Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1882-05-27
PROTECTION.

to the Paris exposition IN his report
makes the following comments upon
the poor laws OF England and the
condition of the laboring classes.
".The poor-law returns made in
England are carefully examined,
from which it is evident that there is
an army of paupers pressing upon
the occupations of the common la
borer, and trying to push him oyer
the almost insensible line which d.
vides these two classes from each
other. 1t is not possible that the la
borer should receive more than bare
subsistence wages, aud there can be
no relief for his patient suffering so
long as there are thousands who, un-
able to earn any wages at all, stand
ready to fill up every gap of industry !;
and to the honest laborer himself,
standing on the edge of this line,
over which he is lisble at any mo-
ment to be forced into the ranks Of
pauperism, the anxiety and miserable
state of uncertainty for himself and
his family must be fatal to all lation-
al happiness, and Is we'll calculated
to drive him into vicious indulgen-
cies and temporary excuses when
ever transient opportunity Is afford
ed, as a momentary relief from con-
dition of hopeless misery.
From the returns made to the
British Parliament as to pauperism
in the month of September, A. D.
1867, it appears that out of popu-
lation of 1886, 104, dwelling in the
area for which the returns are made,
872,620 persons were on the list of
psupers supported by public charity
of which number 129,6s9 were in
the work houses, and 73S,726 were
relieved in their own houses. This
latter portion constitutes the army
which substantially regulates the
rate of wages for labor, as they are
ready, to greater or less extent, to
take any vacant place which may
offer itself. And this state of the
case exists not in mid win ter, but
just after the close of the harvest,
and the returns show that the evil
is an advancing one, as there is an
increase of 26,521, or 3,3 per cent,
il 1857 over the corresponding week
in 1866. And a study of the Stats
tics shows the largest rate of pauper-
ism in the manufacturing and not in
the agricultural districts"
A great many protectionists adyo-
cate tariff In order to prevent the
cheap labor above described from
competing with the work of our
American laborers and thereby tend.
ing to reduce them to the state bor-
dering on pauperism. which ia the
condition of the English laboring
classes, using at the same time the
argument that if we protect labor we
will receive accessions to the ranks
of our workmen from Europe. They
should remember that in protecting
our laborers we must not only protect
against the work but against
the workman. While the mechan
ic remains in Europe but a
part of his work comes into compe-
tition with the American mechanics
and but indirectly reduces his wages
but when he comes to America every
thing that he does is that much taken
from the work of one who was here
before him, and he Immediately de-
mands division OF profits also by
adding to the number seeking work
reduces the meager earnings of that
class of laborers. 1t is the duty of
the government not to partially pro-
tect in the interest of large land own
ers and manufacturers by imposing a
tariff which will Increase the cost of
manufactured articles and encourag-
ing immigration which lessons the
price paid to the workmen, but to
begin at the beginning of protection
and prevent competition in labor at
home simultaneously with the pre-
vention of indirect competition from
abroad. What is needed is tariff
to protect the capital engaged in in
dustries of any kind, and a modifi-
cation of the immigration laws to
protect the laborer employed by
capital.
-CoNeREssMAN Cassidy has a