The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-05-31

and for other purposes
MR.. CROKER said
Mr.. CHAIRMAN-I commence with the
assertion of this principle: that when We
properly protect American labor in any
manufactured article until capital, skill.
and American enterprise come fairly to its
production, the article will become cheap,
ened until it reaches minimum level, low
er than can be attained if the country is
solely dependent for its supply upon the
ed and beggared operatives; because so
soon as the foreign producers can break
down the manufacture in this country of
any article, the price of that article will
rise to the last mill of the dollar that they
can wiring out Of us. Encouragement of
domestic production is, therefore, no less
for the interest of American consumers
than of American labor and capital en-
ployed IN production.
But the great consuming class Of this
country are laborers also, and the interest
of labor is the most important element in
the protective question. Can the labor of
this country contend unaided against the
degraded labor of Europe? | speak of
the degradation of labor in Europe, not
from books, but from my own personal OBJ
servation. have seen, Mr.. Chairman, two
hundred women in gang, carting, Or rather
carrying, dirt in baskets strapped to their
backs, to make railway entertainments,
the engineer saying to me he preferred
them to men ''they were more enduring"
When stepping out from one Of the largest
factories in Europe with the superintendent
at night have met half nude girls literally
kneeling on the ground and praying Sin the
name of the blessed Virgin to have en-
poyment the next day at twelve sous daily.
In England, where labor is better paid than
on the continent, have seen fifty girls in
a stihed room, half naked, doing labor too
revolving to name. At one establishment,
where the female operatives were apparent
ly well treated, one of them said to me,
ave are too poor to marry. | have had
four children out of wedlock. Thank God
they are all dead"
Prostitution, the child of poverty, is bra
zen and rampant, while the poor rates are
increasing every year. Even the noble be-
quest of our honored countryman, Mr.. Pea
body, who had heart, and who for thirty
years had seen the misery of the poor in
England, is taxed, or rather the tenement
buildings which he constructed are heavily
taxed for poor rates-a shame and disgrace
to England the estimabe friend of
this noble man, Mr., Somerby, of Boston,
acting treasurer Of this bequest, assisted
by such men as Lord Derby, has assured
purchase land for further tenements to
shelter the poor-to absorb the whole fund,
a balance remaining Of some fifty thousand
of the unmitigated curse
of entail in England.
This is the country which some of us
have been lauding on this floor, the coun-
try which destroyed our commerce by reg
istered pirates, or compelled us to sell atits
prices the proudest merchant marine that
ever foated. We hear it asserted that the
decay of our commerce is due to the pro-
tective policy, and that free trade will re-
store it. | dissent from this view. This
decline is mainly the result Of the transit
ton from the old system Of sailing vessels
to steamships, through which latter, built
up by mail appropriations and subsidies,
the English are able almost to monopolize
the carrying trade Of the world. If you
will pursue the same course before it Is too |
late, and by that means place our merchants |
on par with the English merchants, and |
let American energy and skill feel that on
the ocean as well as on the land their gov
eminent will stand by them, then our COM
merce will resume its ancient channels.
An intelligent manufacturer said to me
in England:
we are compelled to adopt free trade, because
we are dependent for so large n portion OF our
raw material upon other countries but we con.
ifol the seas, and have the East indies with a |
population of two hundred millions, and suZer-
ainty over some fifty millions more. We have
Aus tralia, the West India Islands, the Canadas,
and by our quick steamers control their trade. We
get our best sales at home next, in the countries
which we control then in South America and |
the balance of the goods which you do not buy
here, sometimes twenty to thirty per cent. annn-
Ally, we send to New York and order them sold
under the hammer"
But, Mr.. Chairman, / must hasten to the
which we have Immediately
under discussion. Sixty-two years ago this
coming month | was put into paper fac
tory at the tender age of eight years. /
lived with my mother, without allowance
or board, and worked twelve hours daily
1t twenty-five cents per day. My only re-
mission from labor, with the exception of a
single winter, was six weeks year, when
was allowed to 60 to school. In the lat
.er part of the first ten years of my factory
life, compensation being somewhat increa-
sed, l had sixty dollars year with my
board. In the later years of my life have
been able to employ the labor of others in
he same manufacture. | mention these
personal facts only to show that have had
! practical experience in the paper manu-
acture through a very long period, and
speak with some authority.
Now, assert, Mr.. Chairman, from this
PERSONAL knowledge, that with the exception
If the period Of the war of the rebellion and
.mesof temporary droughts paperhas been,
lnder all your protective tariffs, receding
n price and improving in quality. Cap
paper, whether brought from England OF
made in this country, which cost in former
lines 81 so per ream, could Of the same
quality be bought for 50 so per ream,
while the same prices of Handmade"
paper used when began is in use to this
lay abroad where labor is cheap, both in
England and on this continent. We have
made improvements in machinery and pro-
,esses under the stimulus of protection
which have enabled us to reduce our own
prices and keep down the prices of imported
PAPER. do not hesitate to say that paper
will still recede in price if we maintain a
wise system Of protection. 10 show that
am not mistaken in this assertion, | ask
cave to insert table Of prices for the last
i've years, obtained from the Superinten-
lent of your Printing Office, Mr.. Clapp.
This table shows reduction of more than
twenty-five per cent. within that period in