West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1904-11-24
WAGES AND THE COST OF LIVING.
President Roosevelt Deliberately Seeks
10 Deceive the Public.

or the many statements deliberately
made by MIR. Roosevelt. in his letter OF
acceptance, which have aroused un.
favorable comment because OF their In.
accuracy, none is destined TO cause him
more trouble and to result In greater
harm TO his canvass than that in
which he alleges that wages have been
increased during the last few years
In greater proportion than tho cost
OF living has increased. This state
ment has called forth a storm of pro.
test. not only from the press. but
among woll-informed labor leaders ana
political economists.
Nearly every independent journal
has taken MIR. Roosevelt to task. one
OF these. the Philadelphia Public
Ledger published in the metropolis OF
tue strongest protectionist State in tie
Union, devotes a column and a half of
It's space in refuting tho Presidents
statement Mr. Roosevelt. TO quote
him precisely. says:
AS conclusiyely shown by the bul.
lotin OF tho Bureau of Labor. the pur.
chasing power OF the average wage re
eeived by the wage-worker has grown
raster than ,he cost OF living"
The Philadelphia Ledger regrets that
II cannot confirm this statement. IL
says
More reliable. because more dlsin-
terestod. and more unprejudiced wit.
nesses than Mr.. Roosevelts Commits.
sioner OF Labor, have time and again
declared It conspiouously inexaot.
Among the disinterested witnesses are
both Bradstreets and Dun's carefully
compiled reports, Rnd among the un.
prejudiced ones are several prominent
labor leaders. who have testified TO the
truth respecting the wage scale OF the
one part and the regular quotation OF
the prices OF the necessities of life OF
the other part. And the precise testi.
mony given by these trustworthy wit.
nosses. is directly contrary to tho presi.
dents statement
THE prices OF domestic commoditloa
have had an average increase from the
lowest standard reached in 1896 OF 81
por cent. No sensible and woll.in.
formed man viii seriously assert that
since 1886 the averagcwage rate has in
creased to that extent-more than one.
third. There is no workman in the
land who can testify to tho accuracy
OF this. The Presidents contention is
that the alleged greater proportIonate
increase of the average wage to tho
Increased cost Of living has been due,
to the bonencent protection Afforded to
labor by the tariff Here again the
Presidents position is contested by
labor itself IL is true that the wages
Of artisans and their unsklled helpers
have been materially increased since
1896. but while there have been slight
Increases at various times OF the wages
OF the socalled protected workmen.
the aggregate differences have not kept
step with the increase Of the cost OF
living
at present the tendency all over
tho country rs to reduce the wages OF
those employed in protected industries.
At Fall River. Mass, 10000 textile
operators arc out OF work and de.
priyed Of wages because they would
not consent 10 fiat wage reduction
Of II per cent. In Chicago the Meat
Trust has crushed to death one of the
most powerful labor organizations be.
cause Il demanded a reasonable in
crease Of wages for the under.paid
laborers. The Steel, Iron and Tin
Trusts interests protected by the tariY.
have been largely reducing their wage
schedules, as has also the Glass Trust.
The artisans. mechanics and all sorts
OF their unsllled helpers, to whom the
tarH docs not even pretend to give
protection. receive high wages. and
viii continue TO receive them so long
as their unions remain intact But
what single tarlnprotected industry
pays IT'S workmen the same generous
reward for their labor that the un.
protected activities pay their EN-.
piOyees lot thcir labor"
10 might bo added that Commissioper
Wrights remarkable statement and
tabulation upon which President
Roosevelt bases his remarks already
quoted was discredited long before tho
candidates letter Of acceptance was
made public, for Secretary Shaw IN a
stump speech delivered several weeks
ago stated that the Commissioner Of
Labor has prepared a bomb which
would blow the Democratic party sky.
high. or words to that effect. lie SAID.
In 50 many words, that this bomb
was IN the nature Of carefully pre-
pared article showing that tho Dem.
ocratlc contention that the cost Of
living had been increased out Of pro.
portion to the increase IN wages was
untrue
Commissioner Wrights bcmb" has
deceived no person Of average inteiii.
genco it bears on its face the i'm.
print Of mtruthfulncss born OF tho
desperate necessities Of losing cam.
paign