The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-02-17
TARIFF AND WAGES.

The FREE TRADER, along with many
other antIhigh tariff journals. has been
asking the protection theorists for years
without being able to get satisfactory
answer, chow does Il high protective tariff
Increase the wages Of laborw Those who
have no faith IN protection" as means
of increasing the wages Of labor hold that
labor, like every other commodity In
which there ia perfect free trade, is regu-
lated entirely by the law otsupply and de-
mand. II, for instance, the wages OF iron
workers. glass blowers, cotton spinners'
&C., IN Europe are 30 mitch lower than in
this country as to justify emigration, that
labor at once comes here and supplanis
our higher priced labor, and no 'protec-
ton" short of such "a California has OK
tortcd from the government against
Chinese Immi grafton, can help'lt.
In point OF fact, the figures OF The ias
census reveal that instead OF protection III
creasng, ITS tendency invariably is to lower
wages. Thus the census figures show llit.I
the general annual average per c0ptta OF
wages in all the manufacturing establish
men,s IN the United states Is $34G %, and
that the most heavily protected industries
viz: wool, cotton and sllk-pay an aver
age of twentylour per cent. less annual
wages than even this pitiful sum. towlt;
Wool, f29305; silk, $2G4.45, and cotton,
So4O.17. In these three great industries
there are 367,9 operatives employed at u
net annual average wages per capita Of
s2G5.s9. When we consider also that there
has been decline III wages since 1870 OF
nearly nine per cent, this beng daring the
halcyon days Of protection, one might sup
pose we had discovered enough to- raise
the voice of every workingmau In the land
IN execration Of such Legislation. ~
Commenting on thesecensus revelations,
the New York Hudd adds: esq.,. ~, ... ,
Even this pittance of $26589 which IS
the average annual wage Of che cotton,
wool ANA silk operatives-ncarly four
hundred thousand of them--even this
amount Is of far less worth than its face,
because of the very "protection" legisla-
ton that has reduced wages to that figure.
The average duty on twenty three articles
IN common use, including cation, wool,
salt. leather, glass, linen, iron and steel, pa
per aud books, rice, sugar, &c, Is thirty
eight per cent. This means not alone that
the laboring man has to pay this amount
Of duty If he uses imported articles not
produced in this country, he must pay
thirty .eight per cent. enhanced price on ev.
cry American article he purchases for the
use Of his family; this In order that man
uiacturers in this county shall be "protect.
ed" out OF the pockets of the half starved
laborluy class. 1t will be readily seen,
therefore, that to just tho amount of thirty.
eight per cent. Is the current money OF the
realm debased IN its purchasing power by
the "proteciion" laws Of the country. s,.
Thirty-elght per cent. IS of course larg.
er percentage than the average loss Of the
laboring man by this means, but twenty
five per cent. 10 not. Ana We have no
hesitation in making the assertion that the
operatives in the manufacturing industries
10 this country pay An average OF twenty
I've per cent Of their wages to sustain the
projection" Of the very manufacturers
who hire them and who pay them less
than dollar day tor their services. In
their case, therefore, the American dollar
Is debased to the amount of twenty five
cents, and for every dollar they spend In
the support Of their families they receive
but seventy 1--WE cents In value. 40