Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-09-06


| 800 strong, fully occupied 40 rs high q
rate OF wages as prevails in the United
States In similar establishments. aud.
whether Us high as 70 ought to be or NOT
Ii is twice 20 three times as high as Is
paid abroad Now, suppose similar
should be started upon the
East OF West side, and for some reason.
that establishment could obtain its
workmeu al materially less wages than
we pay on The South side Since labor
represents far the largest per cent OF the
cost OF our products. you can readily see
thar il would only be matter OF short
time when our establishment would be
60 DO one of three things;
either close ITS doors, move over to the
other side or reUuCc It's wages 10 the rate
paid on the other side This result
would be inevitable, and there can be no
escape from 10. II our river was broad
oucd 90 % lake. and the lake extended 10
an ocean, it would make mo- difference In
the Inevitable necessity of change In To-
cation, lower wages or failure, aud, as
change of location would be impossible
and closing or failure would be no
remedy tac Inevitable outcome would be
lower WAGES II is true that 'he matter
of transportation between two distant
points eE,or into calculation, bat COM
muuication by water and stea!a is SO
close that the cost of transportation is
of minor importance. The great fact re-
mains, tA3l thc nations OF the world are
our competitors. and we must adopt
their scale OF wages or so out pl business
in our own country, If VIC permit their
wages to come Gree among u.s. They
may claim we are exclusive iu this. bus
philanthruphy begins at home and
America IS large enough and good
enough for us and we AFRO legislaung
for America aud Americans ANA not for
Europe aul Europrans. Ono great
claim that is urged for tie removal of
duties on imports, In the interest OF
workmcn, is, that under protective
policy he has to pay higher price for
what he consumes; but admitting this TO
be true. we must also consider the other
truth. that IL he pays more. he has far
more 20 pay 10 with Tho true measure
Of the cost of living to the workiugman
is not IN dollars and cents, but in days
and hours Of labor. aud there Is no
country ON earth where the labor Of the
worSiugman viii buy more than one
third TO 0nchalf Of the necessarics, com
forts. aud luxnrics Of life, than it does
ia our own favored land, under the
present system OK protection.
THE TREASURY SURPLUS.
Another claim is, that more Is paid into
the treasury than we need, but is il sol
Have we more income than we can pro-
ttably use2 Which of you having q
debt Of $ 000 upon his homestead, and
a saving Of 500 over and above his liv-
ing expenses. would consider that
amount, laid away TO pay on the debt a
had condition of thngsY and yet this is
. precisely parallel case Our govern
meut has a debt On round uumhers) of a
thousand millions, drawing interest and
secured by a mortgage on the homes and
property of us all aud has an aecumula-
ton of hundred millions toward paying
IL. 10 which has been given tho alarming
title. of "a dangerous surplus" II is a
dangerous surplus 80 one, and only
one. interest among ms and that IL. ia
the holders of our National debt, but
they cannot justly complain 10 us being
paid. To the people at large, The sur
plus aud the means of continuing ii. ls "a
blessing unparalleled. and while we have
% dollar Of unpaid debt there is no such
thing IL, % surplus possible, and there
Is no safety Ia reducing the means Of
rapidly exunguishluE the debt Neither
would the ucome we receive necessarily
be q burden if there was no debt TO be
paid. for there are thousands Of uses
beneficial TO al the people, 20 which all
the money could be put But II our
debt were paid aud we We're In posi-
ton To reduce this income there is a
method 10 do lt ten thousand times bet
ter than to open our ports 10 the products
of the starvation labor of Europe.
htPoRTATIoNs
Last year there was brought into this
country, iu spite of tho present tariff,
S1g0. 900 600 of foreign manufactures,
representing The labor Of women at 500
per year and Of men ut perhaps not over
double that sum. All Of this starvation
labor was brought into direct compete.
ton with our mechanics, artisans and
laborers and had lust that depressing
effect upon their wages and occupation.
With that 500 600. 00J kept out there
would have been at least that much
more pad out in America for good
American material and labor and as
much more os the greater consumption
Of the people due 90 their great prosper
itv. would cnrender If we are getting
too much revenue. or il what we get Is
costing too much IN Us getting, lcl as
legislatc TO keep out entirely that $500,
600 600 OF pauper made imports, from
which The revenue Is derived
ram onir a1I that 1 think our pres.