The river press., 1904-09-28
THE PENDING STRIKES.
They Are Of No Use as Democratic
Campaign Material.


Campaign Material.
After cropping about blindly for some
thing to take the place of the dead 16
to ! free silver issue Of 1896 and 1900.
the democrats have apparently seized
upon the unrest Of labor as indicated in
strikes in various parts Of the
country as a condition which can be
charged to the Republican party. This
is merely another illustration of the tr:l-
dit;onal fatuity of Democratic issue hum
te.:s to monkey with a live Wire, when
they are looking for something to win
votes, a.s.s :s~
Strikes, like. the poor, we have with
us always. / But unlike the poor they are
not proofs OF hard times and misfortune.
More often strikes are the signs and at
tendants of prosperous times. In hard
times wage carriers have nothing to
strike for. except against sharing IN the
,ltsscs which wait Oh unremunerative
industry. In good times, such as we
have been experiencing under Republi-
can rule during the past eight years.
strikes Indicate the natural ambition Of
labor to secure an increased share III
the profits of their renuneratiye indus
try.
Under Cleveland. from 1893 to 1896.
strikes signied the protest Of labor
against declining wages.
Under Mckinley and Roosevelt. from
1897 to 1904. strikes have marked the
strides by which labor has raised its
wages to a point never before known in
the history Of the industrial world.
No official statistics of strikes have
been compiled later than for 1900, but
the tiguIes for the sixteen years to and
including that year show the follow
ing loss OF wages to employees during
two Republican and two Democratic
administrations:
Wages lost
to employees
by strikes.
1883 to 1883 (Clevcland>. ......$ 4s.5o3, ,9s4
1893 to 1896 (Clcvoland). ....... 71,226, Gil
Total years Democratic
administration ........ .s119. SEQ. col
| 1850 to 1S9. Nlarrison). .......$ 40.Sia. 11l
+ 1S97 to 1900 (McKiney). 81. COS. 72a
Total years Republican
| administration ..... .... .$llO SCI, 81 4
Thus it will be seen that employees lost
nearly $9.OOo.OOO less striking for an in
creased share of the prosperity Unde,
Harrison and Mckinley than they die
striking against reduced share Of the
dwndlins profits under Cleveland.
But more to the point are the figure:
which show the proportion OF strike:
succeeding in the respective periods a:
! follows:
Per cen
| Of strikes
Inclusive successful
1885 to 1883 (Clcvcland>. >.............. 5o.4
| 1S!:3 tn 1SNj ttleypllntl} -
Eight Democratic years. .......... 81 S
1850 to 1872 tFlulriSon}. ............... A."
1897 to 1900 (Mcklnley). ............. G3.l
Eight Republican years. 53.S
The banner year for strikes was 1891
which involved a loss of $37, 14J,J32 t
employees in wages.
1t has been estimated that the strike
OF 1903 lessened the purchasing poWc
OF the American people by fully $1,000
UfNO.UNO: and yet, so universal WAS tn
increase in pay of wage earnsrs th'
. the savings deposits of the country wel
increased by the enormous sum OF %24O
10. III, in one year. This affords
striking contrast to the memorable Yea
Of Democratic adversely. lSo4 whe
X31. lS!..6t1 more savings were will
| drawn than were deposited.
There is a vast difference between IL
Significance OF strikes in years Of adve
Si,y and years OF prosperity. Acvorll
70 the annual report of the Americ:
Federation or Labor the ..OVt strikes
the organizations affiliated with tn
body in 1908 resulted in benefits to
= less than 1o2191, or II per cent Of II
olH,S1o members involved. In 1894 Il
,nnn.rtinn of Snrrnssful StriEpS >v.S m
=, 3..:",
- Clearly the present prevalence OF 50,
adic strikes will not serve the Dem
= c:ats as campaign issue, except as
* boomerang.