Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-08-24


this country since 1860 when protective
policy was inaugurated) and yet notwithstand-
ing this great competition the wages of our
laborers have continued to increase.-Ha77S-
sonburg Spirit Of the Valley (Rep.)
If this we're fact it would be most
remarkable one and very cheering one.
Let US see if the very opposite is not the
state of the case. A Democratic House
of Representatives appointed committee
to investigate this very subject, and work
ingmen and working women are going
before the sessions of that committee in
New York every day telling their story of
how their wages shave continued to in
crease Let us hear what they have to
say; David Harris, President of local
International Union of cigar makers, tes-
titles that ten years ago only ten per cent.
of the cigar makers in New York were
foreigners; now ninety per cent. ale for
eigners, who have driven out Americans,
and reduced acdges SiGty per cent. One big
manufacturer brought over Russians.
There is some of the eight millions that
came in and wages continued to in
crease.'' Another cigar maker Jestifies
that the Polish and Russian workers
that ran him out The was Bohemian and
had run an American out), save So
week on SIS wages. Samuel Gompers.
President of the American Federation OF
Labor, testified that the cheap immigra-
ton had been "a curse to the workingmen'
and that the wages of furniture makers
had decreased 20 to so per cent. in the
past six years, and wages in the coal min
ing regions had fallen 20 per cent, while
coal was as high as usual. He said the
coal mine owners advertised in the Hun
garian papers for labor, and the cigar
factory owners advertised in the Austrian
papers for the same. One of the wit
! nesses testified that two girls who had
testified the day before that they worked
for So week in a cigar factory, would be
discharged by their employers as soon as
the committee adjourned.
. Let US take another illustration from
the evidence before the same Democratic
Congressional Investigating Committee.
| The Mills bill takes flax off the tax list
and admits it free. OF course the mill
owners cried out that that was "blow to
American industry" Before the Com
mittee.a number of employees of Barbour
the great fax thread manufacturer in
Patterson, n. j., testified that they were
| imported from Ireland for Barbour, who
paid their way-about one hundred came
from one ueighborhood. Some of the
women examined didn't want 10 testify,
and cried. saying they would be discharg-
ed by their employer if they did. Some of
those who testified had their little chill
dren, also, employed in the mill. How
much 'sprotection was given to Amerl-
can labor by that keeping out the compe-
tition against the employer, but letting in
the competition with the poor working
men and women? This is the true work.
ing of the present High Tariff means
protection for the employer against Euro
pean goods, and the Importation of
European labor against the wageWorker.
This is some information for our Harri-
sonburg contemporary about how, under the
''protectiye policy" the ''wages of our
laborers have continued to increase" un-
der the advent of eight million workers.
And it is some information for the work.
ingmen about how they prosper hnder a
High Tariff and how much a High Tariff
protects them. And here is an example
of how High Tariff policy works in a
big. highly protected industry, with the
workingmen. We take it from a credi-
BILE witness, L. V. Powderly, General
Master Workman of the Knights of La
Dor, who, in an article in the North
American Review" says:
SIN Reading, Pa, there is an iron manu-
featuring company which employs seven hum
bred men. Four years ago. that firm employ
ed only citizens of the United Stat S. previous
to an election, these men were told by the
owner of the mill that he expected that they
would vote in accordance with his wishes;
some of them complied, and others disregard
ed his mandate. To-day, only three men,
outside of his clerks and foremen, are Ameri-
can citlzens-the remainder have been i'm
ported; and while more men are required to
do the work, they do not command the wages
that their predecessors did, they are more
docile, and though they may never be able to
understand the English tongue, if they become
citizens, they will know how to vote as the
owner of that mill wishes"
Commenting on the harmonious meet