Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-08-09
Wages and the Tariff.

Wages and the Tariff.
There is widespread ignorance
upon the relation between the rate of
wages paid workingmen and the rate
of tariff imposed upon articles of for
eign importation.
Certain papers, like our 'steened
contemp., the Gazette. think they are
arguing on the tariff question when
they repeat that no one can prove that
protection increases wages. Then they
observe, with all the solemnity of an
owl, that wages are always higher in
new countries than in old, that they
are higher in England now than 10
Germany or France, and that it is
fraudulent device of protectionists to
attribute the admitted rise in wages in
1850 to the protective tariff.
The facts in the case are, however,
as the New York Tribune says, that
the only confusion of mind about this
matter is with those who know least
about work or wages. Workingmen
and employers both know that the pol
icy which encourages an increase in the
number of establishments, and conse-
quently in the demand for labor, nee
essarily helps to advance wages. But
it is worth while to notice some of the
current fallacies.
Wages were higher in Great Britain,
before that country ceased to protect
its industries, than in Germany or
France, before these countries began to
protect. For forty years Great Britain
has been trying free trade, and for a
few years Germany and France have
been trying protection. The conse-
quence is that in Germany and France
wages are now rising, while in Great
Britain serious decline has been pre-
vented only by the power of trade as
sociations, which do nevertheless cut
down actual though not nominal wages,
when they compel many establishments
and thousands of men to be idle in or
der that the rest may get some work at
the old rates.
| This country is comparatively new
true. 1t was newer in 1850, when
Democratic free trade had its latest
tesh AS country gets old, according
to free-trade theories, wages fall. AS
this country gets old the fact is that
wages rise; they are 3s per cent higher
to say the least, than they were when
the Democratic policy ceased to govern
The advance here has been in spite OF
the most marvellous migration of labor
ever known in human history. Over
100000 workers have come to this
country and yet wages have risen
!, something like half of them have come
from Great Britain, and yet wages
there have risen comparatively not al
lall.
The man who cannot understand
facts such as these may at least be capa
BILE Of comprehending that the closing
of one mill out of three in any towr
will tend to put down wages there
The men thrown out of work will seel
it at the other mills, and if not IN tina
town then elsewhere. So the stoppagt
of thousands of mills, in consequence
of the passage of a Democratic Tariff
bill, would throw out of work grea
army of workingmen. These would
! seek work in other places, driving down
wages there, for dire necessity would
compel them to underbid somebod!
else or to starve.
, But where else, in what other occu
, patton, are these men to find work
! Not in farming, for thousands of farm
workers are to be thrown out of work
they are now required to take care O.
/ sheep, and wool-growing will be mad,
Improbable by the same bill. Thous
ands more are engaged in raising othel
products which it would be improbable
: to raise after the Mills bill had passed
New land, and more wheat-growingi
Does not everybody know that the
wheat market is so supplied already
} that prices run close to the cost of rails.
ing and transporting? What else are
these men to do? Until the free-trade
theorists answer, they have no business
| TO reiterate the impudent pretence that