Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-09-10
BUCHAIhI and LOW WAGES :!

On the 22nd January 1S40, Mr.. Buchanan
made speech in the United States Senate,
(yide Congressional Globe, for Jan. 1910, pp-
1856, or Niles Register vols. 6l and go In
which the following passages occur:-
HIn Germany, where the currency is purely
metallic and the cost of everything is REDUc-
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 consequence
The foreign French and German manufacturer
imports this cloth into our country and sells 1t
for a hundred. Does not every person per-
ceive that the redundancy of our currency is
equal to premium of one hundred per cent.
in favor Of the manufacturer.
ssNo tariff of protection, unless it amounted
to prohibition, could counteract these adyan-
tages in favor of foreign manufactures L
would to heaven that could arouse the atten-
tion of every manufacturer of the nation 10
this important subject.
SsWhat is the reason that, with all these ad-
vantages and with the protective duties which
laws afford to the domestic manufacture OF
cotton, we cannot obtain exclusive possession
of the home market, and successfully contend
for the markets of the world II is simply
because we manufacture 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
ER OUR COUNTRY WITH BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS.
ssThe comparative Low PRICES of France
and Germany have afforded such stimulous
to their manufactures, that they are now rapid
ly extending themselves, and would obtain
possession, in small degree, even of the
English home market, II 1T WERE NOT FOR
THEIR PROTECTIVE DUTIES. While British man
ufactures are now laBguishng, those of the
continent are springing into healthy and
Aigorous existence"
Having thus given Mr.. Buchanan's own
smooth and polished language, let see what
is the meaning of it in plain English, when he
says ssreduce our nominal standard of prices
throughout the whole world, and you cover
the country with blessings and benefits. So
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 that subject,
Porter's Progress and Wade's History of the
Middle and Working Glasses, two recent pub
Hcation's, containing statistics collected by
the British Government, the standard of pri-
ces for labor in Europe, is as follows
I'D, per day, with board, and without dwell
ling; Boulogne, 5d. per day, do. do; Nantes,
Sd, per day, without board and without dwell
ling Marseilles. 4d. to I'd. per day with board
and without dwelling. The food in some dis
tricts ssconsists in rye bread, soup made OF
millet, cakes made of Indian corn, R0w and
then some salt provisions and vegetables, rare
ly, if ever butchers meat" In others, ,s'wheat-
en- bread, soup made with vegetables, and a
little grease or lard twice a-day, potatoes, OF
other vegetables, but seldom butchers meat .
Slceden.-ssThe daily wages of skilled ag-
riculturist are I'd. or 3d.. while the unskilled
obtain 10 more than Sd. or 4d. and board
themselves. Agriculturists in the southern
provinces live upon salt fish and potatoes; in
the northern provinces, porridge and rye bread
form their food.'
Observation-Disclosures are paid at the rate of
Sd. per day, in the country" without board.
Beigtum.-.sA skilled artiZan may earn, in
Summer, Is. 2. to Is. 5d. in Winter, from
1Od. to Is. I'd. unskilled, half much with
out board live upon rye bread, potatoes, and
milk" Agricultural laborers have less.
Germany.-ssDantzig, laborers, I'd. to I'd.
Her day, without board; Muhlburg, I'd. pei
day, without board Holstein, I'd. per day
without board.''
Netherlands.-South Holland laborers, Sd
to 4d. per day, with board; North Holland
20d. per day, without board; Antwerp sd. pei
day, do; West Flanders, 96s, to lois. pei
per year, with board.''
Haly.-''Trieste laborers, I'D. per day, with
out board do. Cd. per day with board; Istria
Sd. to 10d. per day, without board do. i'd. tc
Sd. per day, with board Lombardy, 4d. to Sd
day, do; Genoa, sd. to Sd. per day, do, and
without lodgings; Tuscany, Cd per day,with-
out either.''
SaroRy.-ssIn 1887 a 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 30 groschen (about go cents
per week. Nor could one who had children
aged IL 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, We honest laboring men OF
Pennsylvania?