The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-08-15
PRICE OF LABoR-MR. BUCHANANS
RECORD-THE PROOF ADDUCED.

ments- their serious attention. We shall not
deal in subtle augmentation or indulge IN
party inveetivs. 1t is about FAoTs-indispu
table. well authenticated FACTS, which alike
concern Buchanan men and Fillmore men,
Americans and Demoerats-that we wish to
have a little friendly chat" with the candid
and the well-meaning Of all parties. The
prie. of iabori Can any subject be more
xortby the deep and unbiased consideration
of the great body Of the people of Tennessee,
when the record proves, as we presently
shall show, that the Democratic candidate
for the Presidency advocated the reduction of
Gagged This is question which comes home
to the bosoms of the great mass Of the peo-
pls--to the "bone and sinew" of the land.
Most of our readers have heard of the
startling doctrine advocated by Mr.. Buchanan
in the Senate Of the United States. Before
we proceed further, as We desire neither to
mislead single readeror to misrepresent the
distinguished individual to whom this doc
trine has been attributed, we will permit him
to be heard in his otcn pords as extracted from
can letter-writers or newspapers that we
shall resort for information RS to the fact OF
sueh doctrine by Mr. Buchanan, the then
leader Of Van Buren's administration, but to
the Globe, the then official organ Of the Gov
eminent. Wequote
FROM MR.. BUCHANAN.
ain Germany. where the currency is purely
xaetaiic, and the cost Of every thing is RE-
DUCED to q hard money standard, a piece of
broadcoth can be manufactured for fifty dol.
lars, the manufacture of which, in our coun-
try, from the expansion Of paper currency,
would cost one hundred dollars What is
she consequence The fofeiga French and
German manufacturer imports the cloth into
the country, and sells it for hundred dol
lars. Does not every person perceive that
the redundancy of our currency is equal to a
premium of one hundred per cent. in favor
of the foreign manufacturer
"No tariff Of protection, unless it amounted
to prohibition, could counteract this advan
tage in favor of foreign manufactures. |
would to heaven that could arouse the atten-
tion Of every manufacturer Of the nation to this
important subject.
what is the reason that. with all these ad
vsntages and with the protective duties which
our laws afford to the domestic manufacturer
OF cotton, we cannot obtain exclusive posses
sion Of the home market and successfully
contend for the markets of the wordi 1t is
simply because we manufacture at the nomi-
nal prices Of our own inflated currency, and
are compelled to sell at the real prices Of
other nations REDUCE OUR NOMINAL
TO THE REAL STANDARD OF PRICES
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, and you
N nd han
'' 0's eo'n.'y
1.-THE comparative LOW PRICES of France
and Germany have afforded such stimulus
to their manufactures, that they are now
rapidly extending themselves, and would OBJ.
tain possession. in no small degree, even OF
the English home market, If 1T WERE NOT
FOR THEIR PROTECTING DUTIES
While British manufactures are now Ian
gushing those Of the continent are spring
ing into healthy and vigorous existence. =
appendix to the Congressional Globe, pages
1856.
Mr.. Buchanan advocated, in SO many words,
the reduction of our nominal" or paper
money prices throughout the world-that is,
% the hard money standard. In the speech from
which we have quoted above. he asks "Why
cannot we manufacture goods. and especially
cotton goods. which will go into successful
competition with British manufactures in
foreign marketsi Have we not the necessa-
nv capital Have we not the industry Have
we not the machinery And above all, are
mot our skill, labor and enterprise, proverbial
throughout the world Land is also cheap
err here than in any other country on the
face Of the ealt tn" Now, if we already have
all these advantages-capital industry, ma.
nhinery, cheaper land and cheaper raw ma
terial than any other country on earth, there
IL but one thing to enable US to compete with
the foreign manufacturer and that is cheap
labor. Mr.. Buchanan attributes the rapid
growth Of the French and German manufac.
lures TO the loo prices which prevail in those
countries Low prices Of what Not Of the
raw material, for cotton is cheaper here than
with them, whilst our mineral resources are
equal to those of any nation upon earth. 1t
lie. therefore, to the Glow prices" Of labor and
of the means Of living, that Mr. Buchanan
"cover our country with blessings and bene-
fits"
1t becomes an important object. then, to
ascertain what are the prices Of labor in these
hard money countries, and how the laboring
classes live, in order that we may be able to
Judge correctly whether this system Of cheap
labor will suit the people of this country. II
the people of the United States, clearly un-
derstanding the condition Of affairs in France,
Germany and Holland. and other hard money
countries, with respect to the price Of labor
and the habits Of living shall think proper to
subscribe to the doctrine Of Mr.. Buchanan,
and vote for him, very WE'LL All we ask lie,
that they be fairly and honestly informed, as
to these facts, before they do il; and to this
end we spread before them the following ta
bic showing the rates Of wages in various
countries. There can be no mistake about
its entire accuracy, as it was originally COM
piled from authentic documents furnished by
the several Consuls residing in the respective
d. districts named: