Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-08-16

Labor. or.....,,.,,,....... 55,i76,7s5 .lli' f.'
Capital per Ocnt.,.". ls,s5sitiS 1861 ,O12
.t-ult.E5 5Ffrn z. .t .5"'i ----
Net proft......-. ..i. s .',i.lEJ slOl ,sOs, ,sTs
Now then, If there Is to be equitable
participation in the benefits Of pro-
lection the result can easily be sol, ed
by simple proportion. Capital has in
vested $230, ,97l 1884. Labor has invested
$50, AVG, ,7S5, labor, capital and raw ma
terial are paid and the net balance is
$11 ,9O6, 1913 to be divided proportienateiy
between labor and capitai-being lit
tie over 35 per cent. and giving to labor
S49, ,426, ,S74 more than it has received.
If protection" Is indeed intended to
benefit labor, let It De admhistered ac-
cordingi to o>thisplaR This is ce-opera-
We need not stop with iron. The
tariff system produces the same results
with anything II effects. Take silk:
In this Industry there wese employed
81, 500 personst to these laborers there
was paid S13. 3.0OO, 600 or 1876 per year to
each employee little over 81 per day.
AS the idutiestpaid during the year on
limportiops valued at$3B, 600, 900 amount
to $24, 600 900, 1T isSplain that the pro-
lection amounted to $e28 TO each EN-
ploye, and the go per cent? duty enables
the employer not only TO pay every
laborer, but t-leaves9prof onIthe labor
of each employs of $3.50 thus affording
to the capital invested from $50>to IS
per cent. per annum. NJ.
j This gives to labor the protection
which the, vulture gives the lamb
covering and devouring it.n s, =.
How with the laborer? -. .,. ~. ~,
Protectionists claim that high protec-
ton has doubled the wages of the
American mechanic over that paid In
Europe. Such assertions are absurd
and an insult to ordinary intelligence.
We get our evidence from q report OF
the Secretary of State showing the COM
parative weekly wages paid in England
and the United States in 1878 and from
the census Of 1880. The statistics in
cludes bakers, cabinet-makefs, black
smiths, bookbinders, carpenters, brick
layers, farm laborerss porters, painters,
plumbers, plasterers, printers. shoema-
kers, tailors. stin-smiths, etc. The ag-
gregrte amount of weekly wages paid
the fifteen classes named, in Great
Britain, afeS SHALL, being . ratio OF
about $7 so to each. individnal. In New
York City, where as a rule, these classes
of employees receive the highest rate Of
wages, the aggregate amount paid per
week is stated to be $137.06, being a
ratio, OF wages per week Of So. III TO each
individual just 81 so per week more
than is paid the 'spaupern of Europe.
In England these classes have no taxes
to pay on their tools, clothing or their
families. In this ccnntry tariff enhan-
ces the price of.aH.r ...i., ". \
The number of employees in these In
dustries in 1880 is put down at 948, ,494,
| of which -663,827 were men, 224, 100
women, and 50, ,567 We're children. The
wages aggregated $379, ,3S4,93l, or,
counting 300 working days O year, an
average of$1 .35 a day for each person.
These employees include the most
highly skilled labor in the country,
two-thirds of them were mature men,
yet their average wages did not exceed
the average wages of unskilled labor on
city streets and in country towns. a,
What has capital been doing all this
ttime? Without giving the figures In
detail, may add that according to this
same authority, the profits made in
these industries after deducting wages
and cost Of materials are 36 per cent. on
the capital invested. Deducting ten tc
sixteen per cent, more for miscellaneous
expenses we get 20 to 26 per cent. as the
average net profit. When manu- ufactur.
lers, ''getting ahead at this rate, claim
that they need duties in excess Of 81
per cent. to enable them to pay wages
ranging from $l.15 to $1.33 a day, 81
4 that the noble American laborer, for
sodth, shall not be forced down to thu
level of the European 'pauper,' tht
claim may as well be taken with sOmt
degree of allowance.
| The absurdity OF the claim Of the pro
tectionist that he cannot compete will
the foreign manufacturer by reason o
the difference in the price of labor be
comes most apparent when it is discov
Tered that we can go to Sheffield, Eng
land, and buy American manufacturer
cutlery for less price than the sam,
4 can be purchased in New York; we car
j 60 to Liverpool and purchase an Ameri
can watch for less than most pay q
home; an American made sewingm ma
\ lchine can be had in London for les
than the home price and we can, 60 II
4 Egypt and get q Cincinnati buggy TO
less than It is sold for in the Queer
lefty. So that the American manufac
| turer can pay, as-he claims. princel.
wages, pay transportation on his com
4 moiites, take them to Europe and sue
cessfully compete with the .articl
manufactured, as he says. by panpe
labor. @ s.e HIM ,ss n,
II OTHER EFFECTS. ftgsef,ef
The evil effects Of a protective taril
are every where apparent. One OF,
not the greatest, wFong which protet
ton makes possible Is the formation Q
Y ..ra. TRUSTS iaesa