The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-10-02

the Above head from Moses w. Field, De-
troit, 10 indicate himself against the striC
lures Af the Ne0 York Eoening Post, upon q
resoL Aion of his submitted to the National
Label Congress pretending to favor protec-
ton y American labor, in Mr.. Field claims
that he workingmen in this country are bet
ter aid than their brethren in England, and
othek countries in Europe. This statement
BY NJ. Field, Is met We think correctly by q
fat d Dial on the part of the Post. We have
give1 Mr.. Field, the beneht Of using our
columns, not because be is right, but be-
caus! we desire to give to every earnest re-
forner q reasonable chance to Vlndicste his
opink ous. Having done that, We shall at
temyk to point out the errors Of his
artiC| =.
Fiist, these tariffs are taxes which labor
muSIpsy.
Ii Is not the amount of money value, bat
Of aficIes secured essential TO the susten-
ANGEL or comfort Of the laborer, which 10 the
test compensation.
MIney as now instituted, even gold and
silvk furnish but a very imperfect test.
SIR. tEisld, to shOw disposition quotes from
the Ron. David A. Wells, one instance be
givCk 10 tho price paid 10 cotton manufac-
turkhe SAYS " in the manufacture Of cot
ton the excess Of wages paid 10 the United
Stak es in 1867, over those paid for the COR
resTonding labor in Great Britain, gold
berg taken as the standard in both cases
wad| 1851 per cent"
Hat be fails to tell US another important
fac4 disclosed by Mr.. Wells report at page
68, that the rise in the price Of products
oveI labor is 20 per lcent. in advance. An
othlr important omission is that Mr.. Field,
assumes that gold is just standard to test
the difference Of compensation which is not
bet. If nature depended upon the
receipt or quantity Of an article and not upon
the law Of supply and demand, as it's natural
and artificial uses, then there would be no
cha 4ge Of values in commodities, much less
woutId it be true that one article might be
wo4h much more in one country than in
and her.
How, it is a well known fact, that In this
coul ntry, by the large destruction Of pro.
pedy BY war, the price Of all property has
be1h SO largely advt ,ed, that We cannot
extAort money articles except gold and six
pea cent. gold interest bonds to pay the
he4vy balance of trade constantly accumulat-
il under this system against US. Besides
thk BY unwise and unjust legislation, and
byi THE still worse policy adopted BY the Sc
critary Of the Treasury, 10 the in
teiest of bond holders, stock 10 bbers
AMI gold gamblers, the value Of gold in this
cohntry has been run up some ten to fifteen
pei cent above that of any other commodity,
gcId being at 1875 to 1877, and silver at lbs.
Ndw this, condition of the market is not
frIm the imitation of the paper money, but
frAm the increased demand for gold.
These facts must be taken into account to |
settle the state Of compensation received by
ls oorers in different countries. For If the
rsge paid for labor in the United States Is
39or 40 per cent. higher than those paid
inI England, yet if the purchasing power Of
thA money be true as a whole is reduced as
al inst the labOTer 35 or 40 per cent, and
sukh is the fact. What has the American
latorer to boast Of over the European. We
answer nothing, and Mr.. Fields theory Of
irl creased compensation falls to the ground.
I'VE are aware that there are q class Of
nen in this as in every other labor robbing
c4untry, who will scout the idea that gold
bis actually risen in value some ten or If
t Ken per cent. above other commodities.
ISley will admit that other commodities may
r lie and fall in value, but not gold.
tThe increased premium on gold over sill
Vtr shows the fact that, for some cause, the
vAlue of gold has increased above the aver
lie level. But further, we give Mr., Field
is nut to crack-let him otherwise account
fIr the fact that every time the paper Circu-
ltion is curtailed, gold rises in value. Such
IL always been the fact here, and the Brit
b gold market, under just such circum-
,l.nces and under similar gOld-robbing laws
kesents the same phenomena. The follow
l. illustrations from the British market
hiring the twenty five years Of gold suspen-
Ion demonstrates the truth Of what is here
Ssserted In 1916 increase paper circulation
10 per cent. the premium on gold fell per
lent. in 1878 paper circulation decreased
lOrne Ave per cent, premium on gold incIeas-
ID 8 per cent. Again the rate Of interest
10 this country, as compared with England,
Is about as IL per cent. to per cent, that
= the English interest is that much NOR