The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1888-06-01
IRIsH's sPEEcH.

IRISH y cIEhNH.
Saturday an immense audience greeted |
Mr.. Irish at the Court House In this city. |
Every seat In the large court room was fill |
cd and scores had to stand In the ante rooms.
The speaker said that the only question be-
lore the people was taxation In which all
were equally interested. Now the tariff
never increased the price of wool penny.
The ioekmasters are needlessly alarmed.
AT the best the sheepinterest Is temporary,
as all men know sheep kept In large hoeks
destroy the natural feed of range and have
to move on, while horses and cattle do not
destroy It and therefore are more perm
anent interest. There are cases In Oregon
In which men have had to sell their horses
and cattle and quit raising them because
sheep had invaded and destroyed the range.
But consulting tariff and wsol prices from
the United States census and the Official
wool report Of Boston which makes the
wOol price In this cOuntry,we find the tariff
to be without value In raising the price OF
domestic wool. The Chicago Tribune, a
republican paper, and, therefore, good au'
thority fer republicans, prints the tariffs
prices on wool from IS47 to 1881, from ofii-
cial sources. From IS47 to 1880 the wool
tariff was 80 per cent. and the price of wool
per pound ranged from 80 to 49H cents
averaging 4sb. In 1857 the duty was all
taken off and there was free trade in woe
for four years,and the price ranged As to 81
cents, averaging so4, the highest averagS
of woOl for the last Al years. In 1861 9
tariff Of per cent. was put On--the price
fell to a. cents. In 1864 and 63 the taria
was ISPer cent, the price 49H. In 1906
Go the tariff was 80 per cent the price 80
In IS67-7I the tariff was 90 per cent, the
price 4o cents. In IS7s-SI the tariff was
sSper cent, the price 90 cents. The aver
age price for the whole period IS47-ISSl
was AZ cents, and the average of the foul
free trade years was so4 cents a pound
These official figures prove that we have
high wSol prices under low tariff, and low
prices under high tariff, and the highes
average price Of all under absolute free
trade In wool.
AS tariff never added penny to th'
price of wool, it never added mill to the
wages of labor. Labor Is paid according
to its productive power. American wagei
have increased with the introduction o
steam, power and machinery into our man
ufactures, increasing the productive powe
of labor. Fifty years ago in the cloth mill
ofNew England five men produced s,4oC
yards of cloth in year, a"d their wage
were 500 per pear, or $500 year for th'
whole five. Now by labor saving machin
cry in the same mills FIVE men produc'
10000 yards of cloth in a year, and thei
wages arc s2S7 each. Figure IL for your
selves. When five men for fetal of wages
of $500, made enly 400 yards of cloth II
a year the labor cost Of the cleth was u ,.
cents yard. Now five men make I4o,ooc
yards year, and their wages aggregate
SI43s, but they produce so much more tina
the laber cost of the cloth is only I.oS cent,
per yard. The labor cost of a pound oi
American cotton goods is GA cents. Eng
lish cotton of the same grade has labor
cost Of cents pound, because the English
workman produces less and therefore the
labor cost Is higher. The total cost oi
American cotton goods is higher than that
of English, while the labor cost alone is low
er, for the reason that we TAX the cotton
workers dye stuff, machinery, oil, Goa, ,lum-
Der and everything he uses except raw cot
ton, while England leaves all them free.
You will observe then that the high priced
IabOr of America produces cheaper than the
PauPer labor of England, because itProduces
more per hand, but England undersells us
because we tax our manufacturers upon
what England leaves free.
Mr.Swift in his speeches admits that Eng
Ish clothing is cheaper than American,but
says If we buy clothing in England what
will become Of our tailors Take off nn-
necessary tariff taxes,and our tailors will be
a l right, for their superior productive pow
er makes the labor cost of an American
suit of clothes cheaper than British suit.
II then the tariff does not add to the price
of wool nor to the wages of labor, why
should republicans refuse TO vote orreduc-
ton of United States taxes to the amount of
the $6o,ooo,ooo year which isnow being
piled in the treasury, Withdrawn from the
people and use less to the government 2
That is all there is OF it. Both parties in
1884 promised to reduce these taxes by mod
flying the war tariff. Mr.. Cleveland is try
ing to have his party keep its promise, while
republicans are asked by their leaders to
violate the solemn pledge made by their
party four years ago.