Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-05-04
CARLISLE'S ARGUMENT.
The Speaker Of the House E1-
plains and Defends the Bill
To Reduce Taxation.
He Declares It To b Q Bill To
Emancipate Labor From Un.
equal Taxation
PROPERTY AND Low TAKES.

portance Of the questions involved and
following the example of Henry Clay. left
the chair to enter the debate on the
Mills Bill After an earnest introduction
he said:
Whenever an attempt IS made to eman-
clpate labor from the servitude which an
unequal system of taxation imposes upon
1t; whenever 1T is proposed to secure. as
FAR as possible. to each individual citizen
the full fruits of his own earnings, subject
only to the actual necessities of the
Government, and whenever a measure is
presented for the removal of unnecessary
restrictions from domestic industries and
INTERNATIONAL commerce, SO as to permit
freer production and freer exchanges, the
alarm Is sounded and all the cohorts Of
monopoly are assembled to hear the
heralds proclaim the immediate and il
retrleVable ruin Of the country. ZAP
plause.)
We have been told over and over again
during this debate that the passage Of
the pending bill will destroy many val
liable industries now tourishing in var
lous parts OF the country; that it will
deprive thousands of laborers of employ
ment and greatly reduce the wages Of
those who continue to work, and the
gentleman from Maine, who has Just
spoken, has substantially repeated the
has listened SO often during the last
three weeks. Sir, if l believed that the
passage of this measure would injure a
single honest industry, or reduce the
wages OF those who are employed in it.
would notwithstanding the great emer-
gency which confronts us, hesitate long
before giving it my support Applause
On me Democratlc side.l But in my
OPINION the reductions now proposed on
duuable imports and the proposed addi-
tons TO the free list will be beneficial
TO the manufacturers themselves as well
as TO their lobarers and the consumers of
thelr products; and as the Representa-
ives from New England on the other side
OF the House appear to be especially
Pm hiarmeu concerning the effects of the
PHI upon the great manufacturing in
oustrles In their part of the country. it
may not be inappropriate to call their
attention TO few historical facts con
heeted with our tariff legislation In the
past. and the effect of low rates OF
GUY G upon the prosperity of the people.
ne highest rates OF duty imposed by
wooden goods, cotton fabrics, manufac-
turers OF leather and of hardware. WAS
20 per cent. ad valorem, and upon most
KINDS OF cotton goods 1t was only o5
per cent. These were the industries tn
which New England was most largely
engaged, and her Representatives here.
except tho,e from the State Of Maine, who
tested against the passage Of that act
as they now protest against the passage
OF the pending bill. upon the rronnd
Inat IL would paralyze and ruin these
great interests. The Representa-
T ives rom Massachusetts. Rhode Island,
Connecticut New Hampshire and Yer.
with t ypsec unanimously egatnst the bin
Vermont, who did not vote at all. BnN
law; and now, Mr.. Chairman Iet 10
see what its effect was upon the most
important industries Of these great man.
unacturlng States. and what the subsa-
gaeht action OF their Representatives
was. after an experience of eleven year
under these moderate rates Of dptv
cRowTn OF INDUSTRY UNDER Low pr.
We have no authentic statistics chow
Industries between Is4s and IsnS as
separate and distinct period of tims
put IT may be fairly assumed that thu
IaH force and effect Of the new rates
OF duty were realized at least as carlv
Is the census year 1Sk9, and wa bavs
,he census returns Of $50 and 1860. the
latter based upon the productions OF the
year 500, to which beg leave to in
we El.e the attention of gentlemen from New
heve that low tariffs destroy manufso-
lures and pauperize labor. During the
period mentioned the value of all onr
WOODEN manufactures increased mora
than az per cent, the number Of hands
EMPLOYED increased 1s Ia per cent but
the total amount Of wages paid increased
nearly 81 per cent. tapplause), showing
That the percentage of increase in the
amount of wages paid was twice "a
great as the percentage Of increase in
the number of hands employed. tAp
plause.) Taking all the New England
States together, the increase In the value
OF the product in this industry was 81
per cent. The increase in Massachusetts,
was "a per cent IN Rhode Island l76
per cent !; in Vermont 81 LIZ per cent,
and In Maine es l-2 per cent. In the
manufacture OF hosiery the progress dur
Ing the last ten years under cons1derat
ton was almost marvellous. In the
Eastern States the increase in the value
of the product was 4S1 per cent. It
was 523 per cent. in Connecticutt, 877
per cent. in New Hampshire, and 973
per cent. in Massachusetts.
What was the effect upon the manu-
facture of cotton fabrics in New England
and in the whole countryp Why, sir,
the value of the production in the
United States increased a per cent,
the number Of hands employed increased
% 1-2 per cent, and the total amount
of wages increased 80 per cent ZAP
plause.) In New England the increase
in the value Of the product was over 81
per cent. in the number Of hands en-
ployed 20 per cent, and In the amount
OF wages paid Sc per cent. MaSsachu-
sets increased her product ~ per cent,
New Hampshire 55 per cent, Rhode
Island over 81 per cent, Connecticut
l16 per cent, Maine 1877 per cent, and
Vermont ~ LIZ per cent;
In the six New England States the
increase in the value of the product
In the manufacture Of boots and shoes
was 50 per cent In Massachusetts, the
cut 10 per cent. in Maine 10 per cent,
and in Rhode Island 337 per cent The
production in New England alone in
1860 was greater than the aggregate
production of all the States Of the Union
In 1850. In the manufacture of hard
ware New England increased the value
of her product 100 per cent. and In
this industry. also her product was
greater than the product OF all the States
In 1850.
Instead of paralyzing the industries
and pauperizing the labor in New En-
gland, or any other ps1tAAof the country,
for that matter, the tariff act of lS4 6
infused new life and vigor into our
languishing manufactures, and secured
more constant employment and higher
wages to our laboring people: and the
consequence was that even the strong
prejudiccs Of New England were NJ
moved by actual experience, and In
1857 every representative from that
mart of the country who voted at all
Voted for q bill making an almost uni
form reduction of 20 per cent. from the
rates imposed by the act Of ls4S, and
placing many additional articles on the
free list
DOES HIGH TARIFF MAKE HIGH wAaEsi
Mr.. Chairman. it has been stubbornlv
commended all through this debate that
high rates OF duty upon imported goods
are beneficial to the great BODY Of con-
sumers. because such duties. instead OF
increasing the price of our domestic