Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-10-29
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A favorite argument OF the Demo
Gratis In which they are not sincere Is r
refer TO the thousands Of unemployed
laboring men and ask If that 10 the TO
suit of protection. They point to the
reduced wages Of labor and say to the
laboring men, zee how protection pro-
tects you. Scarcely . manufacturing
establishment shuts down and mon are
thrown temporarily out OF work but
these Democratic croakers come around
and say, yes, that Is the way protection
works. Never were arguments moro
false nor insinuations more base
than these. The fact is that instead Of
protection being responsible for the
unemployed labor referred TO, and the
shutting down Of manufactured, the
agitation of tho tariff question and the
attempt of tho Democratic party in
Congress to reduce the duties on foreign
importation that is doing the work. All
this time that American labor Is thrown
out Of em ploy and American manufac-
tories are shut down, England is food
ing the country with cotton and woollon
goods, and iron and steel.
These articles are shipped to this
country now and they undersell the
American market. This Is q fact that
can be backed up by documentary sta
tistics from the foreign consular report.
This being the case then how can 1t be
expected that the wages Of American
labor can be kept up.
Cotton, woollen and iron goods can be
manufactured In this country as cheapiy
AS they can in England, but one thing
is requisite in order to bring that about.
That one thing is the thing of all others
that interests workingmen. 1t is re-
duction of the wages Of labor. The
Democrats tell Us that we pay too much
tor the cotton and woollen clothes that
we wear and our manufacturers pay
| too much for the iron and steel they use.
They say that they must be reduced in
price 80 that workingmen shall not pay
| 80 much for their clothing. This is all
very we'll, but how do they propose to
,, make goods cheaper We have the
plan before us. BY a reduction Of the
tariff that will admit of the introduce
ton of foreign goods into the market.
Now everybody who has given this
subject any study knows that this can
not be done without impairing the
wages OF labor in this sountry. With
wages fifty per cent. less in England
than in this country it Is readily seen
that to compete with England, wages
here would have to be cut down fifty
per cent. 80 as TO be on an equal footing
with England.
| The reduction of the tariff is exactly
wha. would make wages equal in both
countries, and the very agitation of a
reduc ion of the tariff alarms manufic-
turers in this country. Is it any won
der that those who have capital which
would enable them to engage in manu-
featuring refuse to invest it in such ali
uncertain venture. Ii Ia not surprising
at all that mills are shutting down and
labor is distracted in the face of the
!, free-trade declara 'ions of the Demo
cratic party. Capitalists and manu-
3 facturers know very we'll that ii Cleve
land is elected President and Demo
t cratic Congress is elected with him, |
. means free trade, and free-trade mean
| an entire revolution of labor and bust
t ness in this country. 1t is the fear tina
: Cleveland will be elected that deter
manufacturers from making furthe
investments until they see whethe
y their capital will be safe. This Of cours
= s'agna'es business by shutting dow
d manufacturing establishments an
i throwing labor out of employment
y Under these circumstances comes III
e insulting question by Democrat
b speakers only meant TO deceive labor
ing men, why does not protection PR
y tect you better? Intelligent laborers Ut
d derstand the situation and will auswt
y why next Tuesday by electing Blain
t and Logan, the real friends of protectio
y and the real friends Of the working PEE
lp!e.