Courier Democrat., 1904-04-07
Protected Trusts and Monopo-
lies In Full Control.
ALL GLASSES AT THEIR MERCY.
Cest Of Living Now Forty.three Per
Cent Higher Than When Dingley
Bill Became Law-Wages Have
Declined Twenty or Thirty Per
Cent-Prices stin Advancing.


ing man must see and understand |
them. Never before was it so easy to
see things so clearly. II there ever
was time when the wages and sal
ary men might be excused for thinking
that high protective tariffs were their
friends that time is not now. They
have but to open their eyes and look
about to see that the present Dingley
duties are cutting them both ways
by causing reduced work and wages
and by causing higher prices and ill.,
creased cost of living. What do we
now see?
With the cost of living at the highest
point recorded in modern times we see
hundreds Of thousands of workers
thrown out Of work and hundreds Of
thousands working at greatly reduced
wages. Often the same tariff protect
ed trusts which are advancing the
prices of their products are compel
ling their employees to accept lower
wages.
We will first consider the increased
cost Of living. Dun's review publishes
every month "index" numbers which
show the relative cost Of living ut diff
ferent times. These figures are based
upon quotations of $50 articles, with
due allowance for the relative impor-
tance Of each. 1t is the most accurate
and scientific of all the methods Of
showing the average price of commodi-
ties and the relative cost of living.
These figures indicate that the cost
OF living was 6per cent greater in 1900
than in 1890, 81 per cent greater in
1900 than in 1897, 43 per cent greater
on March 1, 1904, than on July 1, 1897.
and more than 6 per cent greater on
March /, 1904, than on Oct. /, 1903.
Thus, while wages declined more
than 11a per cent from 1890 to 1900,
according to our census figures aver
age prices rose per cent. This indi-
Gates reduction in actual wages of
nearly 8 per cent. AS we had even
higher protection in 1900 than in 1890
1t is not easy to see how the working
man is being blessed by the protection
Of the Republicans-trust variety.
But July 1, 1897. was just before the
passage of the Dingley tariff bill.
which has given us the highest rates
ever known and which is the mother
Of hundreds Of greater trusts than the
world ever before saw. Under this
tariff-trust law the cost of living has
risen 43 per cent. The most reckless
Republican figure makers in the coun-
try will not claim that average wages
have gone up 43 per cent since 1897.
nor will they deny that wages have
declined greatly since Oct. /, 1908,
since which time the cost Of living
has risen more than 6 per cent.
There can be no doubt about the
great decline in wages since last Octo-
Der. The Democratic leader Of the
house Of representatives, Hon. John
Sharp Williams, as well as Congress
men Robert Baker, Allan Benny, Will
liam Hughes, William W. Rucker,
Robert Lamar and others, has had
printed in the Congressional Record
evidence Of wage reductions and closed
mills on very large scale.
These include 100000 employees Of
the steel trust whose wages were re-
/
age Of 10 per cent, but which, If we
may Judge from comparisons Of old
and new scales in recent numbers Of
the Iron Age, average more nearly 80
per cent and, for many skilled work
ers, exceed 40 per cent.
They include $4,000 employees in the
cotton mills Of New England who are
now idle or working at wages 10 per
cent below those Of last fall. They in
clude some 100000 or 100000 en-
ployees Of the railroads who are either
laid OF Or are getting wages from 5 to
20 per cent lower than those received
last year. They include, of course,
tens Of thousands employed in mills
outside of those in the steel trust and
outside of the New England cotton
mills. It is safe to say that hundreds
employed a year ago and that millions
are now working at wages from to
50 per cent below those received q
year ago.
Nor is this all. The mill closing,
wage reducing and price advancing
process is still going on. On Feb. II
We were told that the eight plants Of
the National Glass company were idle
and 1900 flint glass workers were on
strike against the proposed reduction
in wages. The National Glass Budget
Of March IL stated that after a ses-
sion lasting week the window glass
workers had consented to a 25 per
cent reduction, in wages. On March 18
It was announced that. ..'the Independ,
snt Window Glass company" met at
Columbus. O., land decided upon 8
4 per cent advance in the price of
window glass, effective Monday
4 The Iron Age Of March 10 contained
mention Of numerous closed mills ard
wage reductions and also the follow
ing announcement:
There is no doubt, whatever that
j the union tin plate mills viii demand
! from the Amalgamated' association Z
material reduction IN wages Of tn
plate workers from the present scale.
Heavy 6duol54a6 inswaees have been