CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1904-09-08
THE PAY OF LABOR.


Repubiican Policy Tends to . Steady
Increase Of Wages-
The question of wages IL q vital Ques-
ton IN this country, and the late Thomas
b. Reed. in 1898. said: ITO insure our
growth in civilization and wealth We
must not only have wages as high a.
they are now but constantly and steadily
increasing" = sses
1t was then thought By some Of ~.
Reeds friends that he had gone too far
toward q promise as to the meaaiag OF
the Republican policy of protection. a.d
that his prediction would lead working
men TO look to this policy for benefts
that could not always come
IL 10 now sixteen years since Mr. Reed
made his speech defending the vital quss-
ton in our economic policy, and there
have been three tariff laws since that
time. The Bureau of Labor, directed By
Prof. Carroll d. Wright. who was ap-
pointed to the position By President
Cleveland. has for three years been cos-
Quoting an Investigation to determine the
effect Of tariff legislation on wages. and
the result was made public In the July
bulletin of the department. The inves-
tigation covered the period from 1890 t.
1903. and II shows an increase in wages
and work under the Mckinley and Ding
ley tariff laws and . decrease In both
under the Wilson-GormaR tariff law.
From 1890 to 1898 the Increase in en-
ployes was from $40 to 90.2; from 1893
To 1894 the-tecrease wa8 o.. I, and .fseA1
1897 TO 1908 under the Dingiey law the
increase was from 100 to 1874 There
was a like increase Of wages under the
Mckinley and Dingiey tariffs and . de-
crease under the Wiison-Gorman tariff.
The significant comparisons are of con-
ditions in 1894 under the Democratic
tariff and 1903 after six years of the
Dingiey tariff. There was an increase
of 34-3 per cent, or more than ne-third,
in the number of employees. decrease Of
81 per cent in the hours Of labor, and
an increase of lS-S per cent in wages
per hour. These are striking figures be-
cause they show that under Republican
tariff legislation more than ooe4hird
more. men had employmesta eAaas under
the Democratic tariff legislation. and
that they received nearly oue-6fth more
wages per hour. The average earnings
of labor was mere than "a per cent
greater in 1908 than in 1894. or more
than half as much again
Prof. WriSht's investigation went fur
ther and showed that notwithstanding
the increase in the cost OF food products
the principal Increase In the last ten
of labor. That great commodity OF this
country IN which Thomas b. Reed sav
the development and progress Of Ameri-
cao civilization has increased In value
more than has the cost Of living; 10 that
the beuefts of labor have been CONSTANT
ly increased By protective tariG 3egixia-
tion and enibarraseed By .Demoerat3e Car
10 legislation.
President Harrison said years ago that
4 cheap coat had the tsndeucy to make
cheap men because Il tended to degrade
the labor used in the manufacture. Ths
Republican policy has been to enhance
the price Of labor, and that has increased
the cost of living because all our pro-
ducts entering into the living in thie
country represent labor.
But the protection and he deal Of
Thomas B. Reed has been realised under
the Dinaley tariff Law. The value ef
labor, the rate OF wages has constantly
and steadily advanced to lift the civiii.a-
ton of America. where labor is the lever
by which all mankind advances, from.
drudgery to independence.