The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-10-24
"PAUPER LABOR"

Is a favorte term with the advocates
Of high tariff taxation. They use 1t as a
scarecrow on working men in our shops,
some of whom manage somehow to keep
themselves and family on 90 cents a
day. If this is not "pauper labor" it is
the next thing to it.
We need not go to Europe, then, in
order to find "pauper labor" Right here
labor is scarce and laborers pauperized.
All over this country this state Of things
exists to a greater or less degree; while
in California and other States are found
Chinese coolies in large numbers, the
cheapest human labor in the world.
These advocates of high taxation in
order to "protect working men against
foreign competition, open our ports to
the Chinese, or any other cheap labor
that may be brought or immigrate hither.
They propose no protection" in this di-
rectionl Beautiful consistency
This cry of "pauper wages" " has been
great aid to the high taxation tariff OPP
preston, and the delusion is as falla'
cious and shallow as are the other pre-
texts. Official figures show that the
labor was only lSI per cent. of the actual
cost of manufactures in 1870, when our
tariff averaged 43 per cent; while, under
tariff of but 10 per cent, in 1860, the
labor was 20 per cent. of the cost of
manufacture, thus showing that under a
high tariff the per cent, of labor in man.
ufactures was less rather than more.
But it is not true that, even if wages
are higher in this country tLan in Eu.
rope, therefore goods must cost more.
The Buckeye Company of Canton send
their mowers and reapers to Europe.
And an article in this paper from the N,
Y. Times demonstrates the advance of
the United States in all directions in
volving labor competition. The fact is,
it is skill and adaptation that assures
low cost Of production coupled with high
wages to workmen. 0ftentimes a high
wage makes a cheaper workman. If
manufacturers have these qualifications,
they need no protection from tariff; if
they have not the skill and adaptation,
no tariff can save them. This is why
our Buckeye shop. can compete in Eu-
rope. The Congress of the United States |
may be able to do much, but they cannot |
convert poor mechanic into a good one,
or an imbecile into first class workman,
or prevent either by law.'
But the greatest fallaCy of all is the
dread of pauper labor in general. Wages
in England are ten times as high as in
India or China; FIVE times higher than
they are in Russia; double as much as
in Germany, France and the rest of Eu-
rope yet in these very countries the
1earer labor of England completes sue.
,esslully with their cheaper labor.
An example in point is afforded by
our grain exports to Europe, where our
armers compete with the cheaper farm
abor of South Russia on the Black Sea.
The land there is not as high in price as
'ur land in these improved Western
jtates, and the farm laborers work in.
Iced for pauper wages. about one-ffth
'nly or less to what is paid here; and
ret American grain Competes success
ully with that of Russia in the English
markets. The Russian grain, then,
rown on cheaper land and by labor cost |
ng one. fifth our own, does not command l
nd capture the market from our expert !
nd skilled farmers.
And so our system Of protection"
18th its enormous and oppressive duties,
ct leaves our agriculturists to compete,
grain and cotton, withIthe cheaper labor
Europe and the world, and they do it
lCCessfully.
Pauper labor is not intelligent labor, Q
i'd here is the great difference. Let no P
merican laborer, then, be alarmed at Il
lis scarecrow of orr selfish monopOlists v