Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 89, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1900 — MILLS HAVE OPENED. [ARTICLE]

MILLS HAVE OPENED.

THE WAGES OF WORKMEN HAVE DOUBLED IN FIVE YEARS. Magical Effect of McKinley's Protective Tariff Policy—Twice as Many Men at Work—Reports from Two Hundred Different Pay Rolls. “In the campaign of 1896 Mr. McKinley made one remark which went to the hearts of the people from one end of the country to the other. It was, ‘Open the mills,’ ” said Gen. Charles Dick, Secretary of the Republican National Committee. “Those three words met with a responsive chord from those tens of thousands who had been idle during the last Democratic administration, -and thd empty dinner-pail brigade went to the polls and voted for a full dinner pall and for the opening of the mills. “In order to gain some Idea of the effect of restoring the home market to our own people, the Republican National Committee sent out blanks to members of the National Association of Manufacturers asking them to kindly furnish us with the number of .men wijom they hfid employed in each year from 1890 to 1899, Inclusive, as well as with the total amount of wages which they had paid during the same years. “VVe have received 200 replies. These show that there was a steady increase in the number of hands employed In the 200 factories until the year 1893, after which there was an immediate drop of 10,000 men in 1894. But under President McKinley's administration the increase in the number of men employed by these same factories has been startling. In 1894 they employed 90,483; in 18797 they employed 100,600; in 1898 they employed 131,428 men, and last year they employed 174,645 men. In short, the number of wage earners employed by these same 200 factories has Increased from 90,483 men in 1894 up to 174,845 last year, almost doubled, in fact. “But the contrast is even more striking when applied to the amount of wages paid, and the following table shows tne returns received from the same 200 manufactories: Year. Wages paid. 1890 ..$45,149,081 IS9I 49,875,858 1892 .53,619,418 1893 48,966,250 1894 40,803,866 1895 52,851,317 1896 '.. 53.209,420 1897 54,412,774 1898 62,247,940 1899 78,835,069 Years. Averages. 1890-92 inclusive $49,548,119 1893-96 “ „ 48,957,713 1897-99 “ 65,165,261 - “The amount of wages paid by these same 200 manufacturers increased steadily from 1890 to 1892, then there was a drop in 1893 and another drop in 1894. During the next two years wages picked up, but it was not until 1897 that these same manufacturers were paying qjit as much money in wages as they had paid in 1892. The increase of their’pay rolls in 1898 and 1899 is as gratifying to me as it must be to the men who are now busy at good wages. “Between 1894 and 1899 the 200 manufacturers of the National Association, who reported to us, had Increased their pay rolls by upwards of $38,000,000; in fact, the amount of wages which they distributed last year was almost double what they paid out in 1894. “If this ratio of increase were applied to the whole country, without taking into account the numbers of new factories that have been started in the last few years, who can deny that general prosperity has visited the country? And what a depth of meaning those three words, ‘Open the mills,’ uttered by Mr. McKinley less than four years ago, has really “conveyed.” Bank Deposits Increase. The following statement of the net deposits in all the national banks of the United States is interesting: Sept. 7, 189951,270,766,065 Dec. 19, 1893 793,100,325 Republican increase ... $477,665,740 These three lines show that tlie Increase in the deposit of the national banks between 1893, the first year of President Cleveland's second administration, and Sept. 7, 1899, was $477,665,740. If we "make a comparison between the end of 1896, toward the close of the Democratic administration, with last year, we have the following: Sept. 7, 189951,270,766,065 Dec. 17, 1896 852,604,858 Republican increase .... $418,161,207 This shows that within three years the Increase in the national bank deposits exceeded $118,000,000. There was, therefore, an increase of only $70,000,600 in the national bank deposits during President Cleveland’s term, but an Increase of $418,000,000 during three years of President McKinley's term. Peculiar Patriotism. Bryan says that the Republicans showed their partisanship by holding their national convention on the anniversary of the organization of the party, while the Democrats have shown their patriotism by holding their convention on the Fourth of July. Such patriotlsifi is In line with his volunteering and then resigning his commission just before his regiment was ordered to the front. ' Can’t Get Both. Bryan says he would rather be right than be President. He may be able to get right, but that Is as far as he can hope to get Too Trustful. The Democrats have demonstrated their ability to put the trusts on ice. 1