The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-07-02

prUtecu0n OF iaUof. Treat care il taken
to conceal this obvious truth from the peo-
pie. Il Is the fashion with The impor ters.
who are themselves the most wealthy and
aristocratic class in the country, to denounce
the manufacturers as body Of rich mono
polists who are amassing wealth on Of the
taxation Of the people. while they aLect to
pity the impoverished operatives. But It
needs no argument to prove to an irtelIi.
gent man that in this country the success Of
the employers means increased wages to the
employed. The operatives are now 40 in
telligent and well-organized that thew are
enabled to know both the amount of WAGES
which they are entitled fairly to demand
and the most effectual methods for ENFORCING
that demand Every days experience Is
proving that the time has passed by when
the capitalist will be able to deprive the Ia
borer Of bis fair share in the profits of the
BUSINESS.
Wages in this country are necessarily
high. The sparseness Of population and the
great abundance with cheapness Of land
makes it 80. The intelligent laborer need
not be q suppliant for employment be
can, as last resort, quit the workshop and
take homestead out Of the public lands
which are always open to him. It is i'm
possible, therefore, to place him upon the
European rate Of wages. Free trade, how
ever, requires just this, and that is Just what
protection intends to prevent and does ure.
vent Can anything be clearer than this,
that free trade means low wages ?
Sir, all this clamor against the tariff is de-
luslve. 1t has had its origin with very
few persons. Among the people there are
ten complaining of the internal revenue
taxation where one complains Of the tariff.
But these latter are not organized with
abundance ofmeans at their disposal to hire
lecturers and subsidize printing presses. The
free-trade league is controlled BY very
cunning and INSCRIPTIONS men. They think
the time has nearly arrived when the country
will enter upon period Of serious embar-
rassment, and they intend to take advantage
OF the discentent arising out Of il to aid their
schemes They mean to lay everything to
the tariff, believing that the unthinking multi.
tude will not be able to detect the cheat. |
am not afraid Of them. The country under
stands them, and the good sense of the peo-
pie will be an overmatch for all their sub
tlety. Great calculations have been made
heretofore, predicated npOn the presumed
discomfort Of the people under necessary
taxation, but they have all failed.
The regulators set on foot a plan Of
great ingenuity to deceive the people, but il
did not deceive them nor will the free
trade leagues have any better success. The
distressers Of the importers on account Of
the sufferings Of the people upon the protec
tive tariff are very intense, no doubt but
they are always groaning at such rate that
We never know just when the tears ought t.
be shed. Listening to them one would sup
pose that this was the poorest. most Cypress
ed country and people in the world. Mr.
Wells tells us plainly that the laborers Of
this country are nothing nigh SO well paid
as they are in the despotic countries Of Eu
rope. How strange that under these cir
cumstances those well-paid, happy Europe
an laborers should be fiocking to this tax
ridden, tariff-impoverished country by hun
dreds Of thousands every year! How still
more strange and wonderful that a nation
thus oppressed from the beginning of its ex
istence until this time by protective legisla
ton should nevertheless have presented t.
the world the most remarkable example o.
prosperity and growth which history records
A nation that has never, for a single yea
even, let down the due measure Of protec
ton for its own domestic industries that i
did not hasten to restore its time -honoreC
policy at the earliest opportunity. 1t hai
never lacked advice from the disinteresteC
importers or the equally disinterested man
ufacturers Of Britain, and yet it has steadily
preferred to buy its goods of American man
ufacturcrs instead Of our loving and devoted
cousins over the water.
To the old catcb-word, why not buy al
ways where you can buy cheapest? l re
ply that he cannot buy at all who does no
SELL He is a very stupid economist VIII
clamors for cheap market to purchase il
while he makes no preparation for acquiring
the means to purchase in any market what
ever. As in cooking a rabbit it is necessary
first to acquire the means to pay.