Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-06-12
is That So?

ton, we extract tnls nandful:
ave, therefore demand that the
imposition of duties on foreign imports
shall be made, not for revenue only,
but that in raising the requisite reve-
nues for the government, such duties
shall be levied as to afford security to
our diversified industries and protection
to the rights and wages of the labOrer,
20 the cad that active and intelligent
labor, as well as capital, may have its
Just award, and the laboring man his
full share in the national prosperity"
This declaration comes from the
authors of the existing tariff laws and
rom those who i'm the present Congress
have refused TO in any manner modify
that system of robbery.
A mere glance at the system is suffi-
cient to show how labor participates with
capital i'm the enormous profits eXtOrted
from the people by the Republican war
iaritf:
Let us take iron, an article mora or
less used by every industry and by every
individual. Our figures are taken from
The census of 1880. The total number
of persons employed in this couuiry IN
the production OF iron and steel, from
ingot and pig to bar and rail, was 1t0,-
975. Their aggregate wages amounted
to S55,476,7S5, whicb-counting 800
working days to the year-gave to the
laborers each Sl.31 day. We find that
in the production of ore there was en-
ployed 3l,GGS persons who received
S., 1888, liza rifle over 81 day per
laborei. Thus in ore production and
iron production the average per day
wages of the laborer was $l.25; and, if
we include Sundays, which iu fact in
this business is included, the wages will
be but S1.l5.
In 1880 there were in the United
States 1,005 establishments working
iron and steel, in which was invested a
capital ofS230, ,971 1894 real and personal.
The total value of the whole production
was $296, ,557 ,GS5.
Now, the S55,A76,7S wages paid on
The $3.50, ,557 ,6S5 worth of finished pro-
duct represents trifie less than $lS.75
paid labor on every 500 worth of finish
ed product. If we deduct the sum paid
labor from the aggregate product we
have left the sum of S?41 ,0S0,900.
This benefcent Republican tariff law
wbi we are old is to give equal pro-
lection 10 labor and capital, assesses a
duty of % pei cen n,um on this industry.
A very simple computation shows
that this will make the sum of $55, ,h5S, :
607-or only SIS, ,7S5 less than the entire
sum paid to labor.
If, as figures clearly and indisputably
prove, this "imposition ofdu5ies on fore
ign imnorts" enables the American iron
manufacturers to pay from hiszoper cenv.
protection the entire labor employed by
him, please tell us how the laborer
shares in the profits which, according
to Hewitt, one of the largest manIiac-
,Ires in the United States, enables a
dividend of so per cent TO be paid 10
the capital invested?
We need not stop with iron. The
tariff system produces the same results
with anything it effects. Take silk:
In this indust, y there were employed
81 800 persons, 10 these laborers there
was paid Sl3 :00O,0 or $50 per yea, TO
each employe-a little over $1.OO pc"
day. AS The duties paid during the
year on imporiations valued at sec, ,0O0,-
900 amount TO S21,C00,0O0, it is plain
that the protection amounted to 1925 10
each employe, and that The 60 per cent.
duty enables the employer not Only to
pay every laborer, but leaves profit on
the labor of each employe of $25O-thus
affo ding 10 Che capital invested i ON
~ TO G5 pei cent. per aDnum.
This system, Notwithstanding the
Chicago platform, gives 10 labor the
same protection The vulture gives the
lamb--coveIiog ald deyouring it.
II labor is 70 share equally in this So
called prosperity, how should it be ap-
piled?
The eutne capital invested in the iron
business, as we have seen, is $$;2.cO,9 :
GGc4; the LABOR amounted TO $J5, 4Ic, ,7S5;
six per cent. on the capital invested
will amount to Sis, ,S53,G1G, The aggre-
gate value of the production was $685.
ST ,6S5. There was paid to the capital
invested, an average of so per cent.
making $115, ,4G5,942. By adding 10 ibis
the $55, 49, ,7C5 paid to labor and deduct
ing the sum thus obtained from the
value of the product we have $125,CJ6,-
ia, as the cost of the law material.
The proposition may then be stated as
follows:
Value of product. $2s6,Jo7,CC5
Raw Mate' al ~ .............SlZo,i6,ll
LABOR ......."" 300
Net proat........."...-"....... Sl0l ,9O6C'j
Now, then, if there is to be equitable
participation in the benefits of protec-
ton the result can easily be solved by
simple proportion. Capital has inves.-
ed $29O,9H ,sct, labor has invested $55,-
476,7 labor, capital and raw material