The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-06-28
ATTENTION LABORING MEN.
Some Observations on Protection and
Labor.
Showing Protection Does Not Protect
Some Notable Instances Given--Wit
Some Illustrations From Protective
Tariff Countries in Europe.

EDITOR DEMOCRAT:-Inere IL Il
plank in the platform adopted by the
Republican convention at Chicago con
demning Chinese and foreign paup:r
labor. A prominent and intelligent
Republican tells me that it was put
there to get the Labor vote of the our
try.
This raises a few questions that
might be well for laboring men, farm
ers, mechanics and business men to
consider. First, why is there any such
thing as pauper labor? Labor produces
all the wealth and capital the world
has; and equity and the law OF the
rights OF property demand that to the
producer belongs the products of his
toll. Therefore if European labor is
pauperized it is because it has been
robbed by the social systems of Europe;
drawing from labor the wealth it pro-
duces without giving it an equivalent
in return. And have we not the SAINT
social system; and are we not doing the
same thing with the aid of protected
monopolies?
Second: Why should any kind of la.
Dor be an injury to American labor?
1t is claimed that it has a tendency to
cut down the price of American labor.
What difference can it make to Amer
lean labor whether a manufacturer
fills up his shop with pauper labor that
will do his work for half price, OF fills
up with machinery that will do it for
less than half price; whether a farmer
does his work with cheap labor, or by
machinery that does it still cheaper.
The same argument that holds good
as against foreign pauper labor will
hold double good as against machinery.
While foreign pauper and Chinese la
Dor will be some benefit to trade; while
machinery is no benefit to any one ex-
cept its owner, yet the Chicago con-
vention is silent on machinery.
Now, the lowering of American
wages is not caused by foreign pauper
labor, nor by tht use of machinery, but
from the power that protection gives
to monopolies to draw from labor that
which it produces, without giving an
equivalent in return. Labor is forced
to pay for protection while monopoly
gets the benefit. And private owner
ship of land, and the natural opportu-
mites which nature furnishes to labor
from which to supply its wants, forces
labor to stand up like a little man and
be reduced to pauperism for the benefit
of others.
Labor should know by this time that
protection will not protect labor. Italy,
the best protected nation in Europe,
turns out more pauper labor than any
other one nation, while free trade
Switzerland turns out the least. If
protection has anything to do with the
difference between the wages in Eu-
rope and America, what causes the
great difference in the wages in the diff
ferent parts of the United States? We
find States with the most protected in
dustries paying the least wages. Penn
sylvania for instance. 1t has been stat
ed and acknowledged on all sides that
we have produced more wealth in the
last twenty five years than has been
produced by any other nation on earth
| during the same period. And where is
it? Have legitimate business and labor
received their respective shares, or has
it been appropriated by protected mo-
nOpolies?
Now let the farmer, the laborer, the
business men of the country ask them
selves, is my business just what it
| should be, with the chances we have
had in the last twenty-five years?
AND IF NOT, WHY?
If it is, they are all happy; if not, there
is some reason why, and they should
insist on knowing why. Let me
answer. There are two monOpolies
that are drawing the life blood of labor
and business. Protection and land
monopoly. AS things grow dear they
pass from the hands of the poor into
those of the rich. This is a well known
fact. Now, as land grows dearer, it
passes out of the hands of the poor
into the hands of the rich; and as land
grows dear it takes more of the wages
Of labor and the profits of business to
satisfy these two classes of monopoly.
This is the social system that has pau
perized European labor, and is fast
pauperizing American labor and de-
moralizing business; the Chicago con-
vention to the contrary notwithstand-
ing. A. j. KNIT.