Daily Republican., 1881-10-28

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER ~. 1881
Now Castles Prosperity.
Our 70 ung friends Of the New Castl
Evening Star, have occupied considera
BILE editorial space in illustrating on
Protective tariff, which they say onl!
protects the monopolists AMI larg'
manufacturers, but offers no protection
to the laboring class of the people
They have gone dollar and a half bet
tor on wages for laboring men than
they did last week. This is some im'
provement, but taking this as basis
they still cannot see how families
where there is only one to labor can get
along. We must confess that we can
not see through it ourselves, but we
know they do in many cases and have
more comforts around them than some
who get twice $3.50 per week. How
ever even $3.50 is not the basis of la
borer's wages. Only yesterday we were
talking with cellar digger who left
his employer because he wanted to re-
duce his wages from $l.5O day down
to $1.4O, and the digger went where he
got $1.50. We will join cur young
friends and say that even $l.5O per day
is too low and yet compared to the price
of skilled labor it is good wages. In
fact wages as q general thing are too
low any how at the present time, COM
pared with, the advanced prices of flour,
vegetables, and meat. There is an un-
equal equilibrium that wants balancing,
Wages either need leveling up or the
prices ofaproduce want leveling down.
This, however, cannot last long, and
the present status of labor and living
Is in the past will soon regulate itself.
This however has nothing to do with a
protective tariff, and the question still
remains, does 1t protect? Our young
friends have unwittingly answered the
question themselves. We could not i'll
we had tried, have given more glow
ing account of the comfortable pros
perity of the mechanics artisans and
operatives in the manufactures and |
mills of New Castle. With enthusias-
tic pride our young friends from their
sanctum look out upon the smoke
stacks of number of manufactures in |
their young city, and while the black
smoke of industry darkens the air they
say, what? That the laborer is crushed |
TO the earth? That the people of New
Castle who work in these bloated mo-
nopolistic manufacturing establish
ments are starving? That they cannot
pay their rents, nor their debts? Not
much, they don't! But here is what
they say "We feel safe in saying
that our people are better off on the av-
erage than the same class anywhere in
Delaware, or out of it. Most of the
operatives in the mills own their own
homes or are buying them through or
by the associations" Nothing more
need be said III favor of protection. Our
young friends have supplied the argu-
ment themselves, and it is not in fine
spun theories either. They present the
same practical fact that protection does
protect, because the operatives in the
mills, as they enthusiastica, say,
either own their homes or are buying
them. Strange to say, however, our
young friends do not sac that they have
given themselves away, and still ask
after their glowing description of the
prosperity of the laboring people OF
New Castle. "But was it the tariff for
protection ?" We suppose they mean
to ask if it was tariff for protection
that caused this great prosperity. "Not
a bit OF it," they say. Well, we think
we can safely le. the question 20 before
the people and expect favorable YER
dict in favor of Protection, our young
friends themselves supplying the argu-
mcnts for both sides. OF course we
need not tell the intelligent citizens of
New Castle that if it ere not for pro-
tective tariff, there would be no manu-
factories Of much account in their city,
and consequently the people would not
have an opportunity of buying their
own comfortable homes.
We are rather apprehensive that our
contemporaries of the Star are in the
habit Of Looking upon the gloomy side
OF pictures which to others is bright
with promise. "The poor ye have al.
ways with you," was Divine saying
nearly nineteen centuries cid, and it is
no less true to-day than it was then ,and
we presume it will remain true to the
end of time. Sickness comes in and
poverty follows, or poverty comes and
sickness follows. These are the vicis-
itudes and vexations of life that can
not be avoided. OF course suffering is
the consequence, but to what extent,
depends upon the charity of those who
are so fortunate as to have steady en-
ployment In the mills and are getting
sufficient wages to enable them to pur.
chase happy homes. If communism
were to triumph and an equal division
ofproperty we're to be made tomorrow,
the following day there would be some
rich and some poor We congratulate
New Castle on her prosperity. Her
common lahoraro ,rot on IN aror,,o