Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-02-15
FIRM LABOR.

Missouri Republican,: Protection OF
American labor" is the perpetual re.
frain of the high tariff melody, and il
means protection of only that labor en-
ployed IN certain special favored manu-
features. Not all manufactures-fOI
nearly One-third the industries of the
land are neutrality-suspicious.
bricklaying, blacksmithing, tinware-
making, brickmaking, stonewOrking
and other such vocations; and the labor
engaged in these callings must. there
fore, be excepted from tue benefits, real
Or imagined, of the protective system.
But why is that immense mass of
American labor employed in farming
excluded from protection? Is not an
American who works on farm entitled
TO as much favor from his government
rs one who works i'm wooden mill? Is
not the natIve-born or naturalized
American citizen who raises a corn crop
Ia Kansas as worthy a person as the
unnaturaliZed Nova Scotian who catch
IS fish fora Massachusetts, fishing mas
,er, or the unnaturalized French Canad-
ian who works in the factory of a Mas
'achusetts spinner Mr.. Blaine has
boosted that the S35 100000 on deposit
IN the savings banks of his state belong
chiefly TO the working people, and that
the average of $500 to each depositor is
4 convincing proof of the effect of "a
nigh protective tariff in benelitting
labor. We are not prepared to say
whether Mr.. Blaine is correct or not in
crediting the working classes of Maine
with this large amount of money in
bank; but, taking the statement to be
true, what justice or proprlety is there
IN protecting these prosperous bank de-
pOSltOrS IN Maine at the expense of the
farmers and farm-woTkerS of Kansas
Who have no money at all in sayings
OanksI The whole population of Kan
SaS Is a working class; there are no cap
ltallStS IN the state; everybody works.
and works hard at that to make a liv-
ing, against the disadvantages of fire.
quent dTOuths, chinch-bugs, graSshOp-
pers and low prices for farm products;
and yet they have so little savings that
they do not need a savings bank to put
them in. Kansas does not report a
single savings bank, nor a dollar of saw
lngs deposits, while Maine reports $751;
OOO,OOO. which Mr.. Blaine says belongs
mostly To the working classes. Never
theless, when Mr.. Blaine and Mr. Kelley
talk so feryidly about protecting
American labor, they do not mean the
American labor that works Kansas
farms; they mean only that labor which
works in eastern factories, and which
owns So ZOO, 900 on deposit in the saw
lngs banks of Maine, SOL 900 600 in the
banks of Rhode Island. S47 ,OO0, 900 in
New Hampshire, S92 000, 600 in Connect
cut. S274 900 900 in Massachusetts and
S457 900, 900 in New York. If the de-
posts in savings banks in Massa-
chuSetts are proof of the prosperous
condition of the working classes of that
state, the working people of MasSa-
thusettS have spare money enough IN
bank TO buy up the whole state of
Kansas ut its last taxable valuation.
Yet these prosperous bank depOsltors
Of the industrial states are the favor
ties of the tariff law; it is their labor
that is protected, while the labor en-
plOyed IN Cultlvating farms and raising
crops is not only left unprotected, but
heavily taxed to enrich the other.