The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-10-17

nsv Free Trade works, ms shown
nv the Cotton Industry.
Can Ffancisco Poa'

The cry Oh free raw sudttflafs 10
..ssle the WOODEN manufacturer 10
1.r.1re The foreign market may posi-
~ ,leeeiye some one, in spite Of the
sssnirnous declaration Of the manu-
;srfurers that they could not not COM
~ 10 q greater extent than now un-
~ tbev had foreign wages too.
TIE facts OF the matter can readily
= ;sadged from the cotton good trade
al i n0w under the conditions that
10 free wool advocates assert are the
,sols thing neees -ary 10 give US the
s.srkess Of the world In WOODEN goods.
/ f.ftnu i on tie free list. and the cot
M manufacturer are on q much bet
II footing for competing than the
rosl manufacturers would be, for the
urasen that the United States produces
A. times as much cotton as ii uses.
re cotton manufacturer, therefore,
1 not dependent on foreign countries
IL any part OF his sappile.- In 1851
IL United States produced 3,i5T ,35S.-
ie pounds OF cotton, OF which it ex-
uyted 2,i70. LIB, T2 pounds, retaining
IL femainder for home manufacture.
With "free raw material. abundant
nj cheap. we should have had no dir
5xsilty In capturing the markets OF the
ys.i4 II Mr.. Mills theories are true.
Ni We capture them Here are the
txures OF export manufactures OF cot
IN. saken from the figures Of the
burean Of statistics lstaiisiicai abstract,
iSS. p. 1856. } year ending June 80.
~ sls,ol9,ls
&c IA g29. sf2
- 1889 ,asB4
~ ll.6s6, 81
Ns ll,43a, go
II the same years We imported man
1izstures OF cotton as follows:
~ -. az $50
M 2s.sio.s55
~ .-.. as,7O9 10
NJ y .if7 al
VI 4e.&lG,4sS
his, therefore, plain that we have
70! captnred the foreign market with
ffm raw cotton. On the contrary,
villa duty on the manufactured
pods, we have difficulty in keeping
De home market. We import twice
he value Of cotton goods that We ex-
port
The reason for this i found Ia the
blowing fact, given in this census Of
ise volume 20, the figures represent
mg the average weekly wages OF work
n n cotton goods:
Weekly Wages.
tnl;ed States 50 Of
Great Britain ,.-5 81
The same eau.es would produce the
ume results in the wooden trade. even
Il We could psoduce a cheap and abun-
duns supply Of wool in this country in
o2en competition with the world.
Under the conditions that attend the
wodnriion of wool in the United
States, the only result that can lie ex-
pried IL that free wool would destroy
he wool-growing industry witboat
tiyaniage % any other industry.
Woes-growing isnow worth $50 Zoo 600
iptle country.
The force that the free traders rely
gpch 10 enable this country
% compete with the cheap la
ieF countries In manufactures Is the
aaged superior produciiVeness of
american labor A. Mr.. Mills puts Il,
TIE American manufacturer pays
Twice as much in wages aud gets six
hmes as much work In return ns the
iorsign manufacturer.
The figures OF the cotton trade quot
d above iii prove this, ii dlsproot
we're necessary, for ii IL were true we
eould undersell England every where,
shsiead OF being unable 90 control our
0sa market.
But every workingman IN this coun-
ny knows that it is untrue. The
number Of men OF foreign birth in
MS country working side 10y side with
he American gives every Workman q
chance to see that The difference is not
= The free lraders represent H. II
we foreigners in this country worked
lef half the wages OF tile American
and were numerous enough to supply
hedemand where would the Ameri-
sah laboreF be- Could he run the
lpreigner ont BY doing six times as
much work p Let each man answer
NJ himself from his own knowledge
BIT striking answer is offered by
NE Chinese In this city. They livs
here under practically the same con.
dltens as they i've IN Chin2 and tie !
F-,-tt+NtAfN AAAAt ~ ANilNftt ttfAtFN Atst
Nme Yet they we're able 20 drive
zoe white oGt OF several lines of busi-
hess BY working for 81 where the
WHITE man wanted 81 50. They droys
We white, out bccau c they could dc
more work Tor a dollar than a white
MAJ eoald, and We have had TO shul
sasn cut to prevent them from als
@fmng the whole labor field.
Lei the white boot and shoemaker
aha cigar men and other laharers sup
pose that these same Chinese wer,
WI Tie sea working Tor ten cents oi
slssen cents day Instead OF seventy
I've cents or ST. suppose that th'
pseoerais win the election and carr,
W their theory that protection +
;oatSrN and bet all the products @
lefelgn labor come Tree. VIII not ths
@nEets;laa be even more severe thar
saen the thiue<e are here
a. Mr., Harrison points out; 'IhI
seed viii beaifiereut, il az all. only II
stgFee whether the cheap laborcr
ae,ssss the street or over the sea
ihe laborers oi California have has
.aeh expesieuce of culor citing viii
le ehine-e "Ucross the street, "
ny IKE the prospect OF compelin
~, ssh them az iar lower wages "uye