The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-07-29

highly tariff protected industries are
ensconced, such as Pennsylvania,
New Jersey and Ohio, the workmen
employed in the Iron and Steel and
Glass and Textile and Pottery IN
dustries have mostly voted the Re-
publican ticket. These workmen
have been led to believe that their
employment depended upon the Re-
publican policy of tariff protection
and only through that policy, as the
Republican national platform declares
can be maintained "the high stand
ard OF living of the wage earners OF
this country, who are the most direct
benefciaries of the protective sys-
tenn" This year, however, It seems
probable that the worlsingmen of
even the highly protected industries
are demanding something more than
tariff protection and Government
by Injunction" Is the paramount is
sue with them.
The highly protected Steel trust
managers evidently feel that some
thing must be done to bold the labor
vote for the Republican party and H..
@ Friok, who broke the Homestead
strike in 1892 and VINO is now one
of the managers of the steel trust has
set about to do It. The plan Is laid
down in dispatch dated July 20,
from Pittsburg TO the New York Sun.
1t informs the public that;
"The II. c. Fricli Coke company
today placed orders with many en-
ploytment agencies in Pttsburg for
men to work at the coke ovens in the
Connellsville field. One stipulation is
that all must be Americans, or at
least mr.4 have been residents of
the United States for certain num-
Der of years.
lone Pittsburg employer yester-
day let the contract for 100 houses
for his miners, each house to have a
bathroom"
The dispatch. you will observe, says
nothing about the ~ages to be paid,
but undoubtedly the pay to these
Americans will be the same as It was
TO the foreigners heretofore employed
but the Americans are 10 have bath
rooms II they can pay the extra rent
charged for that luxury.
The Bulletin OF the Bureau Of Lab
or just published by the Department
of Commerce and Labor, contains
the latest official report on the wages
paid to coke workers In Pennsylvania
for 1906. As that was in the height
OF the late trust boom, wages were
then at the highest point. SO the
Americans are not likely to be now
paid higher wages. The report says:
'fThere were 1880 coke workers.
to whom were paid wages amounting
to an average yearly wage or S562.6O.
That was equal to S4c a month. or
81. 20 a day of 26 working days In a
month. AT the high cost of living, in
consequence of the tariff protecting
the trusts, an American workman
would not revel in luxury on such
wages, although bathrooms were
thrown in free, though the steel
trust. which controls the Frick Coke
industry did make such enormous
profits that It paid good dividends on
hundreds of millions of watered
stock. Still IL 1t Is true that over
twelve thousand coke workers all
Americans, are 10 be put to work at
81 10 per day, 1t Is great Improve
ment IL not actual prosperity for
these men. who have been practically
idle for the past SIX months.
But somehow feel II will be we'll
10 await further advices before be-
lieving this good news. The bath
room story casts doubt over my
mind. 1t Is too altruistic to be cred
tied to the steel trust and Pittsburg.
The story has the esrmarks OF the
Club which is working over
time TO prove tlat the late Republic
can deluge was merely shower and
that II we will all put faith in what
the Sunshine Club tells US and by
taking a kind of Republican faith
cure the late panic and the still
DTtStut uSpi icooioh va W.
appear and prosperity reappear.
The fact is the trust magnates
and the railroad managers have all
joined the Sunshine Clubs In their
resective centers and are literally
towards the dissemina-
tion of Sunshine news. They are
sending 1t to all the newspapers not
forgetting the labor papers, and the
story Is evidently Intended
for the especial consumption OF the
to show them the actu-
al prosperity that awaits all Gamer
leans" II they vote thu, Republican
tiol1et and do not listen to the wicked
Gompers, who would lead them OH
into the barren field of Democracy.
rhe Democratic managers, however,
view the matter with considerable
for II SHOWS that the
Republicans have discovered 1t Is
necessary TO look after the labor
vote even in such state as Penn
,ylvsnia with its enormous Republic
,an majority, and they draw the
conclusion that In many other states
,ha lahor vote will he almost solid for |