Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-08-31

rom the cody immigration now
| going on, which if not stopped must
| alarmlngly Increase. This immigration
| is in no sepse of the word voluntary. II
| Is kind of Chinese slave trade. In
stead of an independent, self-reliant body
| Of free men, 1t introduces q horde of
| quasi slaves, working at half wages at the
| command of taskmasters. And this
| leads me 10 notice statement that this
| country needs cheap labor-in othe-
| words, men who will work for low wages
| that there is scarcity Of lsborers here,
| and, therefore, Chinese lsoorers should
| be imported to supply the deficiency.
Go not concur in this view. My opinion
Is that We, or rather our posterity, are
much more likely to suffer from a re
| dundancy of population than from q
| dearth OF it. In thirty years from now
We Will have population of one hundred
| millions of people. In sixty years we
| may have two hundred millions; in 100
years probably four huxdred millions.
| We are in no danger of a scsrcity of
labor, nor do believe low wages are
benefit 70 any country. In the opinion of
an emiuent authority, Buckle, low wages
and despotism are inseparable. 1t Will ce
found that the freer the institutions of q
country are the greater will be the ten
dency to higher wages for labor. Low
wages are mainly owing TO unequal and
unfair distribution of the annual pro.
duction of wealth. Thi, annual produc
tion, which is hearly all the result of
labor, Is being constantly divided into
four parts, rents to the landlord, interest
to the money lender, profits to the bust
mes. man and wages to the laborer. Now,
IF ha ha lnp IL 81 ha
annual prodact is small and all classes
suffer because that profit is unfairly dis
tributsd. In general the latter is the
case, and when wages are low the laborer
gets but poor subsistence, while the other
class, Or some of them, accumulate enor
nous wealth, and thus society becomes
divided into the very rich and the very
poor. That this Is an unfortunate con-
dltlon for country is too obvious for
me to remark, and that its tendency is
hostile to free institutions Is true.
have, therefore, no sympa
thy with the cry for cheap
labor and low wages. They may give rise,
1t is true to great public works and mag
nifcens structures, but the benefit is
gained st the expense of the suffering
people. The pyramids are striking mon
uments Of the pride and o.tentation of
kings, but they are more striking evi-
dences of degraded condition of the la
boring classes. That country is likely to
be most free and happy where the full
production OF wealth, being justly dis
tributed, labor obtains q fair reward.
ALL SHOULD THRIVE AND PROSPER.
These, rly friends, were my opinions
eighteen years ago, and every day has
served to verify their correctness. They
are my opinions to-day, and [ have no
doubt they will be so long as have life
in me. Loud applause. If know my
self, there is no man on top of this earth
Who has more sympathy with laboring
NJ en- or men in humble condition, than l
have, AMI whatever I can do to better
their condition l would do Cheers.
And it is because don't
believe tor one moment that this high
protective tariff, which ID so much lauded
and which is insisted upon by our politi-
cal opponents, Is for the benefit OF labor
ing man. That is one of the reasons why
| am opposed to such onerous duties. |
have shown you that under this high pro-
tective tariff the agricultural interests of
the country have fallen off enormously.
The value of farms have fallen off from
an increase of 100 per cent. to an increase
OF only per cent. II you look at the
commerce of the country you will hnd
something even more striking than that.
The time was, and not great while ago
when there were two countries that sub
stautially did the carrying trade OF .he
world. Great Britain and the United
States, and we were gaining SO fast on
Great Britain that we had So per cent. of
the carrying trade OF tho world, whereas
now, if my memory is not at fault,
we have only about IA per cent.
Now, what is that! Why, gentle,
men [ had occasion a few years
ago to visit Euaope, and 1 felt hu
INFLATED, | confess, when in crossing and
| recrossing the Atlantic and while n diff
erent ports in Europe, | never but once
saw the American flag on the mast of a
ship, and that was ship engaged in car
rying passengers, and she had a British
| flag on one end of her and the American
| flag on the other. Laughter. Now the
| friends of high protective tariff say it
tends TO diversity labor, and that divers
flied labor is good for the country. Well,
you may admit the general proposition.
| When [ was boy we use TO have toast
| at Fourth of July agricultural,
manufactures and commerce. Those
are diversified industries. They all ought
to prosper in free country like this.
| Manufactures have to great extent
| p-ospered. Agriculture has terribly de-
ciined, and commerce with foreign ma
tions has nearly disappeared. l think
it is time we had diversified labor, in
which all our people, our sailors and
| farmers as well as our manufacturers, end
the laboring nan rs we'll as the capitalists
should thrive and prosper. (Applau3e)
l have spoken to-day under verg great
difficulty. don't know whether [ have
made myself heard or not, for my voice
is weak owing to severe cold and my
lungs do not enable me to speak with
that earnestness aud power SO much de-
sire. hope you have heard me. You
have been yer; patient and attentive and
| I thank you. l trust that what l have said
may give you some occasion for refec-
tion and may lead you to support that
| grand party which was founded by Jeffer
son, defended by Jackson and has pros
| pered under Grover Cleveland. cloud
and prolonged cheering, during which
| Judge Thurman resumed his seat