The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-07-12
A QUESTION or WAGES.
Second Antl.Tarin Article from Mr.. Z.
90 4,tsl : s Il N. Turner, - -t,sJ14lE ",

4 .a'Stjitil n. Turner. IS -tFI tik Y
Il Editors lutelligcnce.: ....i II tij.5
& HARRISON County, ". Va, July TO-
You assert in your editorial Of the 9TH Z
June, that the tariff question is largely,
, not chiefly, question Of wages. / agre
{ with you that It ought to he 50. but assei
that In our case, rs q matter Of fact. it Is nc
10. The argument for protection Is base
q upon the proposition that labor bein
dearer in this country than in Europe, "
cannot produce and sell TO our peopl
;; manufactured articles as cheap ~ they ca
be produced and sent here from Europe
i, Hence there must he ajax upon the foreig
: article 10 raise the price and enable on
: manufacturers to get higher prices 90 as +
= cover the greater cost OF labor. Thi
, Is, think, an accurate statement Of th
. argument for protection. 'i,@. 8 81
: This being true, It follows that protec
| ton docs not increase the rate OF wages.
simply enables the manufacturer 10 EN-
| Noy at the prevailing rate some OF the Ia
J Dor Of the country In manufacturing
which without the tariff he would be On
able, rs YOU claim, to employ. Protection
therefore assumes that the normal mt
OF wages in this country is higher than j,
Europe. What makes II 80? II las Away
been 80. The protective tariff did no
make II so. II was this that made the pro
tectve tariff. The CAUSES OF higher rate.
Of wages III this country are, mainly two
namely, ~ free trade in land, and e
scarcity OF labor as compared with the de
maud. workmen cannot be employed
in manufacturing at prevailing rates with
out tariff, It must BIZ because demand for
labor In some other department OF indus.
try keeps up the rate OF wages. What ia
this other department? II must be agri.
culture; for II per cent. Of all our working
force Is engaged IN that industry. Until
all our agricultural lands are settled up and
the supply Of labor becomes greater than
the demand, this competition between ag.
riculture and manufactures for the employ.
nent Of lubor VIII continue. When these
two things take place the rate Of wages will
TALL, other things being equal, and all crea.
ton cannot stop It.
But ] showed in my former article that
the price Of our agricultural products Is
fixed by foreign cheap labor markets.
Hence the rate Of agricultural wages is
based upon the price which the pauper
labor oil Europe pays for our products
Suppose, then, your. assertion 10 be true,
(which l deny IN toto,) that comple,e free
Trade would drive everybody to agriculture,
what effect could il have upon the rate OF
wages until ~ all our lands are occupied,
or, ~ the supply OF labor should become
greater than the demand? But any fall in
wages would be the result OF less prices for
products; and hence the laborer would be
just as well of, because the thing, which
he buys with his wages would therefore be
cheaper. E r'
Bu. would free trade drive everybody to
agriculture? Let US see. The census re-
port lot 1880 on iron ore production shows
that the average cost OF ore WIS - IL per
ton. including torty.three cents per ton as
royalty to the owners OF the ore beds. The
price Of imported ore (see report OF Bureau
OF s:atisucs1 WAS in 1878, without the tariff
tax, 81 II; in 1879, 3 10; in 1850, So 81; in
1851, s. a.. Our iron ore was sold at an
average price OF = 80 per ton, only eight
cents more than the cost OF foreign ere
without the duty. The tariff duty OF 20
per cent added to cos. OF imported ore in
1850 would make it s. IS, or 81 n more
than the cost OF native ore. And this was
the year in which Mr. Svank, Secretary OF
the American Iron and Steel Association,
says In his report, was "a year OF excep-
tional prosperity for the iron and steel in
dustries-prices were high throughout the
year, labor was in demand, wages were
promptly paid and disputes between work
ingmen and their employers were rare aud
unimportant." Is not this, then, fair test
year OF the tariff on iron ore production
And yet in this year OF Exceptional. pros
perltv" and high prices and great demand
for labor, iron ore was produced in this
country sixty-tivea cents per ton cheaper
than it could be brought here from Europe
without the duty. What do we want then
with tariff OF 70 per cent on iron ore Is
it 10 give the laborer good wages? Tie
report shows that the yearly income per
man was S3US "a Tor 80 days labor, maxim:
the enormous sum OF 81 30 per day per
man., - #. - =
Let us look at pig iron little. The re-
port OF sir. Swank shows that the average
cost OF pig in that year w;ls SIS 81 per ton.
is'icsl cost. without the duty, in 1873 S23 Of;
in 1879, SO 0s; in 1880. SIS s.; in 1881,
so IS. Thus. the cost Of American pig in
this year Of exceptional prosperity" and
high prices and crest demand ior labor was
only three cents more than the cost OF for.
eign pig without the duty, and from two 10
three dollars less than the ccst OF the Tor.
eign article in 1878. 1873 and 1881. What
do We want then with a tariff oil 81 per ton
on mig iron i? Is it to give the workingmea
good wages? The report shows that the
average yearly income per man WAS S32S %,
being employed on en- average eight
months, making the truly wonderful sum
OF 81 SO per day.
We produced ore and pig then, in 1880,
as cheap as 1t could be brought here from
Europe. But ore and pig are the basis OF
all onr vast iron and steel industry. There
remains the inquiry whether the other
iron industries, the rolling mills and steel
mills and works, would be able to 20 on
under free trade You assume that they
would not, because foreign goods would be
cent here cheaper than We could make
them at present prices OF labor. In answer
to this let me here quote IRON the extract
from the London Times, TO which you
called my attention last week. 1t says:
With high wages Americans have, been
able to compete with us 1.-THE English) in
the markets. OF the world" Your position
involves another assumption, namely; that
the foreign supply OF goods would equal
our demand, and therefore no increase o:
price would take place over present for.
eign prices; which is very violent as
sumption. On this point shall let Mr..
Swank again speak. Quoting from his re-
port, page lis, he says: "Foreign couu.
tries could no, in late years have supplied
our wants for pig iron, rolled iron, iron
and steel rails, and crucibe and open
hearth steel, for, il there were no other
reasons, the naturally conservative charac.
ter OF their people would hare prevented
them from realizing the magnitude OF
these wants" And on page,ls0: ave are
to-day the second iron.nlaking and steel.
making country in the world In a little
whiewe shall surpass even Great Britain
in the production OF steel OF all kinds, as
We have already surpassed her in the pro.
duction OF Bessemer steel and in tile con
SUMPTION OF all iron and steel products