The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-04-08
Greaing Stats Saitrtal.
MONDAY EvENpG, APRIL s, 1872.
TO AMERICAN LABOR


lieye they have very hard time of it /; that
they have to pay taxes are, indeed, al
most taxed out of existence. A document
is circulated to prejudice the laboring men
against the administration, ON account of
the high rates of duties. In my judgment,
the wise and sound policy is to tax lu1uries
highly to put the burden of taxation up
on articles that come in competition with
our own, and make free list as large as
possible. We have great debt to pay.
We shall have taxation enough for many
years. That burden, the legacy of the
slave Democracy, will rest upon the labor
of the nation for years to come.
1t was my privilege last summer to spend
O few weeks in England. | hardly heard
anything else there but complaints Of our
tariff. If went to dinner-party, or met
Englishmen on ship-board, or anywhere,
they had much to say about our exorbitant
rates of duties. English importers, Ger
man importers, French importers all berate
our rates of duties. These identical docu-
ments that the Democrats are circulating
in New Hampshire are not paid for by the
Democratic party, but by men who want
to take care of foreign interests rather than
our own. [Applause.I
| asked these men abroad what thoy
wanted. "Why," they said, 1--WE want to
sellmore goods in your country" | had
no doubt of that. They said, "You are
great agricultural country you ought to
raise agricultural products, and we ought
to make the manufactured articles"
''Well," / said, 81 find that you bought
thirty-two million dollars worth of wheat
last year, and only eight millions of it
in the United States. | find that you
bought millions of dollars of corn, and
only few thousand dollars of it in The
United States" | asked them if they
would give up their agriculture if we would
give up our manufactures, and they said
their agriculture was worth great deal
more than their manufactures. They came
right to the point, for they could tell the
truth on the subject in England; their
friends do not like to tell it here. They
said, "The price of labor is too high in the
United States. You pay too much for
labor. 1t has a bad effect. 1t causes a
great many of our laboring people to 60 to
the United States to seek better wages it
makes those discontinued who remain at
home; they demand higher wages, and we
have had to pay higher wages in this coun-
try this year than ever before" ''Well,"
/ said, "that does not hurt my feelings
great deal. | am very glad they get good
wages in the United States; | reiocs that
the toilins men and women over here are
getting better wages.'
! saw everywhere | went, especially on
the continent, women engaged in tho rough
est and hardest work. Women have to
bear heavy burdens there. | saw women
doing all kinds of hard work. You have
heard a great deal said by our women's
rights people-of whom | count myself
one--about the right of women to work.
They have that right in the Old World to
their hearts, content. Laughter and APP
plause.l
am glad that workingmen are complain
ing. avn glad the workingmen in Europe
are getting discontinued and want better
wages and are getting higher wagers and
fewer hours. thank my God that
man in the United States to-day can earn
from three to four dollars in ten hours
work, easier than he could forty years
ago earn one dollar, toiling from twelve to
fifteen hours. The first month | worked
alter | was twenty-one years of age went
into the woods, drove team, cut mill-logs,
wood, rose in the morning before daylight
and worked hard until after dark at night,
and | received for it the magnificent sum of
six dollars. Each Of those dollars looked
as large to me as the moon looked tonight.
laughter.
On the farm on which | served an APP
premiership | had seen the best men who
ever put scythe in grass working for from
fifty cents to four shiliings a day in the
longest days of summer. Yesterday WIS.,
tied that farm. asked the men who were
there what they paid men in haying-time
last summer, and they said from two dol
lars to two and half day. This was
paid on the same ground where men work.
ed forty years ago for from fifty cents to
four shillings, and took their pay in farm
products, not money. have seen some Of
the brightest women go into the farm
houses and work for from fifty cents to
four shillings week, milking the cows,
making butter and cheese, washing, spin
ming, and weaying--doing all kinds of hard
work. | was told yesterday that many
young women were earning in the shops a
dollar a day, and that those who worked
in houses were getting from two dollars
and half a week to three dollars and
half.
In 1882, in the great debate in the SEN
ate on the tariff, it was said by those who
advocated protective duties that they had
raised the price of labor in the United
States so that it averaged fifty cents day.
How is it now? This winter is the most
prosperous winter the United States has
seen in its history. Everybody is at work.
There is very little suffering anywhere.
Why this change? Why this improve
ment ? 1t is because we have smitten
down the slave system, broken down the
slave power, lifted up, dignified, and hon
ored labor, and tried to protect and diver
sify our own industries. To-day the Ia
boring men and women of our country are
earning from three to four times ash much
in day as they could earn forty years ago,
and days work is shorter now than it was
then. After had learned mechanical tradc
in the place where | now live worked
fourteen and fifteen hours day, month
after month, to earn forty dollars month.
There are hundreds Of men there now who
in ten hours, can earn hundred dollars
more easily than could earn forty in fifteen
hours. am grateful to God that this ID
so. | do not care anything about few
men or corporations piling up a great
amount of money. The wealth of the
Astors, the Stewards, and the Vanderbilts
have no allurements for me. believe Goo
made this world to grow good men ant
women, and not to pile up money. Tha
is my belief, and want to see the men anC