Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1891 — WAGES AND THE McKINLEY BILL. [ARTICLE]

WAGES AND THE McKINLEY BILL.

Facts and Figures Going to Show How Prices Have Been Affected. “The tendency of the time," said the New York Tribune a fetv weeks ago, “is to sympathize constantly with the wageearners and against the employers in every controversy. There is some danger that, in its anxiety to do justice to the poor and less fortunate, society! may quite forget that it has duties to property and owners of property.” In other articles thatjpaper and various McKinley organs have argued that the effect of the McKinley bill would be to advanae wages and thus render the workmen better off and happier. A contemporary publishes this summary of how high wages have been protected. It gays: "These statements.greatly annoyed oertain followers of McKinley, who had been diligently preaching the doctrine of Speaker Reed that the McKinley bill “has for its object the aiding of the poor by raising their wages. ” Some of the McKinley papers even declared that it was a “string of misrepresentations from beginning to end,” in spite of the fact that nearly all the redactions mentioned in it had been announced in their own news oolumns.

The following addition to the list may now be made for the enlightenment of those who have been led by the assertion of the newspaper representatives of Mes Kinley that “the aim of the protectionists in congress was to preserve the existing level of wages in this country, and they have fully succeeded in doing so": “A reduction of 10 per cent, or more in the wages of the men employed in the great iron mines of the Northwest. A dispatch from Dolnth, by the Sun on Feb. 23, in a revfew of the condition of the mining regions said: “Wages have been reduced at all tha mines of the district about 10 per cent, and a great many of the mines have reduced their forces nearly one-half.* This statement has been confirmed by reports in trade journals. This redaction is especially noteworthy because the profits of the iron mining companies have been enormous, and because the owners of the mines have tesisted with all their influence any reduction of the duty on iron ore for the alleged reason that sueh a reduction would cut down the wages of their men. We have heretofore shown from the official reports of the companies how great their profits and dividends have been in the last two years. The Wanskuck mills, Providence, R. I. Said the Boston Commercial Bulletin of the 3d inst.: “The 340 looms at the Wanskuok mills, Providence, are silent on account of a strike which was inaugurated there Monday morning. On arriving at their work the weavers found anew price list posted, making what they considered a reduction of their wages. This new schedule goes into effect .the 16, The weavers immediately held a meeting and voted to strike. The total number of weavers out is 600.” Tho superintendent admits that the new price-list makes a reduction.

The Crane iron company, Alientown, Pa. A reduction of 10 per cent, took effect on the 2d inst. The Pullman palace car company. One reduction has already been mentioned. — The second is noticed as foliows in the Boston Commercial Bulletin of the 28 ult.: 'The Pullman company of Chicago, 111., has annoanced a reduction in the price of putting freight cars together from sl2 to $lO, and the men engaged ia. this branch of work, to the number of 150, have quit work. The manager says the company will make no concessions. Pottstown iron company of Pottstown, P>%. One reduction was| noticed Feb. i 7. What seems to be another was announced in the press dispatches of Feb. 25, when it was stated that March 9 the wages of puddlers would be cut down from $3.75 to $3.50 per ton, The great strike in the coke regions. In our dispatches of the Gtli inst. it was said that the employers were talking of requiring the men fto submit to a reduction of 20 per cent, instead of 10 per cent., which was the original demand. Of thislcase our high-tariff contemporary, the Philadelphia Press. said Saturday last: “Sixteen thousand mih' rs and coke hands in the Connellsvills redoh have been out of work for nearly a month on account of a dispute between them and their employers as to the amount of wages which they should receive. The quarrel is still kept up, the operators claiming that a reduction of 10 per cent, from the recent pay is essential to the conduct of the business. Each side is losing thousands of dollars every day, but it may be safely predicted that the employes wili have to surrender at the last. The Illinois steel company. The difference between the men and their employers appears to relate to a reduction. The Boston Commercial Bulletin of the 7th inst. savs: “The rolling mills at Joliet, 111., have shut down for an indefinite period, throwing out 1,000 men. This, with those already out waiting for the blast furnaces to fire up, makes 2,500 men idle. The men asked for a sliding scale, the same as at the Sou'h Chicago mills, but the company officials refused to grant it." The furnace men of the same company at Sonth Chicago have been on a strike because of changes that increased the quantity of work that they were to do. Weybosset mills. Olneyville, R. I. The Boston Commercial Bulletin of the 24th ult, published the following: “There is a labor trouble brewing in the Weybosset mills, and ths weavers employedtcontemplate a strike tc secure a revision of wages affectod by a recent change in the schedule. They claim to have suffered a reduction |bv striking off the schedule of wages allowances for all extra shuttles and harnesses above a certain number.”

An uncommonly well-deveveloped specimen of the genus tramp addressed the veteran stock operator, Addison Cammack, in New st. the other day with a hearty “Say, uncle, will ver give me a quarter?” The cynical millionaire looked curiously at the forlorn coMbination of rags and impudence, says the New York Times, and replitd sarcastically: “Why, of course; oome to my office when you have leisure and I will give you my P ote for the amount.” “Yer note?” queried the mendicant, an an anxious lhok sto ! e over his face. “Well, say, who can yer git to indorse it?* Cammack actually grinned as he passed over a silver quarter. Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus), now sixt/years of age, is a pedestrian, and is said to have walked thirty-six miles in one day recently.