Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-02-25
ICoAlMUNIcATEp.
Ereo Trade vs.. Protection,
Al. w
THE FRAUD UPON WoRKIN0MEN.

TIE FRAUD UPON WoRKIN0MEN.
10 the name of Amaric,o labor tho American
tariff works liz gigantic evils. ,Pr,Lec:ioaist5
sro not agsiass the European poser" aud 10
bis lato speech, Mr.. Merrill d,c!sroi free
trad5 griols labor to the bone, AID fec 3 it 10
fly to more Inviting folds" Let us examine
dsspIssoEa!ey what Truth there is 10 this ss
samptian.
Ia bis c,igiaal state man is self dependent,
ard bis ,w, l,ber supplies his every need
Wcrs he al4sys sts:i3ns,y. The relation Of en-
p,cyer and employee would never exist. Bat
gradually lis VANS enlirgo ard he socks the
cid CT others. whom BIO GIN always obtain il
DO en- always pty. siaco zone. except slaves.
work wilhGu. compensation. This ability to
pay is represented by oipitsl. and capital is
simply tho Rcoumu!siions Ur results of isbOr.--
Without capital tho laborer is never Employed;
when is is large, his ohHncss to secure Lish
prices are good. aEd advance With tho Increase
Of wEa!h. Here, then, is the prim, cjndition
CO which the wage rate depends The second
oaus, is the number amcpg whom the fund is
10 DO distributed. Suppose capital of mil
lion is seeking Investment, to which million
meu arc lookicg Ter work. Ii is clear c3mpeti-
ton will DO killed, e5d wages will fall. Dr.
rsinish The uum5er of man snd wages will rise.
IF two masters lua after workman says
Bastiat, wages arc high, bu! if two wotkmen
run sfle7 master wages are low" The law
Of supply AID dematd governs here as every
where else; 9hsn man arc scaIc, they ere we'll
paid, when numerous they get less. Il is plain
wages are dopendcu: on Cd the amount OF
capital shy country possesses, aud ~ On the
number CT l.b2rcrs among whom it is to be
distributed.
American workman have o higher average
rate of wages than any othtr country affords.
btcsuse thess conditions gre favorable, and not,
as elsewhere, adverse, to tho laborer. These
Unied Safes form the richest county 90 the
globe, Eoglard alone excepted The wealth
Of Graat B.iisjn is represented by DC billions,
while uurs is 80 billions, and our ratio Of it.
crcas, is go much larger thon Ecgland's tina,
5. csrtninIy 10. years will enable us 30 far to
surpass her thst she will DOT even be in sight
10 tho gIea. c0mmsrolal race, AID nowhere are
The iD6uc :mens SC ropg to lowest ard employ
money, rDd niwacvo is it 80 &c iv,. We have
co immense landed prcnric:ors 10 sustain; 90
tscaLic zip idle olssts" above u.s. but as a
rule, e!l Gro wo: rs SID prcduc RI This is q
ptcalisr advantage 10 Lbe workingmap, for
hsre ittla mocey does the business CT is
double 10 Europe. A dcrmapt capital adds
| Iittla TO his pay For instance, the Pioneer
Nils repr sent. sly. $4,000. but that money
h:s dona po!hiDg for Iaborcrs so lcog SO The
mills h.v. beon ide. Amerioao c,pit.l is
larGe. snd wages arc Increased by its great
&c i7i:y.
In ihe next place. our wort MN bear a
healthy proportion to the capital find Owing
to Climatic conditions We will never possess tho
inmense population Of counhi's like lac sni
| China. Whers wages srs cents day. at pre-.
sen! our population is far below whs! our terri.
tory can support, act sress being urcultiv ated
| and unrhatEed. This second condition Of high
wages is even more conspicu uey on the ii 1e OF
! the American lsborer than the hrst.
Gmittiog the question Of population as wholly
fore i IN to our e IN :rcan society, we advert TO
tia! Of capital aad declare nothing S so hosi o
TO wealth as protective tariH wealth" says
Smith, Consists in .hcse material objects men
DESIRE" These Objects result from exchange,
oech ga!!irg for his surplss what another his to
Offer, and ono country felling what it is fitted TO
| produce for the commoci les OF q foreign LAID
a tariff prohibits or restric's e1charg3; there.
iorei it destroys md hinders weslth, and thus
deals fatal blow to labor. The destruction is
two fold, r;ct and indirect. In No. of these
papers we estimated the direct CT s. at consider
ably ever billion dollars annual y. The indi.
rec. cost arises by drawing of large Lunbeis
fioIa natural fields of labor 10 those We do rot
need For example: pit SER and gypsum were
once brOu ght to this c>untry IS ballast for YES.
sells end supplied for almost nothing Tic anti.
C es, however, were found in New England, and
a tariff WIS laid Oh their Importation. Prices
rose. and peorlo left what had occupied them
before 10 supply the demand fer plaster. But
Tor the tariff the country would have had its
plaster at nominal cost. and. i l addition, thu
pIcdcc!s or wealth ihcse people would have
created in their natural ty3cstions, which, of
cou:se. was entirely lost. No fgures can esU.
| nate this losa, tu! a billion year will not be
wastes Cur capital is that it produces those IN.
! stantly recurring gluls and panits which arise
fram overproaucticn whsn p;o action is srtiH.
cisi5 81 :nusted. The remembrance Of 1873 is
yet upon Us, BY which we can estimate the
losses OF such lime.
Now, Whist romans OF Mr.. Morli:rs assertion
The tsrtf IS fraud on labor, for it attacks CAPT.
tsl at every point and dislip:t2s tie fund from
Wh!ra tho workman is paid. MAX.