The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-10-14

had aneustea % oas Sfllion ssl I've lusdrsd
steel manufacturers had made pront or two
hundred and ntty miIlions. That 10 quite an
incon seaueutni sum. 10 u nOt2 IL 10 one n!tn
OF the entire production twenty per cent clear
and absolute profit. When . western farmer
shall be abie 70 lay away twenty per cent Of
profit he viii be abis 70 prUsper on the same
basis - the owners Of the steel
manufactorie0 and realize what that SORT Of
prosperity means. but hs ID not likely TO
know anything about II NJ present.
How have tho iabOring men and how have
tho farmers Of America Jared while these
enormous profits Of these two hundred and
nifty mIiOns from one article has gone into
tho p0ckets Of the 0onOpOiists who control
the steel Industry Look 6rst at the laborer
In 1850. according - the last Ofucial census all
tho manufactortes In tbs lasd Of al kinds.
prOtected and unprotected, employed =. $50
hands. They paid that rear In wages ts4o.-
0lv,647, Or % each laborer $4,000 per year,
or $2s.SS per month. Certainly not . very
magnificent compensation for the blessed
Americas workman. Looking . little
farther W nnd that these manufactures
realized for their products clean profit. over
and shove the price Of labor and material,
u OF, 40S. 0o0, or larger sum than the total
amount paid out By al Of them % wages to
their employees. This was pront Of 81 per
cent on the entire capital Invested. 1t was .
pront Of ssai.so per ys.r on each and every every
boasted American institution while the en-
pioyes In our manufactor1es had been kept
down to starvation wages the employers had
realized larger sum - profits for each hand
employed than were paid 70 that man ~
wages.
Turn now to the metals most highly pro-
tected and W win And that the case ID no
better. The wages paid 70 all employees en-
gagged 10 the manufacture Of metals during
the year 1850 was 4l22, c40,i gl. The number OF
hands employed wero 2Ss,sS2. Their annual
wages was $4lO.37 or e34.25 per month. This
is a somewhat better showing for the iaborer
than for those engaged In ali manufactures
OF every kind, but mark the result. The
profit on tho manufactured product after de-
ernting all wages and material Is $loi.6Uo.-
2:a, or clear profit OF $685. for each EN-
ptcyo engaged In that branch Of industry dur
ing the year. Here again We end the maui
factlr pOcketipg almost as much profit per
heat as he has paid out TO his protected aud
dearly beloved laborer.
II we look at the steel industry It II worse
yet. The total wages paid In the manufac-
turing Of Ill kinds OF steel during 1850 was
ss.7sl,2s3. The total number OF hands em-
p.Gyed was $500. Tho wages per year
was 4i63 80, per month $500. For the same
year the total wages paid for the manuraet-
Gre of steel rails and open hearth steel wrro
ksO0usOfU ~ AVsCOO uAuQos BNiA8 81OJ pct
year or S37.o2 per month. The result then 10
he laborcr In these most favored and highest
protected Industries ID that his wage Ii little
;.!ore than that paid farm hands IN Iowa after
.;educiing his board, and 10 less than the
wages Of carpenters and brickmAkers. No
body pretends that our farm hands. carpen-
t.rs and brickmakers are protected ~ all.
Eut while this ID the result to the iaborer,
how Is II with tho employer and manufAct-
nscst The total product. OF steel rails and
ap1n hearth steel for 1850 Wa s56. sos, 2 IL.
The total cost thereof. including the whole
leaving profit to tho steel
manufacturer Of sl4.o74,s33, . sum nearly
three times 10 large - the entire amount
paid out TO his employees In realizing this
profit. In other words tho manufacturer OF
this open hearth steel and steel rails, realizes
| ,, Pioht OF $l.2so per capita for every en-
p,oye engaged in tho manufactory. This il
profit OF sixty-seyen per cont on the total
capital In the business, which was ~. 915 99g.
Take another glimpse Of tho same industry.
These nyurcs last given have reference to
Steel rails and open hearsh steel only. The
total capital In all steel manufactures In the
country In 1850, was $50, O42.6U9, and yst this
invcstment, according 70 Mr.. Blaine. realized
III fifteen years tho enormous profit Of two
handrcd and Afty miiliOns Of dollars.
Fiat IL the pront In aftecn years
amounted to seven times - much as the cap
ind employed, or nearly nifty per cent per
year.
Can anybody successfully defend these
enormous profits7 They are simply the out
growth Of = eystcm upon which the few are
system cannot be broken up too soon and IL
tan DULY DO done by . revision OF the tariff
-ach Ms tue democratic party proposes.
Having seen that this system does not pro-
tecI the laburing man even IN the branches
which are most highly favored, but gives the
Il
pr.aiS, look for minute and see how the
farmer II affected.
AS soon ~ you examine anything that
comes from tho farm you will nnd that profits
become almost Invisible. The total provision
product OF 1850 was l,o36. 572. $780, Tho total
fi.,re reInains . profit OF SlO.033. CAS-. III.
capital invested was S3i4.2S9,3g9 The prob,
| therefore In the provision business un the
, -sstisG. invested In 1850 WAS three and one-
i;ih per cent only. Compare this with the
enormous profits of the protected manufac-
| tories and Il will not DO difficult TO nnd " hat
has pnched the life out Of the farmer.
According to the census OF 1860 the Ameri.
can farmer owned In round numbers Just
| apout half Of the entire wealth Of Ill the
| country. After twenty years Of protection
under the sO-calied American system the
American farmer, according to the census OF
$50, only owned . tribe over one-fourth o.
| the entire wealth Of the country. All Of the
| farms In the United States lad gained In
| twenty years about four billions OF dollars,
including, of course, the enormous increase
resulting from the settling up and improve.
the remainder Of the population, outside Of
those engaged In farming. had gained In the
Same period twenty.thres billions OF
| dollars, or nearly elk to one,
and set the greater portion Of oul
| population 10 agricultural. 10 It . satisfAo
| tory showing to the farmer-a decrease from
| owning ono-half the wealth Of the country In
| 1860 to owning . trine over one-fourth In 1885,
| And yet this is the undeniablo result which be
must face after twenty years of protective
tanned for hts benefit and that 1t 10 for his IN
| ,sfost to keep up tho farce. A casual inspec-
| lion OF tho enormous profits realized by man.
afacturers under the protective tariff, run.
. ming from 81 to 81 per annum on the capital
!, Invested, will show at once why tho relative
| wealth Of the farmer has decreased In
! .,ch alarming proportions, whilo that OF the
!. remainder OF the country has 20 increased
/, These facts should be proclaimed from every
| hilltop aud valley until An entire revolution
| 81 sentiment 10 created in Iowa ~ Il surely
VII be when the facts are Understood.
The speaker referred TO the liberal mRnnel
III which pensions had been granted and In.
creased BY democrats and by this democratic
administration, to tho clean and pure and
economical government tho country was en-.
j0ying In national affairs, and closed with the
hope that the Same state OF things would CT.
list In Iowa By the success of tho democratic
party q the coming election.
CORYDON.
TN SECOND JOIHr DEBATE
CBNrERvILL1, Iowa, September S4.-The
joint debate In Corydon this afternoon ut.
tracted IN immense crowd FROM Ill points
from Wayne county and adjoining sections OF
the s,ats and congressional district. Col. Hep
burn opened the discussion, painfully on the
defensive, and maintained that attitude to &C
( inn potent conclusion. Major Anderson made