Omaha daily bee., 1888-12-02

this evening TO an enormous meeting OF his
constituents at Leeds on the comparative
purchasing power and wages in England and
the United States. Sir Lyon recently re
turned from America, where he made ex-
tended investigations, and his speech on the
subject was awaited with great interest
Wages are higher in America than in this
country" he said, "but the nominal wages
mean so many shillings per week. while the
real wages are the necessities which can be
bought by them. What makes wages higher
in Americai The republicans assert that it
is due TO protection, which creates industries
and gives work. The workman does not live
on work, but works to live. Therefore, he
wants living at the lowest cost. How can
protection, which taxes all the comforts of
life, give him that ends
"In America each man, as a consumer,
If protection makes more wages,
where does the more come from. 1t restricts
the markets for commodities to home con
sumption In consequence, then, comes a
ness for each third or fourth year. 1t means
seven months pay for twelve months living.
Only in times of grave depressions in trades
does England experience this difficulty, be-
cause the export trade carries off the excess.
"Pcrhaps you would like to know what
extensive immigration does for America.
The American workman has an advantage
over the workmen of other protected coun-
tries, because his territory is sparscly settled
and undeveloped. The chief emigration to
America is from protected European coun.
tries. The Chinese are the fathers of the
protective system. They swarmed over the
Pacific coast until their influx was prohibited
by law. The protected countries of Ger
many and Italy send the bulk, while Eng
land only supplied ll11 per cent. One-third
of these are Irish, and you know the causes
which rendered the Irish discontented in the
past ten years. Only per cent of the emf
grants are engaged in protected employment,
while the rest are farmers or workmen for
unprotected trades.
at must be remembered that American
wOrkmcn work four or five hours week
more than the English workmen. According
to the American labor bureau reports, a
Massachusetts workman with family of
five, including the earnings of the children,
makes in a year $780, while the English
workman makes fl03. According to the
same report it costs the American .el5l to
live comfortably, while it costs the English
man .e10l. If this comparison be true, the
American saves so, and the Englishman, who
works less hours per week, 80.
"Protection has led to all kinds of labor
disturbances, and strikes are pain
fully frequent. Uneasiness in the
labor market led to the amalga-
nation of labor unions into gigantic
organization called the knights of Labor,
which at one time had 1,5Oo,000 members.
American politicians groveled before its
power, and strikes and boycotts We're un-
sparingly used It's tyranny at one time
seemed almost intoierable, but the immense
number has dwindled to 100000, and few
American politicians are so poor rs to do
them reverence.
"Protcction leads slowly to socialism. If a
state can tax its workingmen for the benefit
of manufacturers on the same principle the
workingmen can say, when they come into
power, Now we propose to tax you manu-
facturers to guarantee our wages
That would be socialism approaching
communism, but so is protection. England
has made more progress in her forty years
under free trade than she did in protection,
both in manufactures and increased popula-
tion. Any nominal difference in American
and English wages depends upon considera-
tions which prevail IN new and undeveloped
countries. All European countries, save
Belgium and Holland. unite to protect their
cheaper labor from goods produced in Eng.
land, where the wages are from 50 to 100 per
cent higher. What the skilled English work
man fears is not low priced inexpert labor,
but nigh priced expert work"