Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-09-10
THE PAY OF LABOR.
Republican Policy Tends to Stesdy
Increase of WaEes.

increase OF w WAxCos
The question of wages is vital quse-
ton in this country. and the late Thomas
b. Reed, in 1888. said: 10 insure our
growth in civilization and wealth We
must not only have wages as high ~
they are now but constantly and steadily
Increasing"
1t was then thought by some Of Mr..
Reeds friends that he had gone too far
toward n promise as to the meaning Of
the Republican policy OF protection. and
that his prediction would lead working
men to look to this policy for benefits
that could not always come
1t is now sixteen years since Mr.. Heed
made his speech defending the vital quest
ton in our economic policy. and there
have been three tariff laws since that
time. The Bureau Of Labor. directed By
Prof. Carroll ID. Wright, who was ap-
pointed to the position by President
Cleveland, has for three years been con-
ducting all investigation to determine the
effect OF tariff legislation on wages, and
the result was made public in the July
bulletin of the department The invsS
tigation covered the period from 1880 to
1903, and II shows an increase In wages
and work under the Mckinley and Ding
ley tariff laws and decrease in both
under Inc W llSDD -tIorfnnn NV
From 1890 to 1893 the increase In sm-
ployes was from 94.9 to 99.2; from 1898
to 1894 the decrease was o. l. and from
1897 to 1903 under the Dingey law the
increase was from 100 to 1864. There
was n like increase Of wages under the
Mckinley and Dingley tariffs and do
crease under the Wilson German tariff.
The significant comparisons are of con-
ditions in 1894 under the Democratic
tariff and 1908 after six years Of the
Dingley tariff. There was an increase
OF 3i.3 per cent, or more than onet third.
In the number of employees. a decrease Of
3.T per cent in the hours of labor. and
an increase OF 1873 per cent in wages
per hour. These are striking figures be-
cause they show that under Rcpubiican
tariff legislation more than one-third
more men had employment than under
the Democratic tariff legislation, and
that they received nearly onc-tifth more
wages per hour. The average earnings
OF labor was mere than o. per cent
greater In 1903 than in 1904, or more
than half ms much again.
Prof. Wright's investigation went fur
ther and showed that notwithstanding
the increase In the cost of food products
the principal Increase In the last ten
years nftD III WhEtS, OF ptSCV
of labor. That great commodity Of this
country In which Thomas b. Reed saw
the development and progress Of Amsrt
can civilization has increased In value
more than has the cost OF living; no that
tho benefits OF labor have been constant
ly increased by protective tariff Iesisla-
tion and embarrassed BY Democratic tar
iH legislation.
Presidcn, Harrison said years ago that
a cheap coat had the tendency TO make
cheap men because II tended to degrade
the labor used in the manufacture The
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 this
country represent labor.
But the protection and he Ideal Of
Thomas Is. Reed has been realized under
the Dingley tariff law. The vaiua Of
labor. the rate of wages has constantly
aud steadily advanced to lift the civiiisa-
tion Of America. where labor Is the ieyes
by which all mankind advances, frsa
drudgery to Independence.