River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-05-31

In view of the fact that the people.
believing that the government has no
right To exact from them revenues in
excess OF its needs, propose to reduce
taxation upon the necessaries of life.
our millionaire monopolists, mill, mine
and factory owners, are becoming
thoroughly alarmed.
According To their ideas, such action
means absolute and utter ruin to those
infant industries which we have been
fostering for seventy.two years, To the
extent of about thirty.tive per cent.
yearly profits, upon capital invested
These men. in common with others,
who may imagine themselves bene.
fitted, by the perpetuation of a system
which robs Peter to pay Paul, on ac-
count of their sympathy with, and
solicitude for, the best interests Of the
poor working man and farmer, are
willing, once every four years, to sac
rifice not only part of their valuable
time but few thousands of their hard
earned dollars, lest the poor ignorant
people should be made to believe that
a dollar will buy more goods than
sixty.fve cents. or the equally silly
fallacy, that the less you are taxed the
more you have left to spend To the
young men their prophetic wall of
hopeless ruin to industry, may appeal
with seeming force, but older heads
remember that it is the same old howl,
which proven false in every instance,
seems to gain in gall and vigor with
each defeat.
This year the protected interests
are pleased to consider their very
citadel in danger, and extraordinary
activity, coupled with large cOntribu-
tiOns IN cash is natural result.
One of the methods this combination
uses to get its work in, was made
manifest the other day by one of it's
agents presenting me with very
harmless looking pamphlet, entitled
European Wages. 1t was printed
and issued by the Industrial League
of Pennsylvania, an institution main
tanned by, and devoted to the interests
of the most infamous ring of robbers,
by legal methods, in America.
You can perhaps imagine my aston
ishment, upon examination, to find,
that while ostensibly clad in the
sheepskin of Protection, it was in
reality the Wolf of Free Trade in dis
guise. To any thoughtful man it can
but tend to add another reason, why
we should at once do away with Old
World theories. calculated to establish
privileged class, and reduce our true
wealth producers, to dependence, pow
erty, and ruin.
The author, Mr.. Frye, says: THE
advantages of this country over any
other visited Dy him are wonderful.
Every conceivable thing needed to
make us great manufacturing nation
is here spread out for our use, nine
tenths of 1t to-day untouched as when
created" and asks why we don't
make use it and manufacture for the
world!' Why, indeed! 1t must be
conceded, that Intelligent labor APP
piled to these natural advantages, or
opportunities, is the missing ling, that
shall make the wilderness blossom as
garden. Why don't laboi exert
itself!
Mr.. Frye says: The wages paid Ia
Dor here are SO excessive that we are
handicapped by the cheap pauper
labor of the old countries. With, as
estimated, one million of our workers
begging employment and underbiddlng
their more for tunate fellOwmen; with
men working to-day in the field for
six dollars per month and in the mine
and workshop at wages running from
twenty-five to eighty cents day; With
the pauper labOrerS of Europe pouring
in upon us at the rate of fifteen hun
dred each day; with thousands of
skilled workmen thrown upon the
labor market each week by the prog
ress of invention; and more than all
else nth the same system Of pro-
lection under Which the old countries
hare bred a race Of pdUperS. Surely,
you Will have to hunt up some other
reason soon, Mr.. Frye, Tor il must be
evident that the wage difficulty will
soon be Temedied.
This is the only point that Mr.. Frye
makes in an eight-page pamphlet, he
shows the deg addition to which labor
has fallen under a high protective
aIiff, and then wants TO know if We
want our People reduced TO the same
conditions! No, we don't! and There
tore we propose to abolish what We
believe to be the one thing necessary
to put an end to special privileges.
G. Ii. 3.