The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-02-16
Wages, Tramps. The Tariff Dclls
ion, And The Financial
Question.

In the February Forum rs an ar
ticle prepared by Congressman Will
lam d. Kelley, the father OF the pro-
tective system in the United States
"How Protection Protects.
What Mr.. Kelley and Others OF his
school denominate the American
system needs a few words that
workingmen way understand what it
Is. and how it is operated.
Other countries than the United
States have protectionIsts but no
where else do they ask protection az
a means OF enhancing the wages OF
operatives and laborers. The corner
stone Of the american system" Is
the idea disseminated for the pur-
pose of conciliating working men
that tariff raises wages
And it has been but comparatively
a few years that this reaso u for tar
iff has been urged In this country.
When Hamilton proposed our first
tariff. and very moderate one. tue
proteetionist's argument was, not
that it would rnise the wages OF la
Dor. but that the wages OF labor
were SO high In this country. and
capital OF manufacturers SO limited.
that manufacturers would be at a
disadvantage without a little protec-
ton on their manufactures. The
tariff did not make high wages, but
high wages made the tariff.
Any benefits that may accrue from
the tariff inure entirely to the en-
ployer. II IL left to his benevolence
to share them or not with his work
men. Have laborers found that a
safe and satisfactory reliance!
Where. Mr.. Kelley. do men work for
sixty-five cents a day-on the unpro-
tected fa rms of the great west, or in
the protected mines Of Pennsylvania?
Wages always tend to the lowest
sum that iaborers will accept. Two
principal factors in determining
what The wages shall be are the num-
Der OF places to fill, and how many
competitors are there? These, again,
are fureher modified by the standard
OF living to which the competitors
have been accustomed. Protection.
so called. makes no attempt to keep
down the number Of competitors.
There is no restriction on the iinpor-
tation of iaborers. Workingnen
sell their services in q free trade mar
ket and buy their goods In pro-
tected one. The pauper labor.
whose low wages the manufacturers
demanded to be protected against in
Hamilton's time, has been imported
by them to compete with American
labor. The opportunities for en-
ployment are diminished by restric-
tions in the exchange Of our prod
ucts for those Of other countries.
Protected coal mine owners combine
to limit production too, 10 as to
throw laborers out Of employment.
and raise the price Of coal. by limi-
ting production.
The tariff facilitates the formation OF
'.syndicates," associations" and
trusts whose purpose is to limit
production and enhance the price,
and cut wages. These combinations
now embrace lead, sugar, rubber
shoes. envelopes, states, paper bags,
linseed oil. steel, oil cloth. petroleum,
whiskey and coal as few Of it's ar
ticles. The Steel Trust Is peculiarly
Pennsylvania. Until last year the
steel manufacturers have been fur
nishing steel to pillow manufacturers
ut four and one half cents a pound,
and had been doing profitable bus-
mess. When the trust was formed
the price was gradually raised to ten
and one-half cents. The combina-
ton enabled the trust to reduce
wages, limit production and advance
the price. Here, Mr.. Kelley, you
have a body of protected capitalists
raising prices to point that almost
cripples the industry Of the plow
manufacturers and encouraging that
class to shift the burden Of this addi-
tional cost on the unprotected farm.
ers.
Our present tariff law, substantial
ly, was enacted as war measure.
The cudest protectionist from the
days Of Hamilton to tho present has
never asked rs high a tariff for the
sake Of protection az the one in force.
How ilnpotent it has been to secure
and living wages to la
boring men is sufficiently attested by
the million Of tralnps who, during
the past few years. have gone to and
fro through the land In search Of en-
ployment. The recent strike III the
protected mining regions OF Penn
sylyania. where sixty thousand men
are out of employment, except ut
starvation wages, further attests how
Inadequate protective tariff IL to
protect the rights Of laboring men.
The tens of thousands OF business
wrecks strewn along the high ways
of trade and commerce during the
past twenty-five years refute the the
DRY that a protective tariff promotes
prosperity and affords business Sc
curity. 1t does neither. Look nj
this table Of annual failures in bust
ness with the immense sums lost
thereby to the creditor classes:
Year Number Amount
1857 4,082 <c9l, 40. OO0.
1858 APPS 05, 749. OOO
1859 3,0l3 64.8O4, 600
1860 2.6.s 79,sO7, 200.
1861 GOO 207,.lO,00
Hpco psO .l9 nAA s..1