Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-04-18

tACctu ~ tEut- VI
imported manufactures products con
country The American manufacturer
now found a home market for 9s per cent OF
his goods. If he would consent to let agri-
cultural products ind foreign market he
would discover that 9s per cent. of his own
goods, for which he had now market Al
home. would fad prosperous market II
was said of che value of the domestic pro-
duct that il was increased; that the manu-
facturer was able to pay higher wages. I'm
questionably but did he do it: No Jay
Gould was able to pay his boot black five
dollars, but did he do it: No, he paid his
nickle like little man. Vanderbilt, from
his income, arising from the immense amount
of United States bonds that he owned, could
afford TO pay his hostler ten thousand dollars
a year. Did he do it? Oh no, he went into
the market and employed labor at its market
value. The high tariff didn't regulate these
wages. Wages were regulated by the de-
mand and supply and the capacity of the
laborer. If high tariff regulated wages
how was it that wages in different
parts of the country were. differentt
Wages in the cotton industry were lower in
Rhode Island than in Pennsylvania. In the
iron industry they were higher in Rhode Is
Ahhd Aiah III L thA' 'aStS III inns
country were higher than in France or Ger
many, yet Germany and France had pro-
tective tariff to guard against the free labor
of England. The high rate of wages in this
country was made by coal, steam and ma
chinery. Fifty years ags it required five
persons to make eight yards of cloth in one
I day. They got 20 cents per day. The labor
cost of the cloth was II l-2 cents per yard.
! When coal, steam and machinery were har
messed together five persons could produce
| iG6 yards per day The labor cost of cloth
WAS Los cents per yard. The wages of
labor were raised from 500 year TO S2Sl.
Old wages had to depart before the conquer
ing march of high wages. Steam increased
the productive power, insured high rate of
wages and low cost of production which
followed each other as night followed day.
Mr.. Mills cited from table compiled by an
Englishman sent TO investigate the cotton
industry of the United States to show that in
every case the labor cost of cotton goods
was lower here than in England; that though
the labor cost was lower, the rate OF wages
was higher here than IN England. Yet
England beat us because she produced goods
at total cost lower than ours, for she saved
on the cost of material.
Mills showed how free trade England with
higher wages, through free raw materials,
exported to Germany, forced the latter
to build wall around herself. He claimed
that the tariff by increasing the cost of pro-
duction has prevented us from becoming the
greatest manufacturing country In the world.
He presented arguments and statistics show
ing that a high tariff helped the capitalist,
not the laborer. He proceeded with fire.
quent citations from economic authors, from
tabulated statements to elucldate his argu-
ment that high rate wages was not the re-
suit of protective system. lie could not,
he said, continue to tell the result OF his IN
vestigations for want of time. lie spoke an
hour and three-qnarters and closed amid
great applause.
Mr.. Kelley or Pennsylvania took the floor
IN opposition. lie SAID the enactment OF tins
bill would instantly paraiyze the enterprise
and energy of the people. Under the bane-
full Influences of such a law our manufactur-
ing supremacy would be overthrown and onr
commanding commercial position reduced to
that of colonial dependence. 1t was studl-
ously designed to produce these dire results,
and nicely adapted to its purpose 1t was con-
fessedly partisan measure framed in
the interest of the party whose leaders ap-
peared oblirious to the overwhelming social,
economic changes wrought by the abolition
Oh slavery Inc gentlemen VINO iiaiheu the
bill were with two exceptions representatives
of a former slave territory. The bill was
an anarchronlsm and had no relation to this
era; 1t belonged to the saddest epoch OF our
national history, the period between 1924
and 1861. 1t was. in the interest OF free
trade that war was threatened In support
of nulliticatlon. 1t was in the interest of free
trade that the country was involved for more
than four in fratrcdal struggle. Kelly
predicted that the enactment OF the Mills bill
would ruin the sheep industry, impoyerish
million sheep owners and close majority OF
the bitumlnous coal fields and ore banks
now employing hundreds of thousands of
laborers. He showed that the price of sugar
is lower under the tax than 1t had ever been
before that the corn consumed IN the glu-
cose industry equals third OF our total an
nual export, and halt the quantity consumed
py the ,'stiiieries' Whose .''' re- pes1S are pro
would so legislate on the surplus
as to increase the wealth. power and
dignity of the country by promoting