Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-09-14
The Farmer, The Laborer, The Tariff,
" lfTm designed ron lbrdlipg's slave,
BY Natures law designed,
Why was an independent thought

" Ifrm designed yon lbrilings slave,
BY Natures law designed,
Why was an independent thought
Fer planted In my ind!-BrRss. rt
The persistency with which the lord of
the tariff and his hired minions who,
Esau- like, sell their birtbright for potage,
adhere to the assertion that the legalized
tariff robbery is in the interest of the la
borer and farmer is the simple addition of
insult and injury. AS well might the
vamper, sucking the life blood of bis
sleeping victim, assert that he is but per-
forming wholesome and necessary phle.
botomy.
"Protection from pauper labor !" cries
Protection, as it runs away with sixty
per cent. of the laboring mans earnings
and an equal amount of the farmers pro-
ducts. II there is any class of persons In
the United States who, in any manner.
come in contact with the pauper labor of
Europe, that class is the farmer. The
price of wheat, for instance, is regulated
by the amount realized for the surplus
over the home consumption. The entire
amount OF wheat raised in the United
States for the year 1880, was 459, ,591 ,093
bushels; the average consumption was
five bushels per capita-our population
so, 152, ,S66, the domestic consumption was
$50, ,764, $3.50 bushels, leaving surplus of
2OS, ,S26, ,763 bushels to find market out
side of the United States. 1t must go to
Europe and England furnishes the mark
ct. In that country agricultural labor is
the least rewarded and the farm hand is
indeed but little above the pauper. But
this is not the all competition the Amer
ican farmer encounters in the sale of his
surplus. The West Indias enter the field;
The recently emancipated Russian serf is
there; Egypt and Turkey, too. are repre-
sented, and South America pours in her
stores. Thus the farmer of the United
States is brought directly in conflict with
the labor Of the ryots Of India. felldhs of
Egypt, serfs of Russia and the sidues of
Brazil. The farmer and farm laborer of
the United States far exceed in numbers
all other classes of workers yet the gov
eminent renders the product Of their La
bors no protection whatever against the
pauper and barbarian products Of labor
with which they come in competition
But. should wars in Europe or failure of
crops enhance the price for American sur
plus, the protectionist claims the good
fortune to be the result of his policy.
Yet, while the tariff has destroyed COM
merce and neglected agriculture, the pro-
ducer, the farmer, is made to pay an ex-
ira price on everything he buys, because
the government has become the instru-
ment Of privlledged classes and granted
protection to favored industries. In plain
words, the farmer is taxed to give boun-
aty to the manufacturer.
How absurdly silly, then, il is to talk
about protection, in the shape OF tariff.
being benefit tothe farmer. What pro-
lection is it to pay an averageof sixty-six
per cent. on oil the woolen goods used by
him and his family, fifty per cent. on the
cotton goods consumed by him, thirty
five per cent. ON the linen he must purch-
ase? What sort of protection that which
cornpels him to pay an average of forty
per cent. on his plows, axes, hoes and all
implements Of iron and steel used BY himr
HOW WITH THE LABoRER?
Protectionists and their paid organs un-
blushingly claim that the high protection
has doubled the wages Of the American
mechanic over that paid in Europe. Such
assertions are absurd and an insult to or
dinary intelligence. We get our evidence
from \ report Of the Secretary Of State
showing the oonsparative weekly wages
paid in England and the United States ID
1878 and advance bulletins of the censls
Of 1880. s't n3itlt'i.a atsYtf ss9sl 'a .s
The Report includes bakers, cabinet.
makers. bIacksmiths. bookbinders. car
penters, bricklaSers, farm laborers,t tpor-
tiers, painters, plumbers, plasterers, prin-
ters, shoemakers, tailors, tinsn,iths, etc.
The aggregate amount Of weekly. wages
paid the fifteen classes named, In Great
Britain, are $114. II, being ratio Of about
$500 to each individual. In New York
city, where ,as q rule, these classes Of en-
ployes receive the highest rate ~ wages,
the aggregate amount paid per week is
stated TO be $lS5. .Os, being . ratio Of wa
ges per week Of 1913 TO each individual.
just $1.52 per week more than is paid the
t.spaupeF's Of EpEopes In England these
CLASSES have no taxesto pay oh their tools
clothing o. any necessary article used by
them Or their f2shiiies. ! I'd this country
the tariff enhances the prics.of ail. z
The census bulletin, to which we have
referred, reviews the Misunderstanding in-
terest in twenty Of the leading cities Of
the United States and furnishes the
statementdf wages perdsy Raid TO near
II one mjl lion of peEsons, The result Of
that showing whichadmits Of no dispute,
u stilli less favorable 70 the American
working classes than the statement given
above. threads as follows: