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Labor Question Discussed

Labor Question Discussed image
Parent Issue
Day
19
Month
January
Year
1888
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Mesera. Whitman and Manly's speeches before the knights of labor, reported lasS week by Tiib Register, are interestiiïg. Tbey both seem to recognize that our industrial system íb such as to deny "to labor ita fair proportion of the products of toil." Neither give an opinión as to the cause. It cannot be that free trade or a protective tariff explains the trouble, because neither is adequate, and because the same trouble exista in all countries, some having tariff for revenue only, and some a protective tariff. If the laboring man does not get a fair share of what he contributes wards the production of wealth, then 1 whó does get it? Somebody gets it of course. As we have said in previOU8 articles, the labor question merely re6olves itselfinto this question, Why is it invnriably tiue that, as populations increase and wealth increases fast, wagestend to fall? In other words, as labor becomes more efficiënt, why ahould not wages rise correspondingly? By wages we mean, the proportion which the laborer gets of what he produces. Any ono can think of an example. Take almostany trade, and see how enormously more the worker can produce at it than he could even a few yeare ago ; yet the part he receives as wages is very much smaller comparatively, and often his wages are smaller absolutely than in former times. We are not saying this to cause bad feeling among wage earners, but to have calm discussion. We want society to find the cauie of this great phenomenon at which Mr. Whitman binted. When the labor question is resolved down to finding out wbo gets a hare of production wrongfully, then the inadequacy of any Écheme of arbitration suoh as botli speakers advocated will be apparent. The best plan of arbitration thut could be devised could do only a little good. It could nut cure the trouble, unless it can be shown that the lack of arbitration is what causes the trouble. If the decisión of any board of arbitration were to be enforced by government, that would be a fearful stride towards extreme state socialism of the Germán school. We could not favor that. If it were to be left optional with the parties whether they shoulJ abide by the decisions of the arbitrators, it is difficult to see how the plan could ever materially raise wagee. Arbitration might be useful, but it will never solve the labor question. But if all can hit upon the right explanation of the difficulty, then it will be an easy thing to remedy it. If any one of our readers thinks heknowswho gets labor's share of production, and if he can teil it concisely, we would be glad to receive his communication.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register