The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1904-09-17
Wages And The Cost of Living.

From the Philadelphia Ledger (Rep.) of Tuesday.
President Roosevelt says in his letter of
acceptance:
'As conclusively shown by the bulletin of
the Bureau of Labor the purchasing power of
the average wage received by the wage worker
has grown faster than the cost of living.
Nothing would give the Ledger greater
pleasure than to confirm this statement, which
it profoundly regrets it cannot do. More
liable, because more disinterested and more
appropriated, witnesses than the Commits
sioner of Labor have again and again declared
it consplcuOusly inexact. Among those dis
interested Witnesses are both Bradstreets aud
Dun carefully compiled reports, and among
the appropriated ones are several prominent
labor leaders. who have testified through the
Ledger to the truth respecting the wage scale
of the one part and the regular quotations of
the prices of the necessaries OF life of the other
part.
All the precise testimony given by these
Trustworthy witnesses is directly contrary 10
the President s statement. Bradslreet and Dun
both report that the prices OF domestic com
modiiies have had an average increase from the
lowest standard. reached in 1896. OF 81 per
cent We feel quite safe in saying that no one
who has considered the question, or Is at all
informed with regard To wages and the pre-
saiHng prices of the uecesSaries of life, will
seriously assert that since 1896 the average
wage rate has increased t0that eNtent-more
than a third. There Is no workman in the
land who cannot testify to the accuracy oi this.
The Presidents contention Is that the al
legged greater proporiionate increase OF the
average wage to the increased cost OF living
has been due to the benehceni protection al
forded to labor by the tariff Here again the
Presidents position Is contested by labor n
self II Is quite true that the wages OF noi only
artisans. but Of their helpers the unskilied
laborers have been materially increased since
1896: but while there have been slight IN
cresses at various times of the wages OF the
SO called projected workmen. the aggregate
additions have not at all kept step wlth the
increase Of the cost Of living. Al present.
under the Dingley tariff, the tendency over the
entire country Is to reduce the wages Of those
employed IN the protected industries. As Fall
River, Mass. -, 600 textile operatives have
been out OF work and deprived of wages for
Two months because they would not consent
10 Hat wage reduction Of II per cent Ia
Chicago, the highly protected Meat Trus, mon
onoly has Just succeeded ln crushing ;o death
one Of the couniry's most powerful labor nr-
CARNATIONS because Il demanded Shoily
reasonable increase Of wages tor the ugd"r
paid laborrrs, The tariff promoted and 'ars
mAfNfAANg1 Ntert. iron anu IN AEA~A tlAAN tFfti
la,ierly largely reducing Us wage schedules.
A. has also the Glass Trust, which snyoys zll /
the advantages Of prohibSfnTy tarTa schedules.
The artisans. mechanics nt al sorts aud
their unskilled helpers. o. Nhom the tArla
does not sgcn pretend 10 give protection ~
ceive hjrb wages and 50 long as their unions
remain intact will continue to Do 50 Bot
whai single tariff protected industry psys rs
eorkmen The sane Eeueroas reward iDE their
labor thai the aonProlectea activities pay their
employee Tor their labor
Commissioner Wright late report 90 wages I
sod the cost Of living. 80 whscb the PsssI3ens /
referred "a discraiiied 80 advance Of ~ sp- Z
pearancs by no les an authority than The See 4
rotary of The Treasury sho, "a = stamp speech. 4
announced that such report was heing Pre-
pared ior the express purpose ct hcading OF I
the Democratic charge thai tie increase % the (
cust Of living had gat1au The increase o; sage 4
10 strict accordance ~lgh Secretary SAaW e 4
announcement Cota ulisssoaef WF5ghi's Frruri 4
was Published. Aad hoFr % every page q q .
the sinister marks Of partisan csmpAlgn dos I
umeut Rut no s-aney bad Is appeared ;hab I
it, statistics Sere easily proved 10 - nrslead I
inK and. IN fact. unst commonly the Fvvrfs~ .
II the truth This IS The statement Nhich ihr /
President Nas In3aced e. offer prsoi that 4
the Increase of wages andsr the b3ngiry iarts Z
bad been greater than the increase IN the cusi I
81 lirinF l, may be irr~sa'Ahly sAsi that there I
. not q - called iaF1'f protected Workman (
who cannot out q his uwu personal knowledge /