Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-18

a bagatelle. That was a splendid
showing these gentlemen had effected.
All the wealth had passed away and
all the burdens had been cast upon
the shoulders of
THE LABoRING MAN.
In 1883 the taxation was still further
reduced: and the magnificent shaft
which the party then in power had
erected to commemorate its legislative
wisdom and the benefcence Of it's
laws was crowned with a cap-stone,
taking off the internal revenue
tax on playing cards and putting
a tax of twenty per cent. on Bibles.
The Democrats had been taunted with
the charge that they had failed to re-
duce taxation. This charge had
been made by the minority, which
had been guilty of preventing action
on the many bills brought into the
House by the Committee on Ways
and Means. Mills turned his atten-
ton to woolen manufactures and ar
gued that the public at large was in
| jured by the present excessive tax and
nobody benefited. We were feeding
the, people OF Europe and when we
put high duties ON goods they sent us
in exchange for food it amounted to
taxing our own agricultural exports.
| Reduction of duties would not act as
a check upon manufacturers and
cramp labor. We always imported
more goods when prices were high.
Under lower duties we could export
more goods; manufactures would run
steadily; labor would be
CONSTANTLY EMPLOYED.
Not more than 10 per cent. OF the
goods consumed in the United States
would be imported if custom duties
were down and the Government sup
ported by direct taxes. The Protection
lists argue that manufactured articles
were cheaper here than in any other
country as the result of Protection.
1t was not So but supposing that it
was, why then should they resist so
strenuously any effort to lower duties
if they were able to undersell Euro
pean manufacturers? Did manufac-
turers pay higher wages because Pro-
lection enabled them to do it? Mo-!
Jay Gould was able to pay his boot
black So, but did he do it? He paid
the market price. He paid his nickel
like little man. Higher wages were
made by coal, steam and machinery,
and higher wages meant lower
COST OF PRODUCTION.
This accounted for the fact that free
trade in England paid higher wages
than protection in France and Ger
many, and yet controlled the worlds
market. He had requested the pre-
sent Chief of the Labor Bureau to as
certain if there was no exception to
the rule that wages depended on the
efficiency of labor, and the result of
highly paid efficient labor was the low
cost of products. In answer he read
a tabulated statement prepared by
Mr.. Wright, giving the result of in.
quiry in number of cases, which ap.
peared to fully bear out the rule.
Mills then proceeded with frequent
citations from economic authors and
from tabulated statements to elucidate
his argument that the high rate of
wages in this country was not the re-
suit of the Protective system. He
said: "We had grown rich, prosper
GUS and powerful, not by the aid of
restrictions on foreign commerce, but
in spite of them." He quoted tables
to show that the tariff was not intend
ed to benefit the laborer,
that the benefits of tariffs
pass into the pockets of the
manufacturers and never come to
the pockets Of labor. Taking up the
case of pair OF blankets, where the
tariff exceeded the labor cost by 81 so,
Mills declared that every dollar Of ex-
cess was reaped
BY THE MANUFACTURERS.
Grain, of Texas, interrupted to ask
how the Ways and Means Committee
had treated those blankets?
Mills replied: 1t had reduced the
tariff on blankets from $l.77 to II
cents. TApplause.] Continuing he
said: 1t was asserted that Congress
had intended to benefit the laborer
by the tariff. 1t had failed
and not a dollar of the protection
afforded got beyond the manufac-
turers. He, however, hired his labor
at the lowest rate in the open market.
The committee had left in the bill
more than enough protection to pay
for all labor and bonus besides. The
present policy was making vast dis
elimination in the country between
two classes one poo and numerous,
and one small and powerful and rich.
The concentration of the wealth of the
country into the hands of few men,
would overthrow our government. In
conclusion he said that the bill was a
very moderate one, yet it would send
comfort and happiness into all the
| HOMES AND BoSoMs
OF the poor laboring people of this
country, and he asked the House in
behalf of these people, to consider
their claims, and to help reduce the
burdens which had been loaded upon
them. -
Mills spoke about an hour and
lthree-quarters, and as he took his
seat he was surrounded by a crowd OF
Democratic members who pressed
forward to tender their congratula-
tions. A
Kelly, of Pennsylvania. next took
the floor in opposition to the bill. He
said the enactment would paralyze the
enterprise and energy of the people,
overthrow our manufacturing suprem-
acy and reduce our commanding COM
mercial position to colonial one. 1t
was studiously designed to produce
these direct results and nicely adapted
for its purpose. 1t was confessedly the
partisan measure and was framed in
the interest of party whose leaders
appeared to be oblivious to the over
whelming social and economic changes
wrouoht hv the abolition of slavery.