New-York tribune., 1884-11-03
TARIFF FOR WORKINGMEN.
CHEAP BIBLES DEPENDING Upon 1T.
NOW A REDUCTION WOULD AFFECT WAGES IN An
INDUSTRY wHFnK GOODS ARE Sold AT COST
L.. ......, L..,-l, LnI hnll nnunrt unlIlNS IOr

now A REDUCTION WOULD AFFECT WAGES IN An
INDUSTRY wHEnK GOODS ARE SOLD Al cos'.
Few men have had better opportunities ior
observing the effects OF the Tariff upon woihlnsmeh
,ooes than John H. smith, foreman Of the printing es-
tablishmcnt Of the Bible Iouscat Fourthaye and smith
t Fo over thirty years he has hccn conecctcd Win the
great industry ri whose head he now stands. He Woih'"
his way up from the humblc@ position and has hau
personal experience IN every department of the esn
hsbment Jntil quite recently Mr.. Smith was Demo
crat Int tomorrow he will vote for Mr.. Blaine Inc
chief reason for This change is his conviction that hsh
tariff nrotect. lahoring and not merely capitalists
and manufacturers a. Is frequently alleged Since his
change Of political faith Mr smith has been working
vigorously for the Republican cause lie has al
his fingers ends the facts which proved az con
clusivoly TO him that Free Trade mean, reduction
of fine laboring mans These facts are simply al
accumulation Of observations that he la, made during
a lifetime spon in o The largest publishing houses
in the country.
.Thc example. which Gnd so full Of meaning" said
Ir smith to q TRIi reporter, on saturday "are e'
pccialy valuable because the whole question o the
capitalist profits is LEFT ont We aim to sell B'l's pre-
cisely mt cost hence every cent which Of these vol
unes brings represents either labor or material lhis
lttlc aoc Bible we now make at cost of - cents
and sell for yaciiy the amount The cloth s""'
paper thread and ink cost within small fraction "l
cents; all the j. for labor and labor ONLY Now {"
course we have watch and trim and pay the lowest
market prices to producc this book for such price
few years ago. however. were unable to make u l"r
lcs than 80 cents that time the British Foreign
Rinlc Society was turning This game book and selling
II i'm thl- country. in spite oi n lhrll "
- per cent, for only - cents. The manager" came
To me and said Mr. smith, we must make BOOK eP"''
70 this English Bible and for - cents. 80 we were com
pelcd to introduce lab0rsayng machinery and cu
down expenses At every point Now we sell the BOOK iof
! % cents
If the protective tauG taken of We should have
TO do one of two thines-cithcr give up attempting 10
produce this book make stll blriher reduction ="
cost Twotlrl of tia, reduction wonldb be in the wages
Of our employee Nothing would come ont oi the pt""s'
for there are no profits As it is, produce onr agate
Ble q, We aim to lo and a. do in all other just
ON the narrow ed.c between profit and loss The '2ht
c-t dip OF the selling price beyond the cost IS felt m'
diatcly The moment any other house becomes dpc 10
undcrsell n any kind Of books, tie production us
decrease or stop altogether This would mean, of COURSE
labor. n We produce fewer books we must en-
ploy fewer workIncn
How do Won account for the fact that the English
publishers could umdcr.e you IL ilc ta.il were taken
oil - asked the reporter.
As ] said. two Thirds Of The cost are ior wages u
workmcn. In England the proportion Is even erca'er'
for there labor /, cheap that machinery Is not 50 much
used ~ with NJ. This same English AGATE Bible has
scvenfytwo pages more than our- thus rcquirn- one
sixteenth more apcr and ink but In spite Of that ain III
aud in spite The tariff. English labor IS 80 chcap tha
hcy produce their book - cents All thai dHe clr
or more than wohrls of it at any rate. IS simply me
difference between lngi,h and American wages: B-
tween sol and 1850 The of those employ eel III inc
press department. composing room and clcctiotypnS u
partment were about onrlhf what lhcy are now i ni
hng- which were luSIirs then necessities now ana
l. for one don't wish 10 our young ncn ana women
go back tO the cheap living o those days II "ur""h N
crtions and ingenuity and the fostering projection oi
hiel iar,i have .Nc opportunity to I'VE wen HH"
have bred i'm us ~ondin. tastes don't see WY we
should be ~ nXlpli. back 10 Jeans ahd calico
"A youn- English nee hanc, skilled trade 'lnHn' as
cnud see om his credentials came 10 ne the olhrr uy
scckng employment. asked him what hc hnd pttuenn
| inc at The same kind Of work in England lie luncd
a r,.rtan sum- much below what the Kind of Work
| is worth here. ,.nd An right. III employ !on ~
those WAGES. 80. you won't -aid he. That was i
England. but this b. America, and II ! can't get more
money hclc than do ia nay own Land I'll 80 nun' ifiih
okcd with him lttlc about his native iaud oi he was
quite patriotic and 10th to admit any advantage 10
America and nuallr caught him In ihc adiusion that
m England he considered himself fortunate II h' hd
meat more ihln once week You -cc they arc Obliged
10 use even economy than Wc p'cti."d between
1851 aud $50 II our people want 10 ~c.iup ANA save
II they W.nt t0 Give mp The really '"n,idriHhir a"
Naniagcs W.h taste Tor comfort hru--. lhrh t them
vote for rcc Trade and thcy' have chance 10 cNcr
cc their love OF economy to thcii hearts content