The state chronicle., 1888-10-19

| uEeuudl cOmDttlClO0-
You will observe that the usual phrase
ology is here changed. Up to this repor
it has usually been called the ''America1
labor in our factories" Now it is 9Th,
workingmen engaged in any American in
dustrv"-that is say. any Canadian, Hun
garian, Italian, Chinaman, or what no
who has taken the place of an American
citizen and works for less wages must bt
prot from ruinous or unequal compe
titon; that is say, his employer must have
more money.
The duty on tin-plate as at present ex
listing is declared to be anomalous anc
inadequate" There being no tin-piatt
produced in America which could be pro
tected, "the inadequacy' of the present
tax would be hard to determine; but the
anomaly is easily understood. It is Ger
tainly rather anomalous, in the opinion OF
the committee, that this article of prime
necessity should be permitted to the peo
pie with only a tax paid to the Govern
ment instead of the rightful owners, and
the committee think that by offering a
sufficient reward these distributes OF
public taxation might be induced to ma
terialize and claim their share. At all
events, they think that the pre- natal gar
ments should be prepared and in readiness
for the baby which may po- sbly be born,
|
in existence go naked and hungry
In stating the object and intentions of
the committee in framing the substitute
it was admitted virtually that everythirg e
was considered except the interests of the
public revenues. They say:
The substitute is based upon the idea
that tariff revision implies an equitable
| readjustment of duties in the interest and
for the benefit of the people of the United
| States, and in the Distribution of rates its
| trainers have not heSitated to rect or 10
maintain defensive barriers which would
carry confidence and comfort into Amer
| can homes y
Into some of them it will carry this
confidence and comfort, no doubt. The
committee did not venture to say all
American homes. Into the home Of Mr.
| Carnegie, Mr.. Havemeyer Mr. Ammi
down, and every great manufacturer and
every member of trust it will 40 doubt
be warmly received. These homes are
found in the palaces.
! But III the homes of the cabin and the
cottage, IN the farmsteads amid the bloom
| ing orchards in the humble habitatiOn of
the widow and the orphan the continu' i
tax on their salt, their childrens books
and slate pencils, their tin cups and water
| pals, the increased tax upon their wonlen
and cotton clothing, their table cutlery
| plates, cups and saucers, their blankets
/ and wool hats Will carry neither coUfi
/ dence nor comfort 1t will rather make
the thoughtful among them wonder why
IN the name OF a merciful Creator a free
/ Christian government will thus load them
| with this weight of taxation and scrimp
their narrow means still more for the
( benefit of those who are already rich.
/ The fact that in order to maintain their
unnatural profits the manufacturers should
urge arguments and make protestatons
( in the very face Of human nature and of
/ instructive moral laws is not so strange as
that anybody should be found to believe
/ them They constantly tell Us that their
! desire for high tariffs is dictated solely by
! the wish to continue or increase the
| amount of wages paid to their workmcn.
! and that as for themselves and their own
| intere is it would do them no good, for
! high duties produce domestic competition
and Invariably cheapeu their products to
| a point lower than they would be if open
/ to the competition of the world. This is
| the constant theme of every protection
orator, every subsidized paper, and of all
| the manufacturers themselves, or the
great bulk of them, who from time to
! time for twenty years past have swarmed
| before committees of Congress eager to
swear to these facts in proof of their dis
| interestedneSs Yet all men know that
when man makes anything for sale he
naturally and lnstlnctively seeks to obtain
the very highest price for it and to obtain
the very cheapest material and lowest rate
! of wages In the Manufacture of it.
For between the minimum of cost and
the maximum of price lies all the profit
| there is in the transaction. The nearer
these approach the less here is of profit.
| Therefore when manufacturers or their
advocates tell us that they wish such laws
| passed as will increase the cost of manu-
! facture and lessen the price Of their pro-
| ducts they simply pervert the truth, and
| so outrageously that if one did not see it
and hear 1t every day it could scarcely be
| believed that men in their senses would
venture it. IN fact, We know that whilst
they enhance the price of their products
by procuring high duties to be levied on
those of their foreign competitors they
purchase their labor in the unrestricted
labor markets of the world.
1t is claimed that the average Of Ameri
can wages are 80 per cent. big her than
English wages and 100 per cent. lyt er
! than those of the continent of Europe
| generally. That being so, the average
! labor cost of all American manu- featured
/ products, being about 20 per cent. of he
| entire cost, covers the difference between
American wages and European,
The average rate Of tariff duties Oh all
| imported pr ducts being AZ per cent of
the entire value of the product, there re
mains 81 per cent. on all goods imported
into this country to be added 10 the cost of
all similar goods manufactured in this
country over and above the equal zaiIon
| Of oreign and domestic labor. tn this
must be added that La ge but underlined
| sum ari>ing from the superior machinery
| of American manufacturers and the supe-
riur kill. strength, and intelligence of the
/ \ A'ilerIcau worker us Is evidenced by the
output Of his products Now, where does
this excess beyond 20 per cent. go9 TheIe
is but receptacle for it the pockets
Of the manufacturers If any proof Of
this were waning it VIII be found in the
reports OF the census of 1880, complied
i under high protection auspices, VIII n
show concluslveiy hat the Profits of man
j ufactuGing are. greater than those of any
| o. her American industry and far exceed
may times Over that sum which would
eu,tai'Ze labor between America AMI Eu-
rope
So far doe iI'> xcess go that the peO
pie of the of the United States could we'll
| afford to pay themselves through the pub
lie Treasury the wages of every working
man iu every protected factory in the
country and strike off the excess in the
| r;f Goods xUbiOh hor