Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1840-12-28
DOMESTIC INDUSTRY.

Mr.. Van Buren, in his last message to CONGRESS
characterized the system Of protecting American
manufactures as "nlse system" 1t may not he
without advantage to look little into the history
OF the cotton manufacture in this country and to
compare the prices of the raw material, the prices
winch were formerly paid for the manufactured
article, and the prices now paid for the same to
gether with the rates of wages paid 10 the opera
yves IN Our manufactures twenty or thirty years
ago. ana The rates which they received before the
present Administration commenced their expert
ments upon the currency.
The author of Facts for the Laboring Man"
has collected variety of statistics on this subject
OF which we shall avail oursec
In 1911 ana iSl2, the price of raw cotton was
Iocenis per pound. Cotton shifting ofequal val
ne with the courses, printing clio lbs made at the
present time, was sold AT from 35 TO 42 cents ner
yard and The rate Of wages paid to the Young men
and girls was from to cents per duy including
board and lodging; from AZ 10 80 cents per
week-Even ut these prices there were hundreds
seeking employ, so tle work was there in the
country at that time for the poorer clusses But
when The tariff OF 1924 was laid, new state of
ti'ngs commenced so great improvements were
made IN machinery, that one man and hoy on
two cotton spinning mules, can now spin more
than |UO women formerly did in the same time
on the domestic spinning wheel. The value of
the printing cloths before alluded TO- from 1880 10
1882 has averaged about cents per yard and the
"'e'"So prize vi collon curing that time has been
at least 10 cents. The price of wages has ncreas.
ed 400 per cent since the first named period. and
hundreds OF boys and girls received from 1880 to
! 1889, So per week and board, instead of 40 to so
cents as formally and in many instances girls
earned by weaving, from 8 to S4 over their board
we see therefore that under what Mr. Van Blu.
rem chooses TO call "False System" the wages
OF labor are higher the prices of cotton higher.
ana the price OF the manufactured article much
toeer than under the old system "Under the
faise SYSTEM, lahoring men and woven are well
ana even hadsome!y clothed their children res
celve equal advantages of education with those Of
the richer classes; and they can by prudence and
economy ay up sufficient sum from their wages
10 render the evening life pleasant and happy.
we well remember when il was the custom In
New England for the daughters of farmers in
moderate circumstances to take off their shoes
and stockings when setting off tor church, and to
put them on again on their arrival AT the church
door; walking ottcntines two or three miles bare
fooled. 80 great luxury were morocco shoes
ana cotton stockings esteemed twenty years ago,
ana so NY able were the daughters of the Nv
England yeornan, TO afford their expense Uuder
me r. h'as, system, not even boys 20 20 church
bare-tooted nnle' they choose it, apd bare foot
ed American girl ut the Present day, within ten
miles Of manufacturing village, would be Gu
riosity. And not only do the aboring classes in
this country dress better but they live better and
have more comfort in every respect than they had
twenty years ago. They live in better houses,
their houses beller furnished, their children
better educated and the amount Of information
possessed by them infinitely greater than it was
at The period spoken Of And yet Mr.. Van Buren,
calls the system which has so essentially increased
the wealth of the country, and SO indisputably
ameorOted the condition OF the industrious classes
II "false system!"