The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-09-09
THE PAY OF LABOR.
Republican Policy Tends to 4 stsaAR
Increase of Wa1eo,

A0puUl1C0n EOllCy lenODs 20 q SSo00S
Increase of Wages.
The question of wages is n vital quso-
ton in this country. and the late Thomae
b. Reed, in 1883. said: ITO 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 a promise as to the meaning q
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.. Reed
made his speech defending the vital ques-
tion in our economic policy, and there
have been three tariff laws since that
time. The Bureau of Labor, directed b.
Prof. Carroll d. Wright, who was ap-
pointed to the position by President
Cleveland, has for three years been con-
Quoting an investigation to determine the
effecto of tariff legislation On wages. and
the result was made public in the July
bulletin of the department. The inyes-
tigation covered the period from 1890 to
1907. and it shows an increase in wages
and work under the Mckinley and Dins-
ley tariff laws and a decrease in both
under the Wilson-Gorman tariff law.
From 1890 to 1898 the increase in en-
ployes was from $40 to 800: from 1898
to 1891 the decrease was OIL. and from
1897 to 1907 under the Dinsley law the
increase was from 100 to 1864. There
was a like increase of wages under the
Mckinley and Dingley tariffs ana :, de-
crease under the Wilson-Gorman tariff.
The significant comparisons are of con-
ditions in 1894 under the Democratic
tariff and 1909 after six years of the
Dingley tariff. There was an increase
of BIB per cent. or more than onc-third.
In the number of employees, a decrease OF
81 per cent in the hour; of labor. and
an increase of 1873 per cent in wages
per hour. These are striking figures boz
cause they show that under Republican
tariff legislation more than one-third
more men had employment than under
the Democratic tariff legislation, and
that they received nearly one-fifth more
of labor was more thar III per cent
greater in 1903 than in 1894, or more
than half as much again.
Prof. Wright's investigation went fur
Their ard showed that Notwithstanding
the increase in the cost of food products
the principal increase in the last ten.
years has been IN wages. or the price
of labor. That great commodity of this
country in which Thomas Il. Reed saw
the development and progress of .Ameri-
can civilization has increased in value
more than has the cost of living; SO that
the benefits of labor nave been CONSTANT
ly increased by protective tariff lesisla-
ton and embarrassed by Democrtic tar
iff legislation.
President Harrison said years ago that
a cheap coat had the tendency to make
cheap men because it 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 THE
country represent labor.
But the protection and the ideal Of
Thomas B. Reed has been realized under
the Dineley tariff law. TIL value OF
labor, the rate of wages has constantly
and steadily advanced to lift the civiliza.
ton of America, where labor is the leyes
by which all mankind advances, FROM
drudgery to iuleUendence.