The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-12-24

prominence in Congress during this session,
Judging by the expressions that have been
heard thus fur. The original tariff men
arc inclined to bo aggressive, feeling that
they now represent tho unquestionable
predominant sentiment Of the country, and
the Free Traders are fearful that the South
aud West can no longer be relied on to
support their attitude on this question.
They arc rather inclined to evade discuss
ion and vote for commission to revise the
whole list OF duties on imports, which
commission, as 1t will not report until 1883,
will dispose Of the question for the time be-
ing, BY 1888 they assume that therewillbe a
more pronounced feeling in the country,
ono way or the other, and this at least will
serye to guide those who as politicians are
always inclined to follow rather than lead
or educate public opinion.
Tho most stalwart free trader in the SEN
ate is Mr.. Beck, OF Ky, Hes at least is not
afraid to speak out, lie introduced rcso-
luton on Wednesday calling for Informs
ton on the following points:
Resolrsd, That the Secretary Of the Treas
ury be, and he Is hereby, directed to fur
nish tho Senate Us soon as possible the
present rates ofduties, in tabular form, i'm
posed by France, Germany, and Mexico
on tho manufactures OF tho United States
when imported into those countries, espe'
Cially ON tho various manufactures OF cot
ton wool, iron, and leather; and in like
forn 10 inform the Senate ut what rates
like manufactured articles are allowed to
ba imported into those countries from
Great Britain, II he has such information
in his Department; and that he also inform
the Senate what articles OF manufacture OF
other products Of the United States are pro-
hibited from Introduction into said coun'
tries,
Senator TToar, Of Massachusetts,, desired
to hive this resolution embrace the Qucs
ton OF wages paid to operatives His
amendment was, "and also the rates OIL
wages paid In those countries to operatives
engaged in the same or similar manulac
lures" He supported this Nddendum
which was objected to by Mr.. Beck, and
finally Withdrawn by Mr. Hoar, in tho fol
lowing remarks;
~ understand that the great question o.
tariff or no tariff, and OF comparison be-
tween the tariff policies OF other countries
and this, depends upon the question
whether the American rate OF wages car
DO maintained. The people Of this coun-
try arc its rulers. In the manufacturing
States, like the one which have the honor
In part to represent, the operatives In their
mills are their rulers. Whatever policy oil
State government or OF national govern
ment, whatever policy us to schools, rs to
churches, rs to the construction oil rail'
roads, rs to finance, Us to currency, rs Ia
banking, as to the prosperity Of commerce,
as to the rights Of capital Gnd the proteG'
ton Of those rights, prevails, is first argued
before and then reasoned out by the I'm,
derstandings OF tho men who do the work
in the manufacturing and mechanical estab'
lishments OF those communities and some
Of us mean that whatever else happens
this shall happen, thut from the product oil
their labor there shall be awarded to those
operatives q share which will give them an
opportunity to put their children In school
10 have their wives attend church md
lectures deCently clad, FREQ to enjoy the
luxury OF knowledge and the luxuries oil
3 social lie; and to do that the American
? rate Of wages must be paid and maintained
That cannot DO done in France, or In Ger
mUny, OF in Great Britain; and tits for the
) interest OF the American citizen most re-
IA nVnt nj N
who govern and are part shall have that
rate OF wages and Of compensation for
their days aud years work which will en-
able them 10 obtain these primal neCes'
stiles OF American citizenship. No discus
sion Of this kind can be intelligent unless
II Is directed to that one point Can the
American laboring man maintain, as he
has for the last twenty years maintained
Under tile protective policies which have
prevailed, this standard OF compensation
/ road with great pleasure the remarks oil
the honorable Senator from Indiana, mfr.
Voorhees,, not now in his seat made al
one of the most gratifying expositions oil
the industry oil the South, In which he sum.
noned his neighbors OF the Northwest and
his Countrymen Of the South to policy
which was to build up their manufactures,
have the elements Of prosperity established
on every stream and in every valley and
by the side OF every railroad throughout
that fair domain. Let these manufactures
come in tho Northwest and In tho South.
west and in the Southeast; let them com.
pete with, let them drive out in many
cases the Industries for which the East has
been celebrated and Of which in this coun.
willing, but we arc willing OH this one con.
diiion, that the southern and the western
laborer who HCcomplishes that work shall
DO o man whose days wages Is sufficient to
enable him to enjoy the priceless luxuries
oil education, oil comfort, and Contentment
which belong to every American citizen.
Mr. 1loar struckth key note OF the tariff
discussion in Tie above remarks. There
can be no adequate investigation or discus.
sion Of the subject that does not give front
rank to the question Of wages. For the
American operative this Is virtually all
there is in the tariff discussion, It Is ~ a
question Of a good living 10 him, and (2) u
question Of ability to save something over
anu ABOVE DIS good living.
We all know that the American capitalist
who engages manufacturing could make
his money support him in some independ.
eht pursuit even II we had no tariff. 1t is
an old saying that capital can always take
care Of ITSELF This is true in all countries.
The tariff therefore is not question that
primarily or chiefly concerns capitalists,
hut laborCrs-4tlose whose only capital Is
their labor ind skill.
For instance, 1t was shown in the tariff
discussion at thcrecent Convention in New
York that only one thing prevents It's
from building ships as cheaply as they
build them on the Clyde-viz.--our better
paid labor twas shown that We had the
materials in as great abundance as any
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