Record Of Labor

Protection is making a record for ifcself. A year ago the protected classes were flockina; to Washington by the scores and hundreds to ask for higher protection. For whom? Not for theinselves - oh, no! - for labor. The dear workingman must have higher wages; ie must not be put on a level with the 'pauper labor of Europe." There were wonderful tales to teil about this same auper labor. One applicant for protection called foreign laborera "a set of men who have no sympathy with our social life, our traditions or our institntions." Another did not like Mesican labor, which he straightway inamed "peón labor:" another could not bear the thought of making American labor compete with the "horrid coolie labor of India." Still another described the labor of Bohemia in ;he terse phrase, "They are cattle;" and, inally, one manufacturar had heard bomething about Germán labor, and he 'did not want to see our well paid labor rat on the 6ame footing with those wuo are said to get meat only once a week." They were all certain that high duties would make them pay higher wages to aeir workingmen. Yet they asked for ligher duties! McKinley took up their ale of woe nd spoke in nis report about the poorly paid labor of Europe and heap labor of Egypt and India." And so the protected interests had their way with the all too willing McKinley. They got their higher duties- to protect labor! And now McKinley's high protection is making its record. Wages have been reduced since the lst of January in a large nnmber of protected establishments. Here is a partial list of these reductions: Brooke Iron company, Birdsborough, Pa., cloeed Feb. 2, and 450 men thrown out of work bec&ose they reiused to accept a redaction of aboat 7 per cent. FJIis & LeSLig Steel and Iron company, Pottstown, Pa closed Feb. 2; 700 men out of work becaose a reduction of 12$ per cent. was rejected. The men have since submitted to the rednetion. Hopedale fabric mili, Hopedale, Mass., wages of weavere reduced 2Jí cents a yard. Silk mili at Wareho!se Point, Conn.; wages of winders and doublers reduced from $1J!7 to $1 per day. Sturtevant blower works, Jamaica Plain, Mass.; reduction of from 10 to 30 per cent. Pottstown Iron company, Pottstown, Pa.; reduction of about 7 per cent. Bethlehem Iron company, Bethlehem, Pa.; reduction of 10 per cent. Feb. 2. Pennsylvania Steel company, Steelton, Pa.: reductibn of from 8 to 10 per cent. Feb. 1. Lackawanna Iron and Coal company, Scranton. Pa.; an average reduction of 30 cents a day on Jan. 1. Homestead steel works, Carnegie, Phipps & Co.; 10 per eert., by agreement. Pullman Palace Car Company's works: new scale, making „. reduction of abèut 10 per cent., brought íorwi d Jan. 1. Otis Iron and Steel company, Cleveland, O.; reduction of 30 per cent. Coal mines, Duquoin, Hls.; reduction from 69 to 60 cents per ton. Ribbon weavers in Paterson, N. J.: rednetion of 15 per cent. Coal mines, ncar Leavenworth, Kan.; rednetion of 11 per cent. Cocheco Manufacturing company; wages of weavers reduc 1 1 per cent. Manufactnrers of pottery, Trenton, N. J.; wages of sanitary ware pressers reduced 22 per cent. Merrimac milis, Lowell, Mass.; wages of mule spinners reduced 3 cents per h; mdred. Buckeye mower and reaper works, Akron, O.; reduction of f in 30 to 60 per cent. Saxony knitting mili Little Falls, N. Y.; reduction of abo-t 20 per cent. Scrathern Si-;1 company, at Chattanooga; notice of a reduction of 10 per cent. for all workmen receiving more than $1 per day was poeted ecently, and the reduction was accepted. In Tenney's nat shop at Methnen, Mass., a ut down in wages of 25 per cent, has been announced. Bates milis, Lewiston, Me. The operatives in he beaming department have struck against a eduetion of 3 per cent. Nearly all th j employés ,of the Jacksonvüle Jnderwear company at Jacksonville, Hls., truck because of a reduction of wages. [The uties on underwear were largely increased by ie McKinley act.] Coal mines bstween Evansville and Huntingurg, Ind. All the minors on strike because aeir wages had been reduced. A reduction of about 10 per cent, has been made in the wages of the workmen at the mma blast furnace, Cleveland, O., the proprty of th Union Rolling Mili company, taking ETect at once. Smithville entton milis, Willimantic, Conn. "he speeders struck against a reduction of $1.50 er week, and a settlement was made by the estoration of the old rates. The ribbon weavers of the Adelaide 6ilk mili, f Allentown, Pa., have been informed of a reuction. In the coke región of Pennsylvania from 10,00 to 16,000 men have been on strike since Feb. against a proposed reduction of 10 per cent. n wages. Of the 1(5,000 ovens in this región, 0,000 are con frolled by the H. C. Frick comany, of which the well known high tariflt adocate, Andr Carnegie, is the head. The orkmen ma.' tain that their wages shouldnot be reduced, but on the other hand should be inreased 12 per cent.,,owing to the higher cost f living, Many of these cases were reported in ie high tariflE organs. Over against hem only three or four cases have been reported where wages have been raised. The above list onght to give any laboring man a practical answer to the question whether protection raises wages. It is protection's record in 1891, theyearwhen McKinleyisia is on trial.