Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-10-25

instead of going on to explain how II
benefited the American wcrkinamen en-
gagged in this production to be compelled
to lie idle Eve months in the year.
to have the market for his labor 60 re-
Htrioted srtifioielly that he can only
find sale for seven.twelfths Of that labor,
for such is the logical conclusion? The
manufacturer suffers too, for IL he had a
market for what he could manufacture in
the other Ave months he would certainly
be better of but the worklneman gets
the worst OF II, since the pressure upon
him to sell the only article no hasito soli,
his labor, Is iitconpsivsbiy greater.
Now what follows Mr.. Hi0gtHS ssyA
production 10 checked" and everything
regulates itself; an euphemiam for % few
big manufacturers having, by a combin-
alton called trust gotten the home
production under their thumbs, issue
orders to shut down the mills and the
workingmen can 60 to thunder" Let US
qnote paragraph from Charles 8. Ash
ley's article on "Ihe Effects of Protec-
tiep," in the November number Of the
Popular Seisnce Monthly:
But we need special explanation for the
singular fact that wages 10 the protected
occupations continually fall, even while the
general trend IL upward. In General I,ieb's
recent book on the tariff he has compare
tive table of wages 10 twelve unprotected
and In twelve protected occupations. Ia
the hrst wages rose 10 the eix years follow.
Ing 1850 from 10 to IS per cent, while wages
In the protected occupations fell from TO
50 per cent at the same time. These facts
ates we'll authenticated and even "not0.
rious," as remarked in the letter bstoro
mentioned to Secretary Meaning; but we
seldom II ever are shown the reason,
| think this can be directly traced
TO the high tariff. Take, for
example, the Iron manufacturing business,
10 general the American prices are much
below the foreign price plus the duty, and
Importation Is impraetieaple. When the
operators have this margin to work Oh thi =
frequently accumulate o considerable cup
ply beyond the Immediate demands Of the
market. Then, asserting that the market lie
dnil, they reduce wages. The men strike,
Of course, and the mills close. As pro-
duction ceases, the price OF Iron goes up;
ant, us the foreign iron cannot come 10, the
necessities OF the public and the suffering
OF their own employees In the course Of few
months the latter accept the situation aud
go back to work at reduced wages. Ifforeign
tron could come Ia the moment production
ceased In ,hla countrs the masters would
not be so qntck to shut down as they are
when they make money ont OF 1t; the la
borsts would be on an equal footing with
tue masters. But, as 1t IL, the masters have
both the public and their employees ''in
chancery," and have so far been abs TO
resist the otherwise universal, tendency to
advance In wages. Ths little circle OF
events which have outlined has taken
place again and again In Pennsylvania, as
the frequent strikes (more frtqueH, be-
heve, than anywhere else In thu Uaion) 10
part testify. These circumstances caunot
long escape the attention of the leaders OF
the iaboring people, and from the rising
unpopularity OF proreetion among them we
may confidently predict that they will not
much longer be deceived.