The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-03-21
CANTON. OHIO WEDNESDAY MARCH 81 1883

tected country. This Is nOminally true.
The difference is about 80 per cent. or
81 in Great Britain to $40 in the United
States. When was over there last sum-
meT took occasion to make a great
many inquiries as to how the labOring
classes lived and what compensation
they received for their work. In some
of their trades and ours there Is less
difference in wages and in some there Is
more. Cotton, silk and woolen factories
there Is probably not over % per cent.
difference in wages. In iron there Is
fully 40 and maybe 30 or more. The
Commissioners very strangely stop mid
way in that statement. They didn't
finish the story. You have all noticed In
life that
HALF TRUTH IS OFTEN "A FALsEHooD
in its effects on the human mind. The
impression that q man would get from
reading the statement Of the Commits
sion is, that the American mechanic Is
80 per cent better of than his English
competitor. That was the impression
intended to be made on the public mind
by the Commissioners; but, gentlemen
the other half Of the truth is needed as
its complimentary is this: That the
Englishman's 80 Of wages go about as
far in supporting his family as the
Americans 50. 1t Is a question of the
purchasing power of wages. If one re
ceives 50 and another 81, which really
gets the most valuep He that can buy
the most with his money. 1 found this
to be the case in England: An English
man can clOthe his family for about one
half it costs the American mechanic.
House rent is less than half what Is paid
in American cities. And fuel is some
what cheaper. l found that groceries
were considerably cheaper. and that in
the whole range Of household expendi-
lures except for food, Ii was largely
cheaper in England than here.
Now, may surprise you when tell
you that penny will buy larger loaf
of bread in London OF Manchester than
a penny will buy in New York OF Chi
cagO. The reason is: In this dear country
of artificial prices our middlemen charge
twice as much profit as they do In Eng
land. The people sell there at the
stores and groceries and shops on a
margin Of profit of not more than one
half what is exacted in this country.
They have system OF cooperative stores
which has broken down high prices In
the retail trade. The retail dealers have
to be satisfied with two penny profit
on pound of tea, where they charge 25
cents in Chicago. They must accept a
cent pound on sugar, where they want
lie
to find that in the articles OF beef, pork,
mutton, and canned meats that retail
prices were higher In Chicago than in
London. / found that butter and cheese
and eggs and poultry were sold as cheap
in London as in Chicago at retail-not
at whOlesale-nOt the price the farmers
get; but the price consumers have to
pay. The result is, that the English
mechanics as a whole, Notwithstanding
the enormous pressure of population on
that little island, live about as we'll,
dress as well, are housed generally bet
ter, eat and drink as we'll, and enjoy life
as well on their relative S1.25 day as
our artisans do In our cities on their 81
a day. What wages a labOrer receives
for his work, Is after all, q question of
the purchasing power of his money
rather than of the number of dollars he
gets.
Now make the application that II
American tariff were cut down. do
not say totally abolished. have never
advocated that-but cut down to a fair
revenue standard, down to about where
1t was in 1857, 1858, 1859, 1880 and 1851
to 10 OF 20 per cent. advalorem, to that
point which would prevent throwing
what is called Slaughtered" goods on
our market-the effect would be, az 1t
was from 1846 to 1851, to cheaper the
cost of living in the United States one
third at least. It would lower rent, and
fuel. and groceries, and medicines, and
tools, and travel, and transportation,
and to that extent 1t would enhance the
value of a mans wages in the same de-
gree that the number Of dollars paid
were lessened. Our mechanics to their
own surprise, would find that q low
tariff judiciOusly levied, not exceeding
10 or 20 per cent. with liberal free list
of raw material of manufacture, they
would prosper better than they do now
on their artificial system Of high protec-
tiOn, which goes on the principle Of
high profit on small sales.
SOME IMPORTANT STATISTICS.
The census Of 1885 gives the follow
ing returns Of the manufacturing and
mechanical industries of the United
States Of every description, DOn-prOtee-
ted as well as protected industries. l
quote from the figures given In the
Tariff Commission report:
Value Of total manufactures $50 66T 7eS
Capital invested. .......,.......... 2'79O22S BO7
Naue OF haterlhi uheu. b.514s64UOZo
Total wages paid during year. 9779l6674
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