An Object Lesson

The ,ii rrri ors of the MieWgan Furniture eompaiiy gave the employés of th:it. institution au objeeJ icsson in the praetieal workmgs nf the gold staudard-eonl&deiiice-aiKi-psratectlon phllosophy wln-n they annouiw ed a 10 per cent. cui in wages, wliu-li may lead some oí the men to tliink that their faitli in the yellow nafleemer was mispla l. The actioo in this ease w.-is foTced by existing business coüditions. The direetors l'ound ir mosslWe to keep running and pay thé old sca!e of wages. The altemative of eutting wages ot shuttüig down was presented. They wisely ebose tluv former. The grïevanee of the men lieg agains-1 the coiulitions whieh made the eui ■m( -fssaiy and n&t agaimsst the eompany. Bui Tiii'iA here a littke aníien1 history will not 'be uninteresrting. Diiring the memorable eontesl f L896 the president and a number of the dlreetoTs of fhe Michigaa Purnitufe c!]iipany linvw the Lnfluence due tü their social .nul (inani-ial staaiüing to the party whieh promised i restore prosperity and ralse wages through the medium of tha gold stand.ird and a high tariiï. The Demoerat does not insinúate that the officerg of the company songht bo personally influence the votes of the companys O)nployis, yet in the Secoud ward, where the company's factory is situated, the vo.e wa? eveiúy divided betwaeit Bryan and lleKiuley, when under normal ccndition the Democratie majority would not have been less öian l(o. We güt the gold st.aiid.ird and we got the high tariff, tuit the ïoreed action of th directors is a eonfession from which there is no ese&pe, th1 their posilhm iu 1S!X was wrong. All dnring tli.it time whien Ke-publiean editors are pleosed to cali the Olevelaud-'fjnetytrade period, mul 1 uring the mont-ïis when we wcrc assured that all the country needed was res; from the sOver agitators, iiiis cor.ipany paid iregular (i p"r eeart. dividends to its tockholders and good wages to its employés. But no.w that the McKlnlcy policies aro eeeuíely fastened ivpon tho country thy tind ir impossiblo to :kix"p ruuiiimr and pay the old wages. It is said th;! elieaper ,gooda compete flisastxously 'wiib i.ac Ihigh grade work turned out b.v tús ■ company. This ík probably true. Tht; igold standard luis curtaileö the ín- icoir.es of ithe ma}ority of the people1 .nnd they are faread t.o buy clieaper goods If they buy ait all. [Qheaper goods meaos lower wagesI.ow.'r w.-ircs mcans a lower standard of living for tlie wofkingmen and so on loivn the line. Whlle these worknica aro pocketing thelr reduced wagem they should not allow their ruinde to becone poisoaed by the reflection taai the HxtMl Sncoméa ano salaries of the men who so voeiferously upheld the gold standard and national honor, for the benefit tft the worklnginwi, are still in the old notch. The cost of producing silvcr bullion-, like the cost of producing gold bullion, is not the cost at the best niinti; nor yef is it the average eest at all mines, as is sometimes supposed. It is the coat at the poorest mines from whieh fhe bullioQ ig regularly obtained. These mines cornmand virtually no ïoyalty, no rent. The of the PToduct, tberefoTe, coincide with the wages or oost of the wliieli briugs It forth. Bullion from those mines cannot be sold tor less than that; tho workera would go Into other oecnpatlona rather than take lesa.- National Single Taier.