The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1870-04-07

labor be crushed, and the people Of
this country be made showers Of wood
and drawers of water" 10 Europe
The elements of coal and iron ore
cater so largely into every indus
try, and consequently into the aggre-
gated wealth of the nation, that their
importance can hardly be eovcrestimated.
Hence England, by duties amounting
almost to prohibition, protected these
wealth.producing treasures until her
manufactures reached so high degree
OF perfection as to enable her to chal-
leRge the competition Of the world.
And It is question for the people of
America to settle, as to whether our
coal and iron deposits, the immensity
Of which cannot be computed, but
which are doubtless sufficient 10 supply
the world for many decades of centu-
ries to come, shall lie dormant simply
because we have rivals beyond the AT
lantic in the manufacture of goods for
our own consumption, whose laboring
millions have, from necessity, learned
to live upon less than one-haf the
wages necessary to support the free and
intelligent laborers Of this country,
Having not only the widest and
richest domain, but the largest and
best supplies ofthe elements upon which
progress and civilization are based, the
world in taking note Of our ability to
solve the problem as to how wealth
may be created with mutual credit and
benefit to employer and employe. IL
the time shall ever arrive when the Ia
borers of Europe are rewarded in ac-
cordance with the demands of human
ity and justice, there will be no
further occasion on our part to consider
the question Of protection, as we are
now able to manufacture iron as cheap
ly as any other nation, provided the
price OF labor is the same. But we
cannot and will not enter even-handed
upon the race with competitors who
not only pay male laborers barely
enough to keep soul and body together,
but whose women are engaged for
pittance in employments suited only
70 the rougher and sterner sex. Mr..
Hewitt, our able commissioner to the
Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867, in
his report uses the following language
on this subject
"As general rule the labor OF the women and
children is required In order to eke out the sub
eistence OF the family. In Wales women are ex-
tenEiyely employed In the works doing the labor
for which man would be required In America,
rOT IN Ia Aop 1aN opW tI,,.s
less than half the wages that would be paid to a
man for tho same labor, which they perform
equally well In staflordshire, and In the MOTH
dFen arestill extensively employed above ground
about the mines, and around the coal-heaps at
the mouths Of the pits; the substantial result of
which Is that the labor OF the whole family Is
procured for the sum which would be paid To its
male head II he alone labored for the support of
the mmUy OF course nt Il far lower cost In the
resulting production of iron than would other
wise be possible Restraining laws have been
enacted IN England of late years In regard TO
women and children, limiting the number Of
hours during which they may be employed, and
also providing that they shall not DE employed
during the night, except In certain specified
cases, But II the women and children were al
together Withdrawn from the occupations, as
they are In the United States II would not be
possible 70 produce Iron except at q considerable
advance on Its present cost"
In my judgment nothing short OF
protection to American industries will
save the men, women, and children of
the laboring classes in this country
from q similar fate. And the fact that
We have not always adhered with in
hexible tenacity to this system is great
y TO be regretted. II we compare
those periods in our national history
when the American system of protec-
tiOn to home industries prevailed with
those ia which we had tariff for rev.
snue only, it will be found that our ad.
vancement in agriculture aud com
merce, as well as the arts and manu-
faOtureS, were two'fold greater during
the former than the latter.
The prosperity of the iron trade in
this country may be regarded as fair
index to the success OF other industries.
We had no adequate protection on iron
from ls46 to 1856, and still less from
that period up to June 80, 1864, when
the act Of that date gave more ample
protection to this industry than it had
enjoyed since I842 The prodution of
pig-iron in 1859 was 564 900 tons
less by es6,000 than it was in I847, |
I've years earlier. From 1852 the
trade struggled on, gradually gaining
: little until 1868, when It reached |
$4,000 tons. But in 1869, after five
years protection, the production reach
ed the immense amount of $50. 900
tons, approximating in value $75, ,OOO,-
600 more than 500, 900 900 Of which
is the price of and has been paid for
the labor which produced the corn, beef,
bacOn, potatoes, flour, pork, boots,
shoes, hats, dry goods, and groceries,
with the innumerabls etceteras which |
enter into the manufacture of iron and
ere mainly the production Of the farm;
thus combining the labor Of the far
msr, day-laboser, carpenter, wagon
maker, blacksmith, shoemaker, tailor,
hatter, miner, engineer, machinist, and
probably a dozen other artisans in tho
manufacture Of single ton of pig-iron.
British free-tTaders and their Ameri.
can allies do not like this system of
combined labor for mutual benefit.
Thereis too much strength in this kind
OF union, and IL smacks too strongly of
independence to suit their interests.
Il would suit the English monopoist
bstteF to do our manufacturing. and
have our western farmers ship him the
-four, beef, pork, DC, with which he
feeds his operatives aud American
kntDOrterg on tho Atlsntio aas- -ho,.d