The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-04-11

labor, labor that constitutes every addition
10 the value Of the article, and II Is the
man who bestows that labor who should
enjoy all the fruits Of It,
Il have lately been In New England for
the purpose Of securing contract for rails,
In order 10 keep the mills running after our
present contracts runs out | offered to
make the rails for the very lowest price at
which they could be made at the present
rate Of wages An English agent came
thcr6 aud underbid me and got the con-
tract Thus, for want Of protective sys.
tenn Is the money sent to England TO EN-.
ploy English wofkmen that ought to have
come here to employ you"
Mr.. Hewitt said he was not a Wing, but
Democrat. Still he went for protection
now, as he did, and as his party did, in
1874, and he went for General Taylor be-
cause he would sign bill to protect Amer.
lean labor. He did not ask for any un.
reasonable duty, He only asked for duty
equal to the difference between American
labor and English labor, &c.
Mr.. Hewitt closed by proposing series
Of resolutions embOdying the general prin.
Ciples he had advanced.
ReSolved, That this meeting, composed OF
men who depend for their livelihood upon
the labor Of their own hands, hold the fol.
lowing facts and principles to be undenia.
bly, true, viz:
That natural wealth Is the fruit. of indi.
vidual labor.
That, therefore, is the best government
and the best policy which secures to the
hand that earns it the largest possible re-
turn for its labor.
That the superiority OF free institutions
and economical government is proved by
the fact that in the United States the aver.
age wages Oilabor are from threet iourtimes
Us large us under the monarchical govern.
nents Of Europe.
That while foreign labor is paid at this
price, 1t would be worse than insanity to
adopt any policy by which the wages OF our
own labor should be reduced to the same
level because it would be throwing away
all the advantages secured to us by free
and economical government.
That II the whole productive industry OF
the country were employed in producing
the articles which We sell abroad, which
are mainly breadstuGs and provisions, cot.
ton, rice and tobacco, we should produce
much larger quantity than we could sell;
foreign markets would soon be glutted
with these articles; the price OF them would
TALL; the laborer that produced them would,
as matter OF course, receive less remun.
Grafton than he now does; the only stopping
point in the decline OF wages would be the
starving point, and the inevitable result
would be that we should be forced to give
equal labor for equal labor, instead Of one
days labor for four, as We have been doing
for many years.
That, therefore, il We should keep up
the price Of labor, We cannot employ the
whole productive labor OF the country in
raising such articles as we export; and the
farmers, OF all men ia the community, are
most interested in employing in some other
way that amount Of labor, which, il devo-
ted to agriculture, would produce glut
and consequent fall Of prices in the for
eign markets; and that the only way in
which such surplus labor can be employed
is in producing some manufactured arti-
cles, which can be bought cheaper in for
eign countries, not because it takes less Ia.
Dor there to produce them, but because
that labor is paid for at less price
That hence arises the necessity OF n tar
riff, which, properly devised, is merely a
system whereby the price OF labor, which
naturally results under free and econo.
mical government, is prevented from being
reduced to the pauper level Of labor which
Just rs naturally results under govern
ments where the first fruits OF labor, in.
stead OF being secured to the hand that
earns them, are tilched away in order to
maintain the costly splendor OF thrones and
the idle extravaganza Of an enervated aris-
toCraCy.
That is the tariff should be designed TO
guard the interest OF labor, no matter how
empIoyed-but most Immediately the
farmers interests-justice to the whole
community requires that duties should be
imposed only upon such articles as can be
produced here with the same amount OF
human labor rs in foreign countFiess.in
other words, upon such articles for the pro-
duction Of which our natural advantages
are at least equal to those possessed by for
eign nations.
That the amount OF duty imposed on
such articles should he the exact difference
between the amount OF the wages OF labor
paid for their production here and the
amount required for their production
abroad. That the operation Of tariff
which does not impose sufficient duty 10
cover this difference in the price OF labor
must necessary reduce the price OF such
labor or force it into agricultural pursuits,
whereby those who are consumers OF bread.
stuils become producers resulting speedily
in the accumulation OF large surplus and
consequent fall in prices-in other words,
fall in the price OF the labor which pro.
duces them, and in the average wages
throughout the country in every depart.
ment OF industry.
That US General Cass is pledged TO min.
tain the tariff Of 1876, IA tariff for revenue
only and as General TAYLOR is pledged 10
carry out the will OF the people upon this
point, and as we believe that our dearest
interests, social and political, depend upon
the repeal OF the tariff OF 1916, SO admira.
bly, adapted to deprcSs the price Of labor,
and the enactment Of new tariff framed
with the express object to maintain the
price OF labor by moderate and not exces.
sive specific duties upon such articles Ms
can be produced in this country with MS
little labor as elsewhere; and as we believe
this point TO be the great and indeed the
only issue involved in the coming contest
We feel copstrained to throw aside party
distinction and sectional prejudices, and
vote for General Taylor.
Now, as the lawyers say, we rest our case
for the present on the above clips as argu.
ments of great weight in favor Of protection
as against free trade. II there are in our
IL