The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-16
WAGES DECREASES WHILE COST
OF LIVING INCREASES.

The conditions which face the coun-
try today, and which are continual
menace under the situation brought
about by Republicanism are being
stril1ingly illustrated by contemporary
events, which illuminate most wildly
the state of affairs which must be ex-
pected, so long as that party continues
in power, and holds to it's policy OIL
"stand pat on the laws as they now
stand.
1t was published yesterday that the
wages of the laboring men in the Fail
River cotton mills had been decreased
IL 1-2 per cent, by order of the di-
rectors of the mills, and this follows
in the year the decrease of 10 per cent.
made some months ago. The battle
cry of the Republicans is that prosper
ity is abroad in the land, but how this
can be with the wages of the laborer
steadily decreasing and the cost OF
living on the steady increase is some
thing that is very difficult to figure
out, without juggling with facts. In
attempting to controvert these every
day occurrences there is nothing for
the Republican to do but to go into
the Juggling business. He must de-
ceive by the turn of the wrist and the
winking of the eye.
1t is to be noted that the DinSley
tariff bill is still in operation, fact
upon which Republican papers do not
dwell in the same article in which the
deprecate an influx of immigration to
this country and solemnly warn the
foreigner not TO come, not because ne
is not wanted as a citizen, but for the
reason that there is no employment
for him and because there is not
enough labor to go around among the
people who are now here. Not enough
labor to go round, mind you, still the
cry of prosperity, induced of course,
bv Republicans or rather claimed by
Republican papers and Republican
spell binders.
The cost of living in this country
has gone up at least 25 per cent, but
to meet this increase there has been
no like ascendancy in the pay roll of
the workers. 1t is just the other way,
for i'm place of even a stand-still iii
wages there has been a decrease.
There is no need to- go far afield to
find this decrease, for daily we are
told in the papers such things as the
121-2 per cent. cut i'm the wages of the
cotton mill workers, and we are now
seeing a great part of the country af-
fected by conditions brought about by
the beef trust and the beef strike.
There are those who will say that
the strikers are responsible. But why?
The strike came. not from the strikers,
but from the packers, the proprietors,
who gave notice of a reduction in
wages. The strikers aver, and their
contention is most reasonable one
when the situation is studied, that
with the reduction in wages affected,
it. would be a working for less than
bread and meat. They believe that the
Republican shibboleth of "a full dim
ner pail should amount to something
more than cheap talk and catchy
cry.
And who are to be the benefciaries
of this reduction in the wages of the
employees. Not the public, who are
the consumers, nor yet the public who
are the producers. In this second
class are the farmers who raise cattle
for the market, hut as the price of
beef goes up we do not learn that the
price paid to these, who are the first
hands in the business, is being in
has been no increase to the farmers,
but yet the consumer must pay more
for what he gets.
The profit goes to the middlemen.
In the case dwelt upon this is the beef
packers,-the beef trust-who absorb
the increase, gained on the one side
by cutting wages; on the other side by
putting up the price to the consumer.
These are questions which should
appeal to the voter, who is soon again
to cast his ballot and determine by this
the policies which will control this ma
ton. He who studies closely that
which will be for the best interest of
the whole country will not find 1t in
the fallacies of Republicanism, whose
words are discredited by actualities,
but in the self evident truths presented
by the Democracy, whose touch upon