The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-10-22
And OF this number less
than two hundred th0u-

teen year Of age (11 1861
With the posi- bic excep-
ton of three of the New s e
England States there isa
surplus of youth and fe- :
male labor in every. State
of the Union, and this
class of our people GER
tainly derive little bene-
fit from the protection A.
forded labor.
The number of adult males EN-.
ployed in these three protected
industries is scarcely equal to the num-
Der of adult male emigrants who, invit-
ed by our wise and generous legislation,
annually land on our shores.
We. at the present time, afford the
nations Of The earth the spectacle of .
government taxing the industry Of
whole people under the pretence Of pro.
ttecting our laborers against the ill paid
labor Of Europe, while by every legis-
lative act we invite these Europeans la
borers to come and dwell among us.
Was eDer legislation more absurd
The wages paid labor is but q small
part of the cost Of q finished product.
On cloth sold at wholesale at $1.65 per
yard, the labor is estima-
ted at about twenty-five cents.
The difference between the Ia
boz costing twenty-five cents in this
country and the cost Of the same labor
in Europe is but on Insignificant per
centage. On the cloth estimated as
costing $l.65 per yard this
difference is only about four
per cent. Capital employed
in the manufacture Of protected arti-
cles is benefited vastly more than Ia
Dor possibly can be.
The great injustice of protection is
that it taxes one mans property for
the benefit of another's.
While immigration is one great source
Of our wealth and prosperity, and should
be encouraged by the government, cheap
commodities are the greatest of bless
ings to the laboring poor.
A comparison between the number
Of persons employed in these three
branches Of industry in 1850, under q
tariff Of less than 20 per cent, with the
number Of persons so employed in 1870,
under tariff Of over 40 per cent,
would make the proposition under con-
sideration appear too weak for argu-
ment.
The protection afforded home indus
try employed in the manufacture of
leather has nearly destroyed our ex-
port trade in boots and shoes with
South America, Mexico and the West
Indies, and the effects of protection on
the manufacture of paper is happily
illustrated in our own State, where we
send a paper Manuf dctnrer to Con-
gress to protect home industry and
publish our State L0ws II, Scotland,
and import them thence. 50 as to enjoy
the blessings Of frse trade.
The reason that labor receives q
greater reward in this country than in
Europe is not to be found in any pro-
tectien afforded the labor Of few
thousand people. The cause is COM.
mensuratc with the result and Affects
all classes and conditions Of men.
While many reasons imay be assign
ed for this difference in the reward of
labor perhaps the most important are
the following:
First. In this country we have an
abundance Of fertile land free to actual
settlers; and as consequence our peo-
pie instead Of remaining laborcrs for
hire soon become producers on sheir
own account. A large number Of pros
porous farmers in this state must have
continued hired laborers lad they re-
NAMED in Europe.
Second. Among US the whole ener-
gies of the people are CALLED
into action. Men are more inventive
and labor is mere efficient and produc-
tive than in any other country. In the
Canadas land is cheap, but the inhabi-
tants are wanting in the enterprise that
characterizes our people, while the cli-
mate is more severe and the soil is less.
fertile than in the States.
The argument that protection creates:
home market requires little consider
alton, when we reflect that one county
in this State produces annually wheat
sufficient to sustain the inhabitants Of
that county and all the persons employed
In eleven of our most important pro-
tected industries.
In 1872 Goodhue county produced
2,3ll, 674 bushels Of wheat.
| Population Of Goodhue county. 1924
Persons employed in manufacture Of
cotton. 12e, 449
Persons employed in manufacture Of
iron, 1925
Persons employed in manufacture Of
hardware, 1926
wooden, ss,loe
Persons employed in manufacture Of
paper, 1870
Persons employed in manufacture Of
leather, s6,24a
Persons employed in manufacture Of
steel, a,4b8
silk, $3.50
carpets, 1909
Persons employed in manufacture Of
linen goods, 1,746
glass, 1892
Whole number Of persons, 467,l12
In this estimate we slow nearly
4 95-1OO bushels Of wheat TO each per-
~