Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-01-05
LABOR CONDITIONS.
CONTRAST BETWEEN THIS COUNTRY
AND THE OLD WORLD.

CONTRAST BETWEEN THIS COUNTRY
AND THE OLD WORLD.
The Americas Artisan Must Not he
ExDosed to Competition with the
Forlorn ToiIers OF the European
Continent.
A free trade correspondent OF the
New York Evening Post, insisting that
the American wage Garner is oppressed
by the protective system, shows that
from 1897 to 1908 "the average daily
wage Of all classes Of railway en-
ployees has increased barely 8 per
cent" while the prices Of certain kinds
Of food (beefsteak, chickens and lambs
among them have increased more than
6 per cent. To the list he might have
added wheat, which has gone up much
beyond 81. sz&
In answer to this complaint It would
be sufficient perhaps to say, first, that
the protective tariff has no direct In
fluence upon the wages of railroad
hands, and, second, that four years ago
the Democrats promised dollar wheat
to the farmer If Mr.. Bryan should be
elected. Surely they should not now
find fault that the farmer, whose pros
perity assures the prosperity Of all 9TH
er Industrial persons in the country, Is
getting under Republican administra-
ton higher prices for some of his prod
ucts.
But there may be some advantage
possibly in considering the subject in
another way. Francis G. Moore, q
Texan and a Democrat, few months
ago addressed to the Paris edition Of
the New York Herald letter from
which we quote as follows: i, ts @
After travelling for the last sixteen
months through continental Europe and
after seeing women working as hod car
riers Of brick, stone and mortar. as we'll
wearing heavy wooden shoes, I have won
dered how brave. chivalrous sons could
| be born OF such mothers. and am thank
! full we have a protective tariff which en-
ables an American workman to let his
| wife attend to his home and children. He
| will do well to support the party which
| insures him q living wage, and so will
/ the American farmer, whose best Gus
toner is a well paid American workman.
American capital can compete with for
| eign capital, but the American workman
cannot compete with this half fed, half
clothed labor Of Europe. ~
The American workman will do well
to regard this picture of European
working people instead Of hearkening
to the complaints of the free traders.
ok hot no
ferred to by Mr.. Moore have no inter.
est in the rise and fall of the price OF
wheat, for they never eat wheat bread
Whether beefsteak is dear or cheap
cannot concern them, for they eat meat
rarely and beefsteak never. Chickens
and lambs and similar dainties are as
much beyond their reach as are the
higher and the highest luxuries of life
This is the only land where the toilel
eats meat every day and often Of the
best and hardly knows Of the existence
Of black bread.
have $2,5O0OOO,OOO in the savings
banks. Probably they have half as
much more in building and loan asso
Citations. In Philadelphia thousands OIL
them own their homes, which are car
peted and contain pianos and organs
and bathrooms and running water ant
gas and other comforts. The children
Of these people are nicely dressed fol
school and for church, and the mothers
have silk raiment for Sundays.
The peasants observed by Mr.. Moore
in the widest flights Of their imagina
tons never dreamed of possessing q
house or piano or of wearing silk
garments, and their children do not &c
to school. Not the savings bank, but
the poorbouse, is their hope for old
age. In their methods Of living they
are further below the American than
the savage Indian is below them.
There 10 not place in the nation to
which an American workman may not
reasonably aspire He will remember
always that Lincoln was day laborer;
that President Johnson was a tailor;
that Henry Wilson, senator and vice
president, was cobbler; that President
Garfield was a canal boatman; that
|
have climbed from the low places to
the high amid the applause of their fell
lows. The pathway to the top has no
distractions the At man may not sur
mount
The Europeans described above have
the door tightly shut against them, no
matter what latent genius may be in
them. There is no ray of hope for
them. Poverty and ignorance and
degradation are their doom. 1t was
that Of their forefathers. 1t is that
Of their children and their children's
children.
The true American, no matter what
his occupation, looking at the swarm
ing misery of the European toilers and
the prosperity and comfort of the
American toilers. will feel little inter-
ested to inquire II wheat and chickens
are high or low or If lamb and beef
atoaE bavo oopo nm mr. doxvp HE ono