The Bureau of Labor. directed 6y
Prof. Carroll D. Wright, who was ~
pointed to the position by President
Cleveland, has for three years been cor
ducting an investigation to determine tho
effect of tariff legislation, on wages, and
the result was made public in the 1Gly
bulletin of the department. The iUvsa-
| t!gation covered the period from 1880 t.
! 1903. and it shows an increase in wsgee
and work under the Mckinley and Ding
! ley tariff laws and decrease ia beth
| under the Wilson-tiorman tariff taw-
| From 1890 to 1898 the increase in ~
| ployes was from 94.9 to 9a.2; from 1888
| to 1894 the decrease was 4.1, and fEssa
1897 to 19U! under the Dngley law TIN
increase was from 100 to 1864. Txere
was like increase Of wages undec tn
Mckinley aud Dingley tariffs and H.
crease under the Wilson German tariG
The significant comparisons are OF ca1-
ditions in 1894 under the Democratic
tariff and 1903 after six years Of the
Dingley tariff. There was an ncreass
Of 34.3 per cent. or more than one tkirsf
in the number Of employees. decrease It
81 per cent i'll the hours of Labor, an'f
an increase Of 1873 per cent in wages
per hour. These are striking figures ~
cause they show that under RepublacaA
tariff legislation more than one third
more men had employment than uHdae
the Democratic tariff legislation. AMI
that they received nearly one-fifth usscs
! wages per hour. The average earniags
of labor was more than 81 per ceax
| greater III 1908 than in 1894, or maCa
than half rs much again.
Prof. Wright's investigation went nut-
ther and showed that Notwithstanding
the increase in the cost Of food prciacia
the principal i,,crease in the laat Mn
years has been in wages, or the vrits
OF labor. That great commodity of ehs
country in which Thomas e. Reed saw
the development and progress Of AnssrS-
can civilization has increased in valas
more than has the cost OF living; 80 tkar
the benefits of labor have been const1sk-
ly increased by protective tariff legiAa-
tion and embarrassed by Democratic; tar
iff legislation. -
President Harrison sal! years ago tAaa
a cheap coat had the tendency to make
cheap men because it tended to degraAs
the labor used in the manufacture. TAo
Republican policy has been to enlaaee
the price OF labor and that has increased
the cost OF living because all Qua Rss-
duets entering into the living ia chs
country represent labor.
But the protection and the ideaf Ak
Thomas b. Reed has been realized un1sR
the Dingley tariff law. The value h
labor, the rate of wages has constaukds
and steadily advanced to lift the civiHss-
ton OF America. where labor is the tovsr
by which all mankind advances. fra0
drudgery to independence.