Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-09-21
Mr.. Tucker says (see New York Times
of August Is, 1889:

OF August Is, 1851:
'The war tariff that the Republican
party is bending every effort to establish
among the permanent and fundamental
principles of our government is a posi-
tive hindrance to the development of our
foreign trade and a menace to our home
market. Our goods are only first-class
and require the very best materials OBJ
tainable for their construction. Much of
this is not produced in this country at all
and, Notwithstanding the tariff, we have
to import and use foreign materials.
Steel, iron, leather, cloth, tapestries,
glass, colors and ornamental fastenings
we have never been able to get of good
enough quality of American manufac-
ture, and all of the foreign productions
of this character brought into this coun-
try are taxed from 80 to so per cent.
This, of course, enters into the cost of
production of our goods and places them
beyond the reach of many people who
would buy them and use them if they
could be made and sold cheaper.
"By thus restricting their use the law
initiates against the producing classes
the workmen themselves. The increased
demand for the goods would create all
increased demand for carriage makers,
blacksmiths, upholsterers, trimmers,
painters, varnishers and statesmen, and
this increased demand would keep their
wages as high, at least, as at present, for
there is no danger of foreign competition
affecting our domestic trade at all. Wages
would never suffer from foreign compe-
tition, anyway, because the style has
everything to do with our trade. and ear
riages of foreign manufacture do not go
down in this country. Our workmen
are more rapid, and produce more and
better goods than those of any other
country in the world; and if the work
they do was paid for by the piece they
would make as much more than Europeans
would at the same rates as their average
daily wages now exceed those of the for
eign workman. So, you see, the work
man in our line of business would GER
ldlulN DlOlt ny liz IclOIlu VI llt ldTlII.
"We now export only a limited mum.
Der of carriages and buggies because oul
price for vehicles of equal quality and
finish is necessarily larger than those Of
European manufacture, because of the
tariff, and the free markets of the world
where, if anything, the natural advan
tages are with us, are closed to us by thu
: indirect operations of this tariff. Tn,
time has come for its removal, and al
f though my active sympathies have al
, ways been with the Republican party,
, have been compelled to leave sentimen
: ont of the question this time and decid,
to vote my honest convictions, which ar,
the result of such intelligence and reason
= as l have been able to bring to bear upol
p the subject
. We close this testimony with a lette
I from Waterville, Me-, dated Aug. 16
q 1888, and published in the Boston Herald
"E. j.. Lawrence, n of the larges
lumber dealers on the Kennebec river an,
who has been in business many years
: was seen by a correspondent today in re
lation to the effect the provisions of tn
f Mills bill will have on the lumber indus
try. Mr.. Lawrence said: The placin!
of timber on the free list cannot hav
! any injurious effect on the business an,
p if the Mills bill becomes a law | doub
, whether it would lower the price of lum
-, Der any. But in case it did reduce tn
price 80 cents per thousand, the timbe
land owners can stand it, because the,
: are very wealthy, and the poor peopl
:, who are building themselves house
: would get them so much cheaper.
"'You employ a great many men. Now
!. how do you think free lumber would eff
;, feet their wages?'
I "'I would not reduce theirwages. NJ,
, impression is that it would make thei
u wages better. And l will tell you VIII,
j l think so. We hire from 200 to 300 mel
l every winter to work in the woods
; About eight out of every ten of thes'
5 men are Frenchmen who come over iron
1 Canada to work in the woods and thel
> 60 back in the spring. So you see W,
{ get the pauper labor of Canada at a chea]
I price, and what few Americans there ar
: that work for us have to compete witt
the Frenchmen. Now, if the Mills bill
Z should pass, with lumber on the free list
1 there is no doubt that it would stimulate
: the lumber business to some extent il
l Canada, consequently their men woult
d get more work and better wages at hom'
D and would not flock over here so much
T That would give our laboring men a bet
: ter show and better wages here. Wage
T are governed entirely by the supply an,
demand. When there is a large quantit,
of logs to drive down the Kennebec, a
was the case a few years ago, drivin.
wages are high. And it is just the sam,
in all branches of the business and il
fact in every business. When bushes
f is dull and we cannot sell our goods w,