Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-11-19

In conversation with leading manu-
facturer OF our city the other day, he
said he favored protection but not for
the real bench. II is 10 him. He thought
If free trade was established az IN E.
gland, manufacturers here could do az
we'll as the same class is doing in En-
gland. IL is tho working class he says
that would be tae real sufferers, and
that class 10 the real sufferers in En-
gland. Manufa turers as genenl
thing, such men as William G. Gibbons
and William Dean excepted, are OPP
posedto the radical change that would
be effected, and i: would be question
whether they could control the trale
Of their own country as well under free
trade as under protection. They should,
however, have no din Guilty In this re.
spec, as the cost OF treightage would
protect home alufasturers to that ex
tent
The gentleman referred to, however,
thought that mechanics and laboring
men stood in their own light when they
even showed any disposition to vote
with party that evinced such strong
desire to reduce the protective tariff.
Free trade must inevitably, he said, re.
suit In bringing down wages to a leve,
with the wages in Europe, and with all
the attendant poverty and destitution
found in that country.
We sincerely hope that lsboring men
will think sincerely upon this impor-
tant question. W.ll they reflect and
see that manufacturers can afford to be
free-traders, because i, gives them
cheap labor TIE cheaper labor is
the more manufacturers make. Can
anything more be made cut Of it than
this
A manufacture builds a steam ca
CINE in An American workshop for
sc 900, one-haif OF this, say s. o00,is for
labor, one-fourth of It, say 81 300 is foI
material, and the other fourth is profit
This Is under projection. Let US SO,
how 1t would be under free trade
Every body knows that wages in fire.,
trade countries are fifty per cent, lowel
than in this protected country.
This then takes away 1890 Of II,
labor required and enables the manu-.
facturer to build it for s., 500 instead o
$4,000. Now then deduct from thi,
81, 500 labor under ree-trsde, and W
have still 5000 ief. for material ant
profit the same az under protsction
Divide this as before and the manu-
facturer has his 1880 profit, but tn
laborer, where is he
Instead OF s. day he has 81. 3,
instead of g. he has ST. 1t will b
seen from this that the manufacturer
are all right either under free-trade o
protection, the only difficulty in tn
case to them being change from on
to the other. II Is to their interes.
let things go along as they have bee
going without any interruption. Stt
bility Ii what they want, and havin
had that under protection they want
TO continue This is abou. the strou.
est incentive for manufacturers to
protectionists. In fact, protectic
seems 10 he the normal condition
this country .nd they want 1t to I
main 30.
But It Is different with labor. VIII,
the laboring man gives mp for fr,
trade, he deliberately throws avn
fifteen per CEN. of hts profits In I
$4,000 engine, and he Is fifty per ce,
poorer than he was The reduction
$500 on the COS. Of the engine dt
not reduce the profits of the manuf
turer. Labor has 10 bear IL all. C.,
not workingmen see this e.? Can tn
not see that they are the cats paws
pull the ches.npts oct of the ire
Democratic office holders to cracl
Who are the men who say the most
favor OF free-trade Are they not
Democratic office holders And
not forget that they only favor it
cause Republicans as general til
favor protection. They must make
issue Of some kind, and they max
on free-trade. They tell workingi
that under free.trade they would h
the necessaries of life cheaper, bu
not tell them that they will get +
per cent less for their labor.
Workingmen Of all classes Of
cannot afford to follow their polit
leaders into the delusive snare of I
trade, q snare from which all csc
but the laboring man.