The Labor enquirer., 1884-08-23

from the Republican party for reasons be-
fore stated, and because it holds both houses
by the rich men who are the owners of mo-
nopolies, or their paid attorneys.
True, it has in all its tariff Legislation
claimedto cherish and protect American
labor. but always as an adjunct to American
capital. Capital engaged in manufactures
and other industries can only be successful
when the American laborer is well paid,
and surrounded with the comforts Of life.
But how little has the greed of capital al
lowed or comprehended this great fact-to
prove which Ilneed only to recall to your
minds how capital chatting even under
partially fair division of Its great profits with
labor, has sought to relieve itself from this
scant measure OF justice even, by the impor-
taton of foreign labor from every country
whence it could be brought, from the Chinas
to the western shores Of, the Atlantic. N
Why have they done this? Because these
imported laborers can, and for, time do,
live on what would starye the Anne ican
workingmen, and SO can work very much
cheaper, for it has ever been the rule, and il
the workingmen do not take the remedy for
this fearful state Of things into their own
hands, ever will be the rule that the wages
will support him and his wife and children
in the lowest degree of comfort when all Of
them are at work who can work IL,
In addition to this imported cheap labor,
and the use of convict labor at nominal
price wherever it could be had, thereby de-
basing and lowering the high standard of
American labor, the perfection of ma
chinery, by which 50 great share of pro-
duetion is effected, has so lessened muscular
effort in labor that capitalists have been en-
abled> to utilize the labor of women and
children to very large extent to do that
work which men formerly did. Thus the
workingman's wife and sisters are made the
instruments of w.. l,,4;.-. II al A. t5. h.
y LOWERING HIS OWN RATE OF WAGES. n: =!
But it will be said, TO employ the, women
and children proftably cannot be objection
able. Certainly not If it is profitable to
themselves, their fathers and husbands and
the country 5r ..-...F, ,.,
How stands the fact? Women's labor; is
employed in manufactures at q very much
less price than mems labor, even that Door
quality of mems labor imported from
abroad, while women and even children
can do that class of labor equally we'll with
the best of men. Laboring men thereby are
thrown out of employ, or else compelled to
work at unremuneratiye prices. Thus capi-
cal gets still further advantage of a tariff
put on imported articles as is claimed to en-
able the American producer to pay more to
American labor than the foreign laborer re-
ceives as wages. 1t will therefore be seen
that capital, thus taking to itselfIas rule
from the poor mechanic, ,!who inVentse them
all the good gifts Of God given to mankind
in improvement in machinery for pro.
duction, uses those very Improvements for
the purpose of still further lowering. the
wages of the American workman BY the
employment of women and female children
to tend this improved machinery. To Illus
trate the extent to which. this has gone,
there are $4,000 females in Massachusetts,
alone one-sixth of the wage people, work
ing at wages out of their homes at an aver
age not more than so per cent of what is
paid to males. III u r H..
This condition of things is not one affect
ing economic questions alone, but it goes to
the very vitality of the nation. l do not
say that a workingman employed at the
bench or the machine cannot be the father
of as healthy children, both in body and
mind, as if not so employed. ! On the con-
trary, think him far more capable in that
direction than is the idle and effeminate
consumer of other mems work without
labor who has incapaciiated his manly
powers, perhaps, by his vices, and therefore
the infusion of fresh blood from the farm
and the workshop has been found necessary
to sustain the business prosperity of the
cities. But do say that no wife or mother,
from whom psychologists tell us the child
must receive largely its mental endowments,
was intended by the Almighty to spend her
young years or mature! age in standing for
many hours day behind counter or con-
fined in tapdinp q machine
If the laboring woman had the ballot she
would be able, with. the assistance of her
husband, father, and brother, to right this
great wrong, but being denied it she be-
comes virtually slave.
Employ women if you will and must, but
let it be at the same remuneratiye wages
when they do ..
THE SAME WORK AS MEN, F.'.
so that they may at the earliest moment re-
lease themselves from thralldom. ,,,
The Republican party has released the col
ored man from bondage and given him the
ballot for his protection. Why. in the score
of years since, has not that party, by the
same species of class legislation saved the
white women of the nation from deteriorat-
ing its children? s. ..!. Ill - ,.s5,
With an overwhelming majority, Repub-
hcans have spent months in devising laws
for the elevation of womanhood in the ter
ritory Of Utah. Be it so Why has not
some Republican statesman. given few
hours in these later years when Southern
troubles have passed away, or been over
looked, to the question whether the women
of the nation, II not protected by other leg
islation, should not be allowed the ballet
with which to protect themselves, as. that
party gave it for like purposes to the ne
| gro2 .'... ,..... - sa.. H..
For these reasons, tariff which gives to
| capital protection upon the ground that
thereby American labor may be protected,
| hasItoo often turned out by means, some Of
which have mentioned, to be simply the
enhancement of the profits of capital, while
labor still remains i: substantially unre-
| warded, and certainly without any just
| share of the profits. --n..t5. :.
q. Herein, as experience has shown, the la
boring classes have nothing to hope from
| the Republican party, The first aud emily
| object of protection in laying duties should
be to protect labor and never to protect capi-
tai, which can be left to protect itself, as it
| is amply able to do. 1t should, moreover,
4 be restrained from getting more than its fair
| share of the profits of production and trans
| portation. /zo ~
| The Republican party has granted subsi-
dies to railroads and steamships, erected
l ovra,o;xyo h,,,l n IN no cY,ar{ ,,,opr,