New-York tribune., 1873-06-20
PROTECTION AND LABOR
VIEWS oE HENRY c. CAREY.

VIEWS OF HENRY Z. CAhbi'
A REPORT To THE CONSTITUTIONAL C0NNENlioN oN
THE RELATIONS OF LABOR AND CAPIrAL-Iih
FIGHT-HoUR SYSTEM ConDEMNED-lNFLuhNOho vi
PROTECTION on THE LABORERS CoNDliioN
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERSHIP LAWS
IFRoM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE iNi"c'|i
PHILADELPHIA, June 13. The gehei'i lu.oi
ests Of labor and capital have come up for
in the Constitutional Convention, and olcted an i'o'
oting renort from Mr. Henry c. Carey Chairman oil tue
Committee on Industrial Interests and Laoor' "noio
he discusses the several propositions prosecute" " 49,
able manner Regarding the proposition 10 n"Ao 0'hr
hours legal days work he reports ad'cISoH' ."
does ON the other which would prohibit tho Legs'a''
from "nterferng with tho right OF the employer "
ulate the hours Of labor and prices to De pau io'
same by mutual agreement" He reasons thu' vi '1'
eight-hour question; ,.,.,,
When the public law is asked to make eight houIs
dov; work with ten hOnrs wages and when tne denan'
has been complied WITH nothing has been yeo ytii have
pIished unless the of the ten hours shir hy
ssmnitapeou,y been prescribed. In what manpcI now
ever, shall this be done lOW shan he ar
prices for the thousand different avocatlons w f r.
ranCed Shall the average rates of last year. OF ol to
present one. DO takeng aud shall the wages VI b don
or of others that are to follow, be kept up or en %
IN those figures That this cannot be Is clearly obvious
Equally SO is it that something else s0metning 'eh6 &
market price of labor An act OF Congress some
time since limited the days WORK oi n,'"rn
and laborers in the employment OF the uovurh, uard
ordered the paw which they had previously received o
Ten hours work to he given them with the reasohs oa
the results OF this act OF Government We are not mere
concerned IL is not precedent for the Eenena, tn
ference with private contracts pressed upon US In
ths cose the oyernment one the parties and te
employees are other, and as such they arc ep " ~ -
tbo terms of tine contract Even the case taken iOf
n oyanlc which il cannot be- still IL Is merely legs
lative act having claim to place III the leucI t
stntion or i'm that OF State. Open any moment 70
,mendment or repeal il retains some OF the required
fexibiltv but planted in the fundamental Jaw II ~U t
lose all the necessary accommodation 10 cluges Vi uo
and consequent changes or cOndltlOns'
PRE- TRADE SYSTEM OF INDUSTRIAL TYRANNY
Mr. Carey who was an extensive employer MN
self evinces he proceeds, warm sympathy Win tno
cause of labor and intimate knowledge OF tue Dur
deus and difficulties with which the workman mas TO
contend under the wages system He adds this synopsis
OF the results proceeding from the reckless competition
Free Trade stimulates and tolerates:
The system of international trade which has for sew
era generations held sway among the cvllzeu pe0Pcs
of the world Is marked by results as regards the aDor
interest at large which condemn II as system OF INDUS
trial tyranny hand and dependence on the oher
mischlevOus alike TO the oppressor ana TO MS victims
The trading and manufacturing policy OF the mOnopO-
lisc nations is for themselves system OF paupefs
famine despair and emigration their own aborers ana
forced into revolt against that capital to which under
other circumstances they would look as to ther cheet
so system done the welfare OF the masses OF the
peoples compelled TO its support and maintenance Let
The history of the past, during which IL mas hhu Iu
SWAY in Western Europe, answer The tOeTs nave ned
In multitudes from their native lands Nearly the
whole population Of Australia, and fully Onesevenh or
the people the United states, are foreigners Dy DIf
The commercial and industrial regime OF those parts OF
Western Europe which have wased war upon ioisgn .
laborers by means OF oppression OF their own - thns
shown to expatriaon for those OF ther poor
who have been able TO escape thereirOm hundreds Qa
thousands, meantime, being thrown upon the pubic
charity while " thousands OF its victims have per-
ished of want and OF the diseases when foow III the
wake of insufficient supplies OF food That labOrers
have much to complain OF IN reference 10 tuer o4hul
tion I'm the Old World is certain. Whence, how
ever come effects fearful these-so damaging 10
boasted cyiilzaton-so reproachiuI 10 It's Chris
tanlty
REWARDS OF LABOR UNDER THE TWO SYSTEMS.
The explanation is tins To absorb the industrial func
tions of all nations, especially in their highest
forms OF production they have been obliged to under
work the labor OF countries whose markets they have
invaded. Wages to their own wOrkmen lower than the
lowest Of the home wages foreign labor employed
constitute the one terrible condition OF Beg
gary starvation, banshment, are thus the necessary
fruits Of that ruthless policy which long has en-
poyed the native laborer in struggle with hat foreign
one whose real TO utilize in harmony with
hs own the opportunities and the means OF self-sup-
porting employ yment. such Is the reflex mischief that
falls naturally upon the culprit community lat assumes
mercial emporium OF the world. Ihe DlOOe sucked
from the rest of the body Whe IL gOrBes paIa [es the
congested organ
Referring to the benencen influence Of our protective
olcv in eleyating the condition of wOrkpeople both
home and abroad he says:
In every possible manner the operation OF our Protec
tive system is thus working for the advantage alike OF
come To us, ana OF those VINO remain abroad
The rewards OF labor so fr as our existing pOcy con
forms to the principle ~ are distributed IN
fair proportion throughout the manufacturing nations or
Europe and If the details OF our Customs tarih were
wisely aud universally adjusted 80 as to hold for our
selves all the productive enterprise and industry that is
possible 20 our climate, and to other natural advan
tages we should the dozen years, settle oOncu
svely the labor question Tor ourselves Tor France Tor
Germany for Belgium, for Britain, and for Ireland.
This and this alone presents the means OF the desired
recthcaIOn. IL Is the struggle for our market moro
than any all others, that has hitherto held down
the wages Of Europe to the starvation point Let us
put end that struggle by resoutey defending our
home production against injurious competition from
abroad as a first duty which We owe to ourseyes and,
as secondary duty nseparable from the first that OF
comforting the benefits OF right-doing upon abOrers
abroad. The best national is the best international
policy. All experience proves this proposition ia the
degree that the principle has been allowed operate.
OUR PROGRESS UNDER TARIFF.
Summing up the wonderful progress made under Pro
lection Mr.. Carey observes:
At no period Of our history has the reward OF labor
grown up so rapidly the last ten years when the
exodus OF European working men has rapidly in
creased the states OF Central and Western Europe
measures required for retaining their cOuntrymon
home, aud when the highest German authorities admit
eating men FOR export to this country has now already
more than cOunterbalanced the French indemnity OF
100000. To all appearance the Immigration OF the
present year will closely approach TO half miOn and
yet this moment In face Of 80 wonderful add
tiOn TO stock OF working men and women, that we
have adeermined agitation for bringing about Teduo
tion OF time and Increase Of wages In the years
prior 10 the Rebellion, when immigration 80 largely de-
cned the agitation was for employment at almost any
price Why is hsi Why II that, contrary " the rule
elsewhere OU5cfNtu utluhuu ldDOI ROCs hHcdu OF
supply when this latter great and falls behind 10 when
the supply Is small To this tho answer Is, that the
power compel nature to labor in mans service In
crcases almost geometricaly as numbers increase
arithmeticay-as employment becomes diversified. and
as men ore enabled combine their efforts for
attainment OF that object The policy OF the country
from 1850 to 1860 looked to dispersion OF people,
with steadily diminishing power OF production,
as a consequence OF which the consumption OF
irOn OF foreign and domestic production, in the closing
wears but little exceeded single million OF tons hav-
ing but very slightly the dozen years that Just
then mad passed Nevertheless the Increase OF popua
the close Of another dozen years many OF which have
been years OF and waste we find that with growth
of numbers has not exceeded per cent the con-
sumption OF rOnthe suTest test OF growing declining
cyizatOn-has attained the enormous gure 900