New-York tribune., 1884-01-10
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
VIEWS OF A RHODE ISLAND MANUFAc-
TURER.
AN ADDRESS BY REPRESENTATIVE CHACE BEfohE
STUDENTS OF HAYERFORD COLLEGE,
Try TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl


W,suINGTON, Jan. 9.-By invitation OF the
members Of the Senior Glass OF Haverford College Rep
rosentaye Chace OF Rhode Island, tonight delivered
before them and their friends address on the tar
oue.on He had been asked treat the subject from
the standpoint OF a manufacturer" and TN opening ne
said: There Is but proper standpoint Tor HshF
thinking person. namely what is right and best for all
Protection TO our Industries can be defended, not OhS
upon the ground of our welfare but upon the broader
ground of right and justice to all There is no ques
ton as | think I shall demonstrate, that TOT
the people whole people, 1t is better that our system
should be maintained That Is indeed foolish phlaD
thropy which wastes its substance upon the Vcions the
improvident or the desperate True charity begins at
home and the wise good man cutvates MS own eState
in order that he may help others.
Mr. Chace maintained that political economy is not
science within the reasonable construction OF that term
science must be exact in its conclusions, ana capaDe Oh
absolute proof and demonstration. lie cl'e"
sohn Stuart Mil and James Madison, and then
turnipg his attention to the British tariff said:
Her tariff OF duties upon imports yields S9o'OoO'VOO
per annum and covers nineteen sections and foryve
different rates Many Of them only be explained upon
the ground that they levied protection principles
Mr. Chace made a long citation from the bitter cry OF
outcast London showing the wretchedness ana poverty
which exist, and the starvation wages earned
by the poor peOpie who try TO DC
honest He also gave an outline Of the tax system OF
England and showed that the whole land tax OF Great
Britain In 1882 on 745OO,OOO acres OF land was only
S. 25OO while in Philadelphia alone the real estate
tax OF 1888 was 50 100000. He compred the tax on
fty-thousand spindle mill in Oldham. England and that
on one OF the same in Massachusetts, saying that this
year neither will probably mako any profit In
Oldham the mill owners will pay no taxes ex-
cept district and poor rates. while the
tax on the Fall River mill Is
assessed TO about S75OOOO and will pay about S1l,25O
LOWER THAN ENGLISH PRICES.
After quoting from and commenting upon a statement
In Dr. Waylands Political Economy published In ls49'
that it would be 400 times cheaper TO pay bounty
equal to tho present duty" cutlery and admit cutlery
free Mr. Cbaoe presented table showing tho English
and American wholesale prices in 1882 for cutlery ana
other staple articles OF hardware. IL SHOWS
that the average American prices are consideraoy
lower than the English prices. Ihe trowe5
used by brlck-masons - "a per dozen In England
and 81 90 here square hove there are 81 4s per dozen
against 81 80 here fryngpans 81 az against - %
euuerd kettles sc against so cents; trace chains
er p,r AZ retail 81 to 81 In England and 90 cents
n 81 - in the United states Mr. Clace then reproduced
Robert f. POrtcrs table showing wages OF operatives me-
chanlcs aud abOrcrs In wOoen mills IN Massachusetts,
England France and Germany and quoted with words or
warm approval Mr. Porters observations thereon. Mr
Chace paid his respects certain statements In Professor
Perrys elements of Political Economy" one OF which
In particular was recently the subject OF warm debate at
Haverford THIS related to the enormous increase In
the importation of hides from venezuela ater the
duty was removed 1872. Mr.. Chace showed that 50
far from the lmportatlORs OF South American
hides increasing in the aggregate after 1872,
tnev fell off; that prices continued to Increase,
and the large Increase In tho exports Of tanned leather
were dne 10 causes with which the tariff had nothing
do This part OF the address triumphant rctlta-
ton of every point in proof of Mr Perrys statement
WAGES AS An ELEMENT OF COST.
Mr. Chace then took up and discussed fully the state
mens made by Professor Perry and sought TO be proved
by the returns Of the Tenth Census tna wages so far
from being the chief element in the cost Of manufacturing
are In fact less 90 per cent Of the value Of the
product In the manufacturing mining and ashng indus
tries OF the Uutod States and that wages n the cotton
and wOoren Industries, taken alone constitute stn
smaller proportion than the average before given. Mr.
Chace made cOpiOus citations from General walkers
Introduction to the statistics relied on by Professor
Perry showing that the superintendent OF the Census
admitted that the most wholesale omission ez
isted In the statistics on the subject
Of labor and wages; and that the apparently.
inadequate amount wages reported is due TO the fact
that very large body OF laborers included. which Is
not represented in the wages column The statistics OF
carpentering for example show that FOR tnat
OF sI32 the amount OF wages was oay H. aS
oo0" It appears taen saG MT b M P Pagy aSS
asserts that It does not as he says include the MN
Ing and siens that ina%sIe' Tbo & includes 59G ne tle
vsges Of O53OOO persons 1t distinctly states tha there
100000 III tue IdO!cs Ol
production Furthermore the census reports never pre-
tended 70 take Of what called the admnistra
q ,S snp W tRat the superintcndcnt OF the Census
should present such table as this to the puOlc for oy
hls own showing 1t is utterly yaueess"
THE WALKER TARIFF.
Mr.. Chace then took up and exposed the fallacy,
not to say absurdty OF Professor Perrys statement and
conclusions respecting the effect Of the "Waker tariff
upon the prosperity of the country and his efforts TO
throw upon vicious system of banking and the rage for
internal improvements the terrible financial revuslon'
Of 1887 and 1857 Mr Chace said that the thousand mil
lion dollars OF precious metals yielded by California and
Nevada during the decade ending 1860 the only
thing that saved the country from "uttcr ruin and
collapse , ~, ,,. , A., .-,.,- -
| ~ iahor and wages 10 the cost OF manufacture,
Ur Cbace said Let us select a few Items and examine
them In the manufacture Of cotton goods one Of the
lower grades H the article OF print cloths not the low
est hut very far below the average as regards the pro-
DoTIedge Of this Manufacture extending through the
whole course OF ny business life declare, and haenge
| building the mills directly, the labor on
| the supplies. the labor in the transportation
| the labor In the selling OF the goods,
the labor in construction and repairs Of the property
in connection with the business that amounts to moro
goods further assert from absolute knowledge that
the paid in the manufacture OF these goods Is tu
that Is one the simpler kinds OF cotton manufacture
| LABOR IN TON OF PIG IRON.
lie then took up the statement frequently made by tree
| traders, that the labor In ton OF pig IRON Is
represented by 81 35 and by incontroverttle facts
and figures completely disproved It and showed that to
make ton Of pig iron OF the best managed fur
naces Of Pennsylvania costs Sll 90 in wages. Mr.
| Chace continued: "But there are many forms OF
manufacture in which the cost Of labor amounts to sc
nearly the total that the percentage material is an
item hardly worth consideration In order TO lustra ia
this have brought with me tonight samples OF watch
springs and screws. One pound, troy weight,
| of steel wire, OF which watch are
made Is worth about CO cents OF this pound perhaps 20
per cent is raw materials pound would make 247 OOO
1 screws, which are worth at wholesale SLID
pound Now let us carry this estimate into ton we
shall then have idea OF the amount OF labor tnat
enters into some the finer manufactures Making the
proper calculation Mr. Chace found that ton OF watch
| screws Is worth S4,66s,23O. The raw material IN