Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-10-08
BUCHANAN AND Low WAGES

BUCHANAN AND Low WAGES
on the End January 1910, Mr. Buchanan
made speech in the United States Senate.
(vlde Congressional Globe, for Jan. 1910, DID.
1856, or Niles Register vols. 67 and es,) in
which the following passages occur:-
''ln Germany, where the currency is purely
metaiIc, and the cost of everything is REprC-
ED to hard money standard, piece OF broad
cloth can be manufactured for fifty dollars. the
manufacture Of which, in our country from the
expansion of paper currency would cost one
hundred dollars. What is the consequences /?
The foreign French and German manufacturer
imports this cloth into our country and sells il
Tor hundred. Does not every person per-
ceivc that the redundancy of our currency is
equal to premium of one hundred per cent
In favor of the manufacturer
NO tarlH OF protection, unless it amounted
to prohibition, could counteract these adyan-
tages in favor of foreign manufactures
would to heaven that could arouse the attcn-
tlon of every manufacturer of the nation to
this important subject.
''What is the reason that, with all these ad-
vantages and with the protective duties which
our laws afford to the domestic manufacture of
cotton, we cannot obtain exclusive possession
OF the home market, and successfully contend
Tor the markets of the world 1t is simply
cSSsu>C VIC AT the nominal prices
of our own Inflated currency, and are compel-
led to sell at the real prices of other nations
REDUCE OUR NOMINAL TO THE REAL STANDARD OF
PRICES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, AND YoU COW
Err OUR COUNTRY WITH BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS.
''The comparative PRICES of France
and Germany have afforded such a stimulous
to their manufactures that they are now rapid
THEIR Protective DUTIES. While British man
ufactures are now languishing, those of the
tsn arp rcrtr1 iDff hna o,,l
AiSOrous existence"
Having thus given Mr.. Buchanan's own
smooth and polished language, let us see what
is the meaning of it in plain English, when he
says ''rcduce our nominal standard of prices
throughout the whole world, and YOU cover
the country with blessings and bencfits.''-
Now, what did Mr.. Buchanan mean by this
language, if he meant anything, but that our
standard of prices should be reduced to that
of the hard money currency of Europe And
what is the European standard then, to which
he desired our own to be reduced Accord
ing to the best authorities on that subject,
Porter's Progress and Wade's History of the
Middle and Working Classes, two recent pub
lication's, containing statistics collected by
the British Government, the standard of pri-
ces for labor in Europe, is as follows -
Wages in France.-Calais common laborers
Z I'd, per day, with board, and without dwell
ling; BOulogne, 5d. per day, do. do; Nantes,
Sd, per day, with put board and without dwell
ling; Marscilles. 4d. to I'd. per day with board
and without dwelling. The food in some dis
tricts s'consistS in rye bread, soup made of
millet, cakes made of Indian corn, notc and
.hea some salt provisions and vegetables, rare
ly, If ever, butchers meat" In others s.wheat-
en- 3re'd, soup made with vegetables, and
little grease or lard twice a-day, potatoes, or
other vegetables, but seldom butchers meat
Sireden.-'The daily wages of a skilled ag-
rlcuiturist areTd. or 3d.; while the unskilled
OBTAIN no more than Sd. or 4d. and board
themselves. AgrFNturists in the southern
provinces 1--we uponsalt fish and potatoes in |
the northern provinceA Aporridge and rye bread
form their food"
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ae paid at the rate of
Sd. per day, in the couptp - without board.
Belginm.-ssA skilled art;zan NAV earn. in
Summer, Is. =. to Is. 81 in Winter. from
10d. to Is. ID; unskillcd,balf rs uucb with |
out board; live upon rye biad, potatoes. and |
milk Agricultural laborel have less.
Germany.-':Dantzig, laborts 41d to I'd. |
FER day, without board; Null ,nrr. n ID. per
day, without board Holstein, i ner day.
without board.''
Ne,herlands.-South Holland la.rars ad |
to I'D. per day, with board; North Holland, |
20d. per day, without board Antwerl5d per
day, do; West Flanders, 96s, to 10-. per
per year, with board.'
Halu.-ssTrieste laborers, I'D. per day,sth-
out board do. Cd. per day with board 1sta.
Sd. to 10d. per day, without board; do. 4d.o
sd. per day, with board Lombardy, Id. to s
a day, do Genoa, Sd. to Sd. per day, do, ana
without lodgings; Tuscany, Cd per day,with-
out either.'
Sarony.-s.In 1887 man employed in his
own loom working very diligently from Mon
day morning to Saturday night, from O'Clock
in the morning until dusk, and even at times
with lamp, his wife assisting him in finishing
and taking him the work, could not possibly
earn more than 20 groschen (about GO cents)
per week. Nor could one who had children
aged II years and upwards, all working at the
loom as well as himself, with his wife employ
ed doing up the work, earn in the whole more
than 81 weekly"
These are facts which speak for themselves.
This is the doctrine of James Buchanan, in
1910. Ten cents is about the average stand
ard of European labor. And it is to this
standard he wished ours to be reduced. How
do YOU like it, ye honest laborng men Of
Pennsylvania