The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-09-14
THE TARIFF.
Continued from Page 81

itless prairies and pastures IOr sheep
and wool. We have coal and IRON easily
accessible and close togerher' NO VA
fiOn in the world ever had such opportu-
mites for manufacturing, and yet we
Jet them pass by unmindful, and sur
render the worlds markets to England.
Shame upon the ruinOus policy which
abandOns to our rival this great source
of national wealth. Oh, that the man
ufaeturers of America would rise 10 tne
height of the great propositions that the
world is to be supplied with food ana
imnIements of husbandry and all arti-
eles of human handicraft. Then their
ewes will be turned from the prohtless
competition in our country TO all the
Nations of the earth, and in the easy
victories they will gain in the generous
riYalries of foreign trade, wealth Will
be won of which they do not dream
now. The barriers Of protective tarln
will fall at the touch of an enlightened
sentiment, and the Republic Will be
free in substance and reality as 1t has
been name.
PROTECTION LOWERS WAGES.
When driven from every other posi-
tiOn. the protectiOnist says that reduc-
tiOn of the tariff will diminish the
wages of labor, and reduce the Amerl-
can WOrkingman to the condition OF the
pauper labOrer of Europe. This pro-
eeeds upon the theory that protective
tariff increases the wages OF a laDOrer.
That this ia a false assumptiOn-false in
reason and false in faet-I shall proceed
at once to demonstrate.
IL can not be pretended that protect
i've tariff will increase the wages OF Ia
bor in other industries than those pro-
teeted. The argument Is that II man
facturer gets a higher price t0r ms
goods he will be able TO pay Detter
a. = =, ,npln
nothing which is protected against the
foreigner, then he certainly Is not help
ed bY the tariff. The carpenter VINO
fits ND a house, the bTicklayer who
builds the walls of an edifice, the tailor
who makes a suit of clothes, the BAKER,
the shoemaker, the day labOrer, the
railroad emplOye, have none OF Shem
their wages increased by tarltt, De
cause they have no employer VINO charg-
es 40 per cent. more for what he manu-
factuTes. They enter into competition
with everybody, the man, it may be, who
arrived from Europe yesterday, ana
their wages are not fixed by the law OF
supply and demand, but by tariff. IL
has already been shown that FEWER la
bOreTs are really injured by the tarlH.
Thus we are left to this pToposltiOn,
that the wages of labor in the manufac-
turing industries are increased by pro-
tectiVe tariff.
AS to this. remark in the first pla e,
that there can never be an increase OF
wages in any industry above the gener-
al average, except temporarily. Inc
wages of labor are governed Oy laws
which defy human manipulation. Ii
they be higher than the ordinary rate in
any business, men will work into 1t
from other vOcatiOns until the price Is
brought down to the natural level.
RELATIVE VALUE OF WAGES.
There are many elements which must
be considered in determining the value
of wages, the most important OF which
is the purchasing power of the money
which a labOTer receives. Ii man re-
ceived 81 per day in one country, ne IS
as well off as man receives Sl.oO IN
another and with the SI.5O the latter
can buy no more than the other with the
81. In ascertaining the relative value
of wages in different countries, unless
the element of the expenses OF living IS
taken into consideration, compare the
cost of living in this country and Eng
land, and it will be found that the lab0-
reT in the latter can live much more
cheaply than here. The excess or cost
in this country is at least One-thiId.
Every article which is used in daily life,
and of their sugar, salt and rice, are
3O15 per cent. higher here than there.
1t follows that in order to equalize the
wages of labor in this country with
those of England, the laborer here
should receive $1.33 per day wherever
the Englishmen receives 81. A second
element to determine the wages labor
should receive, providing the products
are of equal value. If one man will
make twice as much as another of
given quality of goods he ought to re-
ceive twice the compensation. Now, in
the protected industries it has been
shown that the American laborer will
produce One-third more than the Eng
lish. Whether this is because of better
machinery or greater skill on the part of
the wOrkmen, OF more prudent manage
ment on the part of the employer, L
shall not stop to inquire. The fact eX-
lists that our labOTer produces 3315 per
cent. more than the English labOrer. 1t
follows, therefore, that to place the
American and English labOrer upon an
equality in this regard the former should
receive one-third more wages than the
latter.
In the view that the wages in Eng
land is 81 per day, it is easy to say how.
much it should be here, that its receiver
in this country should be equal to that
there: 3315 per cent. should be added on
account of the increased expense of liy-
ing, and 3315 per cent. on account OF
the greater prOductiveness of the labor
bOrer receives $1.66 per day he is equal
to the Englishman who receives 81.
There is another element not to be
overlOoked-tha is the cOntinuOusness
OF steadiness Of the employment. In
England the foreign demand is so great
for the manufactured goods that the Ia
boring men are never out of work. In
this country, for the last ten years, the
labOrers have been unemployed at least
one third of the time. Our working
men should get 20 per cent. more for
the days they do work to make them
equal to the Englishmen who work
steadily.
am not stating it strongly when
say that at the very least our labOrer
should receive $1.74 per day when the
Englishmen get 81.
WAGES IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA.
Will any protectionist pretend that
there is this difference between the
wages of labor in the two countries?
Let US compare the wages in the great
protected industries of cotton, and wool,
and iron and steel. The statistics of
the last census show that the average
wages paid in iron and steel industries
,roS 4 fE ~ dou tG M NOR yuaoH A