Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1904 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

"A Compensating Wasre.” Several Democratic Congressmen have taken Congressman Hepburn of lowa to task for his reckless and unfounded assertions that—- “ There is labor in every part of the country for every man who wants a place to work and there Is a compensating wage for every man who will perform a day’s vgork.” But no other Congressman has made Mr. Hepburn and his statements appear quite as ridiculous —to use mild terms—as did Congressman Baker of Brooklyn In his maiden speech in Congress. The following is a part of the eolumn report of Mr, Baker’s Bpeech as it appeared in the New York Times: "Is there any man, even upon the Republican side,” he asked, “who ns we see growing up gigantic fortunes almost beyond calculation, and in our great cities hundreds of thousands of Individuals who scarcely know where their breakfast is coming from in the morning, will pretend that these hundreds of thousands of individuals who have none of the wealth of the world have received compensating wages for their toil? “Compensating wages, we are told, exist for every man who desires to work, and yet the evidence was brought out before the coal strike commission that under the system of slavery that existed in the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania persons have worked for fourteen years and never received one solitary penny for wages. “Cardinal Gibbons says of the persons employed in the clothing industry in P>nltimore, They are living on starving wages. The result Is that In a few years they become Incapacitated for work. When they become Incapacitated for work where are they going to receive t-he compensating wages that are to support them? “This condition Is not unique. Right In my own city of New York, for near; ly two years men have come to my door almost every day to nsk me for what little influence I have to get them a job in the city parks. That pays $2 a day, but a foreman in that department tells me that on an average the men only work four days a week. “These men are begging for an opportunity to earn $8 a week In the great city of New York, where rents are so high, where prices have been increased in this period of prosperity, where trusts have been able to squeeze labor down and raise priees up. “The cost of living has gone up 87 per cent during this period of so-called prosperous times, and at the best wages have not gone up more than 10 per cent. A compensating wage! Is It a compensating wage that gives to the toller one-fourth of the Increase and makes him pay the whole Increased cost of his commodities? “In the great State of lowa (Hepburn’s State), where we are told every man has his bank account,” he continued, “the farm laborers do not receive In wages as much as the mileage that is paid to the gentleman from lowa to come to Congress. “A gentleman who at the time of the great labor trouble at Homestead was very careful to remain secluded at Sklbo Castle; who was very careful not to respond to cablegrams sent him asking him to use his Influence to see that the struggle should be ended —Andrew Carnegie—has a great deal to say about the ‘beneficent system’ instituted by the United States Steel Corporation, which Is called their ‘bonus’ ’for their employes. “Says Andrew Carnegie: ‘ln the bonus granted to employes we have proof of regard for them which cannot but tell, and the distribution of shares in the concern has an advantage which so far even no partnership has enjoyed.’ “Yes; never before in any large way, on any large scale, has an industrial corporation been jible to foist upon Its workmen stock at 82% which sells today In New York at 52%.” Foolish Opportunism. There come significant Intimation that Congress Is determined upon a course of wholesale unseating of Democratic Representatives; the Intention doubtless being crystallized by Democratic opposition to current administration policies. Among others, two contested election cases from South Carolina ‘will, It Is communicated, be made the basis for ousting Democrats and seating their negro opponents, though the figures in each case gave the Incumbent about four thousand votes against his opponent’s less than two hundred. The allegation attributed to the Committee on Elections is that these results were entirely due to the disfranchisement of negroes. As the Atlanta Constitution phrases It, “the policy Is to turn out any Democrat whose election Is contested bn the plea of the unlawful elimination of negro voters.” And this Is to be done “without regard to whether the suffrage laws of the States are constitutional and valid, or as to-whether the negroes coold have qualified under any sort of law In sufficient numbers to overcome the white voters who would have turned out bad the electoral contest been hot and doubtfuL” Congress has shown Itself to be full of expedients during the psst year. But for the land-wide protest aroused last January It would have foisted a force

bill upon us, giving Federal epurts original jurisdiction over violations of State election laws; no more violent distortion of constitutional power has been attempted in years. At the last congressional election the Republicans, instead of realizing their boastful prediction of an overwhelming and decisive victory, were cut down to a bare control In the House; and the exceeding difficulties* of maintaining that control have been poignantly exemplified. The Republican party has been in a position where 1t was compelled to assume undivided responsibility for the ( administration’s acts, yet has been without the power of Itself to give effect to those acts. In this exigency It has laid hold of every shameless expedient that occasion offered. Whether it has the unprincipled audacity to pursue base opportunism to the bitter end remains to be seen. Judged by past conduct, It Is organized for anything and will stop short of no abuses to gain a broader margin of majority. —St. Louis Republic. American Goods In South Africa, The Iron Age contains, information as to manufactured goods sold in South Africa and the countries from which they are exported. In many liqes American goods outsell those from every other country. This appears to be true of brooms and brashes, cycles, carriages, clocks and watches, furniture, lamps, weights aud scales, builders’ hardware, tools and Implements, fencing wire, wire nails, pipes and tubes, stoves, hand pumps, horse shoes, steel ropes, paints and colors, etc. 1 Of course none of these articles ore sold for export at the high price at which they are sold In the United States. Usually the United States price is about 50 per cent higher than the export price, but in many lines of goods the American price Is double the export price. This- is true of clocks and watches, steel rope and of some kinds of hardware and tools. In regard to wire nails the Iron Age says: “Of the total importations about 50 per cent come from the United States, 25 per cent from Belgium and Germany and 25 per cent from Great Britain. Belgium and Germany beat Great Britain In price, and the United States beats all three. Even with equal freights American wire is 10 shillings per ton cheaper than British.” In speaking of shovels the Iron Age says: “Shovels are divided between Great Britain, America and Germany, Great Britain's share predominating. The American round end D-handled shovel still sells, owing to its superior finish and low prices. It costs 1 shilling 6 pence in New York and can be sold wholesale in Johannesburg at 3 shillings 3 pence.” Looking up the prices of shovels in the Iron Age, we find that the Association list of Nov. 15, 1902, Is still quoted and that the discount Is 40 per cent. This list price appears in the Iron Age of Nov. 13, 1902. The only shovels there quoted that answer to the description of those sold in South Africa are made by the Wright Shovel Company and are listed at sl7 per dozen, for the smallest size. This would make the American price 90 cents each, as against 30% cents each for export. There is not a shovel of any description listed at less than $8 per dozen, or 40 cents each net. It Is, therefore, reasonably certain that our shovel trust Is selling shovels for export at half or less than half the prices charged at home. Trusts come high but, apparently, w« must have them or we would not put our tariff as high as possible and tb*n decide to “stand pat.” And the American farmers and workingmen say “amen” every election day to this program.—Byron W. Holt. Refuse to Publish Export Rates. To encourage export business and discourage American manufacturing industries that depend upon cheep raw materials, the railroads give specially low rates on steel and other heavy freight for export. The Interstate Commerce Commission Is holding hearings and Is attempting to have the railroads publish their export rates on all kinds of freight This they object to doing. It was brought out in one of these hearings that certain railroads will not accept freight from tramp steamers at the same rates as from regular lines with which they have agreements. This Is clearly discrimination in rates and Is illegal. This is only one phase of the export-price question.