New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-21

The Hon. Daniel j. Morrell. NJ CO. in his testimony
before the U. S. Revenue Commission 1866. says:
IF British cheap labor were out of the way for
twenty-five years, could so attract their skilled
labor and so nearly rival them in the advantages Of
capital that we should need no Protection. Indeed
would engage to export Ia "a TO the British do
for that time. feel certain that such a measure
would not impair, but would greatly increase, the
revenue The fully-emplOyed aud wellrewarded
labor of the land would in thousand ways be able
TO contribute 20 the income of the Government, aud
than make up for the loss Of dntes on imported
. Any branch of American manufacture that has
received Protection adequate to secure 1t the home
market in the past has soon demonstrated Its supe-
rority of product and has been enabled to compete.
on equal terms with foreign manufactured
This seems to me too sweeping, though the rule
indicated will generally hold good. recent British
report from birmingham seems more discriminating
and accurate in maintaining that wherever ingenu-
ty and the substitution of machinery or steam
power for manual labOrcan be made to tell decisVey.
there American intelligence aud capacity assert their
prej;minence but where las in from product costs
40 MANY blows with sledge or hanmer-in other
words so much muscular eIertion-there the rela-
tive cheapness of European labor makes itself de-
cisively felt incline. therefore, TO concur gem
orally in the reasoning on this point Of Dir, Hewitt
who says:
eft is obyiOus that the abnormal rates for labor
which we have been considering CANNOT prevail "a
any one branch of industry alone, but must extend
to all; as labor like water, must seek general lever
in each community governed by the same laws. ana
subjected TO the same influences. All articles OF COM
meTce are therefore, produced below their normal
cost-that Isl the cost which would be possible II tho
fundamental laws Of humanity were not violated IN
the employment of women and children. and the
payment of rate of wages TO the common laoorer
inadequate for the proper support ana culture on 1o
family In those commodities which require IN the
limited States more human labor for their production
than is necessary in Europe where labor Is so made
onatelv paid we have perhaps, othor interest
a. alcon welfare
race but so far Iron is concerned from the Iact
that produce 1t with as niue c0nsumPu9u "a
hnman labor as any other nation in the world the
case is different because there IS no absolute loss Oh
wealth and no misapplied power in its production;
and the only question 70 20 discussed S ~ MANN
shall DO taken out of the general category OF manu-
features not favOrably placed as 10 inc cost OF
production, and by positive legislation placed IN tho
same condition il would have occupied WIN refer
enCe TO foreign competition if the rate OF wages in
other countries had never been reduced below tner
| normal standard We have seen that the cost or
the present time. varies from 70 lOs 20 rs per tun'
and q additional sufices TO pay its cost OF trans
portatiOn 10 the seabOard of the United states AT
these ports American Iron cannot possibly be uelly-
cred at less cost than 800 in gold against $40 IN
gold for the foreign article, and me eape dysehCs
consists ia the higher WdGes, ana NOT idrgeT 9H9hny
labor required for its production ~ the Unbd otdtes,
where the physical mental and moral condition OF the
working classes occupy totally different standard
from their European cOnfreres and where the wages
cannot be reduced without violating our sense OF the
| Just demands of human nature: AT the same ume'
|
done in Europe that profit can be realized by the
CAPITALIST, except ia special cases. for when adequate
reasons can DC yond ne 10 Withdraw the women
and children as we do, from this class OF industry,
whereby the production must be reduced, the rate
| of wages raised, the cost and the selling pnce IN
creased capital become remuneratve, and the ability
to procure iron made cheap by lts 8dnteTatlon Win
! The violated laws of humanity, be forever ex-
| tingnshed To what result the general discussion
which this subject is now receiving in Europe wul
lead il is not easy to decide; but IT ls curious
/ phenomenon to listen in France to tho LOUD con-,
plants, which are made against the competition OF
| Belgium in the manufacture Of iron, aid stranger
| still in England TO the same complaint, ana tlS
broad declaration that il will not be possible to do
anything for the education and elevation OF the
| working classes without exposing their manutac-
tuners to ruin in consequence OF the competition
with the paid and worse fed labor OF Belgium
THE truth is that the whole system is false and now.
when pressed by the energy. enterprise ana compe-
ttiOn of the age to It's Legitimate results, humanity
is in rebellion, and there IS general cry rom ali
classes-abOrers, employers philanthroRsts phlloso-
piers and statesmen, alikefOr relief The necessity
for this relief becomes painfully apparent when the
poorlaw returns made in England are carefully ex-
| amned, from which it is evident that there IS an
army of paupers pressing upon the occupations OF
the almost insensibe line which divides these two
classes from each other. IS not possible that the
laborer should receive more than bare subsistence
wages and there be no relief for his patient suf
feTng. so long there are thousPnds who, unable TO
earn any wages at all. stand ready 10 nil pp every
| gan IL the ranks OF Industry; and to the honest
Iaborer himself, standing the edge Of this line,
over which he IL liable at any moment to be forced
into the ranks of pauperism the anxiety ana misera
bic state of uncertainty for himself and his family
must be fatal 20 all rational happiness and IS well
calculated 10 drive him into vicious ndulgences aud
temporary excuses whenever transient opportunity
| is afforded, as a momentary relief from condition
| of hopeless misery"
If there be those who hold that American Labor
should be reduced to compete on equal terms with
such as Mr. Hewitt here depicts decidedly disagree
| with them. But do not less emphatically differ
from the conclusion Of those who say, Since Euro
uean Labor is SO much cheaper than ours, let Us
profit by that cheapness to obtain Metals, Wares
! ,7d Fabrics. of Europe at lower prices than we
must 7ay for them if made OH our own soil" hold
| those low prices to he: ....
IIb,,ory Ia have hitherto shown). IN that thu
Foreign products est more in our labor OF It's fruits
though less in money, han the homemade. II we
anayze the process of paying for quantity of Homo
Manufactures, we find that large part OF the pay
ment is made in articles whiclwOuld have no value.
OF very little if workshops were still mainly in
| Europe.
O. Capricious, in that the prices pay for Euro
pean products which rival here are far less than
they would be in the absence of such rivalry.
g. Pe,ricoas in that our preferring the products Of
underpaid to those of fairly Labor tends
to reduce the compensation of Labor and the statue
of the Laboring Glass in country and throughout
the world and
f. UapdtriOtic, in that the inventions and labor
saving processes which the ingenuity capacity and
intelligence, of our countrymen constantly max
ing in every field of useful effort they occupy, will
be lost to our country and to mankind, if we sur
render that asla e tAe unfair rivalry of cheap
| European Labor -
-"But you Protectionists,5 We are told, are Con-
tinually crying More! MoreP You are like the