The Portland daily press., 1880-11-02
A Manufacturers Experience.

Mr.. James Lees, Pennsylvania manufac-
turer who came from England nearly forty
years ago, has written letter to workingmen,
in which he gives them some good advice. The
following extracts are interesting:
"I came here in 1S42 as o workingman and
skilled one. 1 tramped the country over be-
fore could get job of work. 1 took charge
of country mill and my pay was the munif-
cent sum Of ten dollars a month and my board
My son George, IS years of age, and a skilled
workman also, got 81 Per month, and Joseph
So per month. There were the prices paid
under good old Democratic tariff for reven-
ue only You can compare them with what
you are getting to-day. The Whig party came
into power with Harrison, and it passed what
was known as the tariff of 1872 Immediately
on its passage our wages were advanced 10
four times as muchsas they were. Have not
some knowledge of the effect of tariff for
revenue only? and its opposite one for protec-
tion, such as we now enjoy2- In 1874, .Polk,
Dallas and the tariff of '42' was the Democrat
ic war cry of the North. In the South it was,
as it is to-day, for free trade. To make the
pledge more binding on the candidates and the
naded by his fellow citizens of the city of
of Philadelphia, expressed himself as
follows: The tariff of '42 is as safe in the
hands of James K Polk and myself as in the
hands of Henry Clay and Theodore Freling-
huysen.' How we'll did he keep his promise
when the Democratic party brought forward
a bill for the repeal of the tariff of AZ? There
was a tie vote in the Senate, and George M.
Dallas gave the costing vote in favor of its
repeal. I assure that 1 have never
have had any confidence in Democratic
tariffs since. This is fair sample of Demo-
cratic perfdy on this important question.
What was the result Of the repeal of the tar
iff of AZ? Manufacturers who had got ON their
feet again began to retrench and economize.
Instead of building new mills to meet the
wants of the constantly increasing population,
and give employment to the same, manufac-
turers had great difficulty in running what ma
chinery they had. During the ten years pre-
vious to the crash of 1857 it is estimated that
we mined 81 900 600 900 in California Where
did the money go? 1t went abroad to pay for
foreign products. 1t should all have been kept
at home.
The crash of 1857 came during the admins
tration of the good old Pennsylvania Demo-
crat, James Buchanan. For six months we
did not sell one dollars worth of goods, al
though ran the mill half time, and you got
your wages every four weeks, as you have done
ever since employed you. A great many
manufacturers failed want and ruin went
stalking through the land hand in hand; 1860
came, and with it the last year of Democratic
msmanagement."
Mr.. Lees then gives briefly the recent action
of Congress on the tariff question, showing
conclusively that the Democracy is free
trade party, or at best it is opposed to the theo
ry of protection. After giving the votes on
the questions affecting the tariff, Mr.. Lees
adds:
"By their own votes they have been stripped
of all this pretence and buncombe of being in
favor of tariff, and leave them to the ten
der mercies of the workingmen on election
day. They claim they are under bonds not to
reduce the tariff. They admit their conduct
has been so bad that some security is required
by the people. They allege that a certain
amount of money has to be raised to meet the
expenses of the government. They forget be-
cause they have so few business men who
can post them, that by reducing the tariff they
will increase the revenue. That seems very
strange, but will explain. The largest part
wool yarns for ingram and Brussels carpets.
A few years ago the importations of these
goods were very large. We made very few
except of the very common goods. Now we
are not only making all the lower grades we
want but nearly all the better class, as fol-
lows Tap, Brussels, body Brussels, Axmins
ters, Wiltons, and Turkish rugs. The gov
ernment derives little or no duty now from
this article of manufacture. Suppose you take
off one-half the present duty. What do you
do? You stop our mills, and every other mill
making this grade Of goods. English carpet
manufacturers will supply our markets, our
treasury receipts will be increased. But at
what terrible cost? Our own workmen will be
idle as they will refuse to work at the price
paid for labor in England"
In conclusion, this man, who represents
Just now a very large class of men who are de-
nounced as bulldozers because they are advis-
ing their employees to vote the Republican
ticket, says:
''Vote as you please now, but remember. my
firm convictions are that every vote for Gen.
Hancock is vote cast to reduce the value of
your own labor. If he is elected and the
Democratic party has its own way, you will
certainly find my words coming true"