The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-06-05
TARIFF AND WAGES,

The one thing that, more than all 9TH
era, In responsible for the lack of under
standing among wOrkingmen, of the ul-
linate effects OF the tariff upon labor, Ia
theirTefnsal TO think the subject out for
themselves, aud their willingness 10 ac.
Cept instead the ready-made opinions OF
their employers, Of politicians, or OF 10.
called tafill experts.
They know III general way that wa.
gea abroad arc somewhat lower than
wages IN this country, and are content
To believe, simply because they are told,
That whatever tax or tariff on imports
is naked for, n necessary TO cancel that
difference. They never stop to inquire
whether the tax or tariff is too high, or
II 40, what the ultimate result OF that Ii
certain to be-, They do not Try to ascer.
tain whether there are expedients other
than tariff that will give their EN-
plOyers all the relief necessary to enable
them to compete with aud profit az
largely as employers Of foreign labor In
foreign countries They manifest no
disposition TO learn that the tarill on
the goods they produce h tax on the
consumers OF those goods, and the tariff
on all other goods Il tax on them. They
do not seem 10 care 10 understand that
they may be by the tariff called on TO
pay out more than they get In from II,
They simply accept the tariff, az we
have said, as resulting from u necessity
created by tho lower wages paid abroad,
and 40 covering that necessity-no more
and no lese
Here are u few figures: The labor In a
ton OF iron amounts TO $500. II wages
In America are twice ~ large m IN
England (Which we do not admit then
tho labor In ton OF iron there la $3.50,
II follows, therefore, that tho British
manufactures OF iron has IN advantage
Of Sl50 over the American manufac-
turer. To compensate the latter for
this, u Tariff Of $l60 would seem to be
sufficient. But what IL the taTinY It's
$O,72, and under the Morrison bill would
still have been $500, or twice az much
80 all the manufactures pays out for
labor, We know the manufacturers
contend that there is protected labor In
the material they use, but how much IL
IN protected IL shown In the G5 cents u
day now being paid the Lehigh county
ore miner, and Che miserable wages re-
colyed by the coal diggers generally.
The greatest iniquity IN u high tarill
tax IL not, however In the fact that Ia
bOr gets 80 small share OF the tax, nor
oven In the burdons0monees with which
II falls upon the consumer But " is In
the unnatural stimulus u gives 20 GER
tain industries (alwayg 40 the expense
Of others In times Of unusual demand,
and the over production, surpluaagO OF
labor scarcity Of work aud starvation
wages that inevitably iOlhW. In 1880
81 q tarill OF $500 per ton on steel
rails was being eXaCted, There
was n sudden spnrl In railroad
building, There was II demand for 49,.
COO miles Of such ralla. Double the
amount Of capital and double the mum
Der Of men necessary 20 meet tho aver
age natural demand for steel rails were
inyeigled into the business. The Penn.
sylyOnia steel Company In one year d.
yided l2O p0r cent, profits, A year later
they were the FIRST TO reduce wages, and
from that day to this there have been
two demands for Jobs for every one TO bo
had In u steel mill, with consequent
sore distress among that section Of bread
winners Their trade unions were
powerlesa, for an enormous tarilf had
excited the cupidly Of capitalists, aud
thoy had oy0fstocked both the steel
market and the labor market.
Tariff reform will correct these evils.
A far lower tarllf than tho present one
will make upall tho difference between
the cost Of labor here and ita cost
abroad without causing Industries 10 be
oyerd0ne, sail the protected" Indus
tries have been oyerdone In this country
for the past several years.
In almost all Of them AZ much as can
be sold IN u year can be produced In
eight months, During these eight
months the workers get-nOt wages
fixed by the tariff, but Just what their
employers choose TO pOy them, for over
production has destroyed their trade
unions, tho only power Of control they
have over the wages question: and dur.
Ing the other four well, they can starye,
Il Nilkesbarrc, Pa, Sunday News.