Daily Kennebec journal., 1880-10-25
the TARIFF QUESTION.
Ho,c q Lou Tariff You'd A1eca
american WOrkingnsess.

cester.l
Let me illustrate, if possible, so every boy
can understand IT, Here is Worcester; We
will call that America. There is Portsmouth !;
we will call that Germany, and am to build
4 boot factory in both countries. In Ter
many, which is Portsmouth, / hire men to put
in the foundation for so, 55 or 90 cents per
day.while here in Worcester, which is Amer
ica, have to pay the same class OF help
Sl.OO, SI25 and 81. so day. pay in Ports
mouth v hich is Germany for brickmakers, Az
to 60 cents per day, and in Worcester, " hich
is America, 81 90 to Sl.5o a day. In Ger
many l can hire young girls for few cents
day TO carry the clay on their heads, and an
official report to the British Parliament says /:
There are $4,000 young girls in Germany
carving clay upon their heads to make brick
with, for from 3 to 6 cents day.
In Worcester, which is America. brlck-
maker cannot get this class of help; for,
thank God, they are at school where they
ought to be. In laying my brick walls 1
have to paw masons here in Worcester. which
is America. 81 20 to $500 day, while In
Portsmouth,, " Iich is Germany, can get them
for 60 and 65 cents day. The same pro-
portion holds good for machinery, and have
found that there is good deal of mat hinery
used in making boots at present. and that the
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boots at the other Here in Worcester. hich
is America. the men who make this machinery
are paid So to 81 day while in Portsmouth,
which is Germany. pay Is cents TO Sl.5O a
day, and when the machinery is all in and
the mill is done, pay the women in Wor-
cester IS cents to 81. so a day, and the men
ST. so to 81. so. When get a case of boots
done it has cost me exactly $50 here IN W or
cester, which is America. In Portsmouth, " hich
is Germany, pay women Is to 20 cents a
day, and men 40 to 60 cents, and when l get
a case of boots done it has cost me exactly
$50.
Now l can take the case of shoes made in
Portsmouth, which is Germany, and send
them to Worcester, which is America, and
sell them for $40 and make $40 profit on
every case, and still sell them for $40 a case
less than it costs to make them right here in
Worcester. How long do you suppose
you would run a factory here in Worcester
at that rate! Not at all. The end
would come But the democratic party
says we can do it, and demands that Germany
shall have the privilege of coming here and
selling their products of cheap labor in com
petition with American goods. They also
demand the same privilege for their cottor
and wooden goods, wire and machinery.
Now there is but one way to run a mill or
the democratic doctrine, and that is wages
must come right square down to an equa
with German wages, and then the goods car
be made right here in Worcester as cheaply
as they can in Germany, and not till then car
we compete on equal terms. But the work
man says l couldn't stand that. No, ht
couldn't He couldn't send his wife to churcl
because he couldn't afford to buy clothes fol
her, nor his children to school, because i
would take every hour of the time of ever,
man, woman or child in the family to earl
the poor clothing they would be compelled t,
| put up with.
But the workman says he couldn't have hi
beef and mutton at those wages. and h,
couldn't. But he could have black brea,
| and rice and soup. This is democratic die
for YOU. The republican party says it want
| to run its factory here in Worcester and pa,
wages which will allow every workman t,
send his children to school. Why? Becaus
in twenty years hence the destinies of the re
! public must rest on their shoulders, and W,
want them men and women of intelligence
| We want to run our factories here in Worces
ter so that the wife can go to church. Why
Because every wife who goes to church make
the husband better man and citizen.
| We want to pay our wOrkmen good wages
Why? Because every year he will lay up
| little, then he will buy lot, and pretty soOl
| he will put house on that lot, and then h.
| will put his wife and children into that house
| then he will have more at stake in this gov
ernment, and will go to the polls with NOR
conscience and more heart in the welfare o
the government. And the republican part
believes that the workman who supports him
self and his family by the sweat of his broy
should live as well as the miserable loafe
who does nothing, or the rich man who nev
er does anything.
| How have we kept the factory running
and continued to pay the wages, which al
low the workingmen to send their children t.
| school, their wives to church, and enabl
them to own little homes of their own, Will
| Germany has been making boots so muc
cheaper? We say yes to Germany, com
right over here and sell your goods to al
who will buy, but before you come, pay t.
the Treasurer of the United States to he'll
run this government exactly S20. Don
| you see what we have done? Now, his cas-
OF boots has cost him much as the cas-,
has cost the manufacturer here in Worcester
| The Worcester manufacturer has been able t.
compete with him, and has done it withou
| cutting wages down, and the American peo
| pie have been relieved of the burdens of tax
| alton just so much.
That is protection and that is all there i
to it. But our democratic friends say Vol
| would get your shoes cheaper. Well, woul,
| your The republican party says no. Ther,
| was time when the first steel rails wer
used in this country that they cost $50 pc
ton. Then we put on a high protective duty
| We opened coal mines and iron mines, ant
started blast furnaces, and put on high dut,
to protect them, and to-day we can buy steel
rails for $50 dollars a ton. Take another in
stance, porcelain knobs. There was tim.
when we did not make them. Then we pu
high duty on them. and in few wears W,
could buy the same knobs for SO a dozen
and all the time we had kept wages up BY tn.
high tariff.
This is post remarkable case and has ar
illustration in history. Ireland was once one
OF the most prosperous nations in the world
1t had high protective tariff. 1t manu-.
factured immense quantities of cotton, of silk
and hosiery. There were 10000 looms. In
every house in Dublin there was loom. and
the inmates were as happy and contented as
lrishmen could be in that climate and on that
soil with plenty to eat and wesr Bat Eng.
land looked upon her as she looks upon Won
to-day. DO you know that the Golden club
is taking part in this campaign? That it is
contributing documents and money to run
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