Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-12-20
DOUBLE WAGES FOR WORKING
MEN.
An English Boss Admission-self-
Preservation or Suicide, Which!

Preservation or Suicide, Which!
During recent visit to Pittsburg,
Mr.. Casson, the general manager OF
Lord Dudley's iron works at Stafford
shire, Eng, speaking of iron manu-
features in America, said:
II find that in many respects you
have the advantage of US as regards
mechanical appliances, while in
others we are greatly ahead of your
manufactures.
In other words, so far as mechani-
cal appliances are concerned, Eng
land and America are about equal
But he added:
1--WE can manufacture iron at just
one half the cost, so far as the price
of labor is concerned. I find that
your rate of wages is about exactly
double what we have to pay"
And this observation is true of
nearly all manufactures. The
English can manufacture everything
at just oneehalf the cost that we
can, SO far as the price of labor is
concerned, because we pay the
American workman double the wages
that the English workman is paid.
Now, why is it that the American
workman gets twice the wages that
the English workman gets Be
cause of the rates of duties charged
by US upon English articles. Ii
these duties were not levied those
articles of English manufacture
would flood our markets, and articles
of American manufacture could not
be sold at all, unless at the same
price as the English goods. Our
manufacturers would have to shut
the doors of all our factories in the
face of such foreign competition, un>
less they cut down the wages of all
the hands at least one-half How
would the American workingmen and
workingwomen like suddenly to find
themselves offered half wages or no
work? Yet that is precisely the all
tentative that would be offered them
if these duties on English manufac
lures were swept away. Protection
means keeping these duties in force.
Free trade means doing away with
them. Free trade is called free trade
because it would give freedom to the
trade OF England to ruin American
trade and destroy the high wages of
American workmen. Protection is
called protection because it protects
the American workingman's double
wages and secures him the oppor-
tupities of labor at those high wages.
Free trade is what the Democratic
party demands, because it's leaders
desire to cut down the pay of Amer
can laborers, and to degrade the
working classes so that they will the
more readily do their masterful bid
ding. The Republican party, on the
other hand, insist on protection of
the wages of labor, because it desires
to keep free the masses of the
people from oppression and lift them
up to the highest plane Of good citi-
zenship. It knows that SO long as
the labOrer here can have double the
wages given to the English laborer
he will be able to eat better food,
wear better clothes, have a more
comfortable home, with a better
chance to educate himself and his
and a better chance for
him and them to think for them
selves and to rise in the world than
the English laborer and his children
could possibly dream of having. 1t
wants to improve the quality, condi-
ton and means of every citizen of
the republic who needs advances
ment, and thus hopes to place and
keep this nation on so high plane
Intellectually, morally, physically ard
financially, as to distance all other
nations on the course of progressive
civilization. Every vote tAat the
workingman gives to the Republican
candidates is vote in behalf of his
own comfort, elevation and happi>
ness and of the progress of the re
public. Every vote he gives to the
Democratic party is vote to destroy
progress and ruin himself. In the
one case it is self-preservation, in
the other suicide.