Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-10-28
TALKS ON THE TARIFF.
The Governor Makes a Mig hty Good
Point for Working men.

fOIht IOI OI hlchs
The Governor of this State made a
splendid illustration of the fact that pro-
lection does not protect in his speech to
great audience of workingmen in
Cooper Union Monday night. He used
arguments that are familiar to the readers
of the Neavs, but he used some telling
statistics to emphasize his points. The
argument in a nutshell is that the op-
pressive system OF taxation that is main
tanned solely for the supposed benefit of
the workingman only, does not protect
or benefit him in the least; that wages
are raised or maintained simply in the
proportion of the effectiveness Of labor
organization. In trades where organiza-
tion is strong, wages will be maintained
Ut decent level, because organization
carries power that individuals do not,
to enforce its reasonable demands.
Never was this truth better shown
than in the recent strike of the feather
workers in a highly protected" shop in
this city against an unjust and unneces-
sary reduction of wages. Without organ
ization or funds to sustain them in re-
sistance against gn employer with capi-
tai, the strikers were soon dismayed, and
would have been forcrd to unconditional
surrender but for the ready assistance of
skilled organizers who brought resources
and generalship to their assistance. The
result was to turn defeat into victory and
to make palmer than ever, if the demon
stration was needed, that protection was
not the thing that maintain wages.
Governor Hill quotes some interesting
statistics not used before in this cam
paign. OF the 6S1 strikes occurring in
the year 1886 in the protected manufact-
uring establishments of the State, for an
increase of wages, 461 were successful, ,
as against 22O unsuccessful. That is to
say: In 461 industries the workingmen
got the protection that the tariff is sup
posed to give them only by striking for it.
OF 558 labor organizations replying to
the inquiry, 'Do you attribute the in
crease of wages in your trade to organ
ization ?" five hundred, or nearly 80 per
cent, representing a membership OF
over 114,0O0, declared that organization
was the thing that maintained or in
creased wages. And the Governors
comment is:
If you believe that organization OBJ.
tanned this success, and it seems impos-
sible to come to any other conclusion,
will you allow yourselves longer to be
hoodwinked and deceived by the cry oi
your heavily protected employers, who
have rarely, if ever, voluntarily increased
your wages, and only raised them when
compelled to by reason of an enforced
demand on your part? 1 give you these
facts relating to strikes without com.
mending or disappearing the action
taken, but simply as the bear upon the
question of alleged Protection"
For workingmen who think, and es
ueciallv for workingmen who know what
it is to have worked for small wages and
to have bettered their condition only
when they had power behind them tc
enforce their demands, this argument
NAV be necessary. But the Republican
party brings to its service in this cam
paign all the influence of the allied
forces of special privileges and monopoly
Its great moneyed resources are being
spent with unstinted hand to delude the
voter with the false cry OF protection
that he may be led to vote ignorantly
against his own best interests. Will th'
effort be successful? A few weeks henc'
we will know.-[N. Y. News.
The Different Effect of the Protec
tive Tariff ON manufacturer ans
the LabOrer.
One of the prominent examples of tn
"beneficent operation of a protectiv
tariff" says q Providence, 4. L.. dis
patch to the New York Times, which wa