The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-09-08
HIGH PRorEorION--LOw WAGES.

GAllianco Leader.l
The fOllOwingipOinted communication
from the pen of our good friend, James
Smith, of ROOtstOwn, appeared in late
number of the Chicago Express:
EDITOR CHICAGO EXPRESS: In your
last issue Is a letter from John Bryan, a
prOtectiOnist, on the tariff. Like ali 9TH
or prOtectIOnists, he is grossly Ignorant
of economical science; seems never to
have studied the question, or he would
never assert, as he does. that protection
gives better wages to wOrkingmen. The
very reverse is the fact. Protection aud
pauper labor go hand in hand. To this
rule there is not a single exception.
Every nation that has a protective tariff
pays pauper wages. Freetrade in Bri-
tIin raised wages 100 per cent. On
what grounds can Mr.. Bryan prove that
free trade would lower wages? If pro.
lection regulated wages, wages would
be the same all over the Union, as the
protective duty is the same in all the
States. At one time wages were five
times higher in California than in Penn
sylvania. What was the cause of this?
Not protection, but the prOductiVeness
of labor. Protection cannot and does
not make laOOr more productive; there
fore iE cannot Increase wages. 1t is a
we'll known, indisputable fact that the
highest protected manufacturers in
America always pay the lowest wages.
Why protect them If they can pay more
wages than the farmer, who is not, never
will or can be prOtectedp Within the
last four years have seen men working
here for 81 per day, while they were pay
ing 81 per week for board. Britain has
no such pauper wages, the lowest paid
there can always earn as much in one
day as will pay for three days board. If
Mr.. Bryan will take into consideration
the purchasing power of money in Bri-
tain compared with America he will ad-
NIT that the British WOrkingmen get
more value for labor than is got in
America. The following facts prove all
this: In 1881, 300 machinists were
brought frOm the Clyde to Detroit for ship
building. They only remained here for
two months, BECAUSE they could not ex-
ist except at the starving point upon the
pauper wages paid in America. To man
they went back to Scotland. This actual
occurrence proves very cOnclusiVely
where the men get the most value for
labor. Mr. Bryan further says: "Where
we have lowered our tariff here it has
produced panics and depression" Lower
ing the tariff was not the cause of the de-
preston. 1t was some other cause, as the
greatest industrial crash was under the
highest protective tariff. This Mr.. Bryan
cannot deny. No government has a
right to prOtect one by TObbing others.
would like Mr.. Bryan to say If free
trade does injustice to a single one?
Can The same be said of protection,
which is always cruel, if not criminal
taxP Mr.. Bryan should try to open his
eyes and behold the havoc wrought by
protection in America. 1t has driven
American vessels from the seas, and the
art of ship building is almost unknown
in the land. 1t has made the farmers
in America a complete set of slaves, with
twO-thirds of their farms under mort
gage. 1t cripples and limits trade, shut
ing America out from the markets Of the
world as with a wall Of iron. While
free trade does not prevent Mr.. Bryan
and all other prOteetiOnists from still
buying in the home market and paying
as high price as they please.