The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-30

is the most modest reduction Of tariff
duties that has almost ever been attempted
in this country. The average duties levied
under the present tariff are II per cent
Under the Mills bill the average duties
will be only about 40 per cent. A mere re-
duction Of per cent. on all the duties
taken together. or course there are some
things upon which the duties are reduced
more. For instance, duties taken of q
number Of articles called raw materials
which are used by the manufacturers in
their work in the fabrication Of their prod
uct. And as they receive this great
benefit of having their raw materials free
or at a comparatively small duty, the bill
wisely provides that articles manufact-
nred by them when brought into the coun-
try shall pay lower rate of duty than
they did before but that is nothing more
than compensation for taking off the duty
on raw materials. President Garfield
sal. in the House of Representatives
on March 10, 1871: Il was sur
prised at the remark of the distin-
guished gentleman from Michigan. Fl don't
know who that distinguished gentleman
was, but he was Michigander He as
serted that there is no item in the whole
tar II that stands alone on its own merits,
but that it must all be taken in lump in
order to stand.'' He was high protection
ist, this Michigan man, SO he said there was
no item in the whole tariff land there are
1000 and odd items in it on which a tax is
ievied) that could stand on its own merits,
and it was necessary to take them into a
lump entire so that they might stand. He
meant that coal must take salt by the hand
and they must take something else by the
hand and that all the interests should unite
60 hat %l,x, a Il
before the country. This Michigander
came from a log country, expect, and was
in favor Of log rolling and log rolling on
the largest kind OF scale. He believed
that the man who wanted protection on
one article should log roll with one who
wanted protection on another, and thus,
by all uniting together and making one
grand syndicate or pool, force the measure
through the Congress of the United States.
What said Mr. Garfield. IF this remark be
true il strikes blow at the whole tariff
system, a blow am unwilling to strike.
am unwilling TO admit that bad taxes must
be tied to good ones and thus be kept afioat.
l think it unwise to continue this duty
on coal-they were then talking
about coal-and am, therefore, in
favor of its repeal" There is another
thing 10 which wish to call your atten-
tion. They say all at once-I say all at
once, because it is very late doctrine
those advocates Of protection arc all at
| once seized with wonderful solicitude
for the laboring-men Of the country, and
they want 4 high-pro tective tariff not to
benefit capitalists, not to benefit the
monopolists, not to benefit the nlanufact-
| urer, according to their statements, but to
| benefit the laboring- man. He is the man
| they seek to protect. Well, how are they
gong to protect him. They say high
protective tariff will better his condition
and give him more wages. would like to
/ know how that can be: would like 10 know
| how taxing laboring- man on every thing,
| from the crown Of his head 10 the solcs Of
his feet, for that is exactly what this tariff
does. Is going to enrich him. This pro-
/ tective tariff taxes him on the hat he
wears, on the coat he wears, on his shirt,
on his necktie his underciothes. his vest,
| his breeches and his stockings and his
boots. Laughter 1t raises the price on
| every thing, and taxes the poor man until
he can hardly make enough money, even
If he can get few cents day more
wages, to support himself and his little
family, if he have one. And yet they say
that this is for the benefit Of the laboring-
men. Ny friends, that is very bald
| 1dc6u lIllilr, IL lHCFe ever WAS QUO Ill the
world. But there is another thing about
| it. How is he to get those high wages. He
is to get them because his employer, the
capitalist or the monopolist, will make
more money and therefore can afford to
pay his employees or hired men highe,
wages than they were paid before. Iagree
that he can agree that tho proiuc.:.t
| tariff will increase his profits. | agree
that he might, having this increased profit
pay his laboring men more than he did
before. But docs he do it. That is the
question. ICrics of No. No" Did you
ever know him to do it. Ecries of "No,
@Never."l The tariff has been raised again
and again. 1t was immensely raised BY
the act of 1861 or 1862 forget which ol
these years. 1t was raised in few years
again, and again and again, and yet in al
that time have never been able to find
the manufacturer or monopolist who upoI
the raise Of the tariff increased the wages
Of his labor.
Now, my friends, while am on this sub
ject Of the laboring man, let me speak o.
American labor as compared with tn,
laber of other countries. 1t is true that il
America the laboring man generally re
ceives more wages in money than they d.
in foreign lands, but by no manner O.
, / luOduS W Tue cAUCHJ lHdJ y Ou uldy SuppUSs
from hearing so much said about it. Fol
instance, let me give you the following
facts: According to the last census Grea
Britain had population of 4Ol to tn,
square mile, and the average wages pal,
, was 97s cents per day. New England ha!
. 2lO to the square mile, and the average
wages are SL02 per day; about cent
more than in England. Ohio has eight,
| to the square mile, and the average wage
| are 81 .O6 day. Colorado has two to tn
I square mile, and wages in that State aver
J age 81. .45 day. The entire United States
not including the Territories and the Dis
trict of Columbia, has twenty four to tn
, square mile, and the average wages ar
81. 12 per day What fact does this cstab
/ lish. Does it not prove that the NOR
dense the population the greater the com
retition among wage-earners and the lowe
the wages, and the reverse proposition
the less competition among wage-earner
the higher the wages. No man can den
that who has any regard for truth
| That is it. Now, my friends, 20
, hear q great deal said about tn
| pauper labor Of England, especially be
: cause our chief imports arc from Grca
. Britain, that is England, Ireland and SEQ,
| land, and yet you see In that most prosper
i
, manufacturing State of the country, tn
Q averages are only about four cents NOR
( than they are in England. But if you tax
! tho purchasing power into account, as yo
9 must do, the wages are just as high i
a England as they are in Massachusetts,.
I gentleman on the platform: "Higter'l
don't know but what they are They ar
@ as high, certainly because in order to as
| certain how much il man is obtaining b
his labor, how much his earnings tend I
support him and his family, you must tax
{ what it costs him to live into account, an
, If it costs him more TO live in one plac
than it does in another, although he get
a more wages in the first place than he doe
I in the second, he will not lay up one sing
r cent more money. | am ready to adm
I that asa general rule American labor
Y paid higher wages in money than the labC
4 Of any other country But what are tn
Il reasons for it. In the first place, labor
Q more effective in this country. The Amel
lean laborcr produces more than the fol
, eign laborer in the same time All tn
I authorities admit that. All of them argu
a that his superior industry, his superio
r skill his Supcrior diligence enable him [