The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-09-07
SUBSCRIPTION; sl.Oo Per Year.

1tnjOnS and the knights Of Laber hare done
more to secure reasonable 1odges for me labor
ING men than all tic tariff ldWs that erer tUers
passed IN this aCorId. loud applause. There
is another reason why American laborers
receive more wages, and that is the i'm
mense area of uncultivated territory in the
United States the effect of which is TO
free the labOrers of that dependence which
may exist in other countries where land
is very DEAR that dependence upon tho
manufacturing capitalistic class for
work in this country. A man can get land
to labor upon TO support himself and his
family by simply asking it of the general
Government and settling upon it and re-
naming upon it given length of time
The consequence is that with these al
vantages no man need be a dependent upon
the good will of any monOpolst in the
world, and that gives our laboring men an
independence which is not seen elsewhere
on the globe, and enables them therefore
to demand and receive somewhat higher
wages than laborers receive elsewhere
Then there is the fact of our free institu-
tions and there is the fact of the pride that
every man in this country be he laboring
man or not feels in the consciousness that
he is an American citizen; that he helps to
govern this country, and makes people
govern it as far as possible for his benefit
But there is another thing that is couclus-
i've on this point and shows that high
protective tariff does not increase the
wages of the laboring men. 1t is conclus-
lively shown by the fact that laborers in
unprotected industries are as well paid as
those in the so-called protected industries.
How many laborers are there in what are
called protected industries, that is engaged
in manufacturing articles, winch when they
are brought from abroad are charged with
tariff tax, and how many laborers are
there in the United States whose interests
are in no wise protected by any such things,
and can not in the nature of things be pro-
tected by any such meansl II has been
estimated that there are 100000 or 900, GOO
laborers, including women and children, in
the protected industries, but we will put
the figure ut 1000, 600. There are eight
times as many other laborers whose inter
ests and occupations are in nowise pro
tected by the tariff. Therefore, if the pro-
lection is for the benefit of tho laboring
men, the wages of this million engaged in
the protected industries ought to be higher
than those of the men employed in non
protected industries. In round numbers
the laborers in the unprotected industries
receive as high wages as those in the pro-
tected industries. l don't know what the
wages of farm hands are in Michigan. In
my State they receive about one dollar a
day, and you see in the State Of Massa-
chusetts, according to the returns of her
own board of industry, the average wages
is 81 04 day in manufacturing industries
So there is no difference worth talking
about between the wages the one receives
and the wages the other receives. They
are both substantially the same. Looking
at the improved condition and comforts,
the constant elevation of the agricultural
hand in the State of Ohio, it will be seen
that he receives quite as good wages as
the laborer in any protected industry in
the country.
EFFECT UPON THE FARaEER.
My friends nothing is more common
for those men appeal to everybody-th
to hear a protectionist orator say that pro-
lection has benefited the farmer. How
can it be of benefit to farmerl / have
never been able TO find out. Let us test It
by little experience this country has had.
We had o low tariff from 1916 up to the
breaking out Of the war in 1861 1t was
called the Walker tariff. / remember 1t
very well, for l was in the House OF Repre-
sentatives at that time and voted for IT,
From 1850 TO 1860, while that tariff was in
force, the farm lands of the United States,
according TO the census reports. increased
in value I03 per cent Then came the high
tariff of 1861 or 1862, whichever it was, and
from 1850 to 1870, another period OF ten
years, the increase in the value Of tho
farms Of the United States was only 40 per
cent Under the low tariff the increase in
value had been 103 per cent. in ten years.
Under the high tariff it was only 40 per
cent But IL may be said that that includes
the war period and does not make fair
comparison / have here statement OF
how it was in this goodly State of Michigan.
From 1850 70 1860, under the low-tarif pc
riod, the value Of the farms in Michigan
increased 211 per cent. From 1860 to 1870,
under high tariff, they increased 14S per
cent; but that includes the time Of war.
From 1870 to 1880, in "a time of profound
peace and under the highest tariff this
country has ever known, the value 0f the
farms in Michigan increased only 2516
per cent They increased under Waikcr's
tariff, which has been denounced so much
since as a free-trade tariff they increased
from 1850 to 1860 2i1 per cent., and some Of
you will remember that under the Walker
tariff we had great war-the war with
Mexico Had values continued to increase
from 1860 to 1880 as they did under the low
tariff period-1S50 to lSG0-the farm values
in Michigan would have been Sl,047, 900, 900
in $780, instead of being, as they were by
the census of 1880, only s499, 100000 Or
take farm implements. From 1850 to 1860
the value Of farm implements had in-
creased at the rate OF 1914 per cent in
1880 the increase was only Al per cent If
they had increased in the same ratio under
the high tariff as they did under tho low
they would have been SOB 800, 900 instead u
S19, 5OO, 600 You will see by these figures that
it is quite impossible that this high tariff
can be of advantage TO the agricultural
community.
ALL SHOULD THRIVE AND PROSPER
These, my friends, were my opinions
eighteen years ago, and every day has
served to verify their correctness They
are my opinions to-day, and, / have no
doubt, they will be 50 long as ! have life
In me. Loud applause.l If know my
self, there is no man on top Of this earth
who has more sympathy with laboring
men, or men in humble condition, than
have, and whatever / can do to better their
condition / would -lcheersi and IL ta
because don't believe for one moment
that this high-protective tariff, which is
so much Landed, and which is insisted
upon by our political opponents, is for the
benefit Of laboring men. That is one ot
the reasons why l am opposed 20 such
onerOus duties. have shown You that,
under this high-protective tariff, the agrl-
cultural interests OF the country nave
fallen on enormously. Tho value OF
farms has fallen on from an increase OF
one hundred per cent. TO an increase q
only nine per cent II you look at the
commerce Of the country, you will find
somethingeven more striking than thAt
The time was, and not great while ago.
when there were two countries that sub
stantialIy did the carrying trade OF the
world, Great Britain and the United
States, and we were gaining 50 fast on
Great Britain, that we had eighsy-three
per cent. OF the carrying TRADE Of the
world. whereas now, IL my memory is not
at fault, we only have about fourteen per
cent Now, why is thati Why, gentiomens
I had occasion, n few years ago 10
vfsit Europe, and / felt humlliated, ]
confess. when, In crossing and recrosss
ing the Atlantic and while In different
ports ia Europe, never but once saw the
American flag on the mast Of ship, aud
that was a ship engaged in carrying paa
senRers, and she had a British flag on one
end Of ner and the American flag on the
other. fLauRhter.l Now. the friends OF
l.ao.h 1919 LarLn ~ AZ aanA. q H..