The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-09-01
HOW TO DO 1T,

r. and other protectionists TO export
largely and import nothing but gold, and
get rich In that way, falls hopeless to the
ground for, of course no one wants to re.
duce wages In order to compete in the
markets of the world. The U. s. must
therefore build wall of prohibitive tariff
taxes around about herself and her people
grow rich by preying upon themselves.
But 1t Is not true that the only way to
compete Is to reduce wages. American
wages are already reduced: they are the
cheapest IN the world. The only true basis
on which to determine the highness or lows
ness of wages Is to find the labor cost in
each particular article of manufacture
When this is determined, II will be found
that American labor Is paid less per piece
than any other labor In the world, and that
1t is the cheapest labor in the world, al
though stated in figures per day the average
wage is probably the highest In the world
Fourth of July orators delight to dwell
on the magniticence "Uncle Sans" real
estate possessions-t grandeur and mag.
nitude of his mountains and streams
the beauty, sweetness and nobility of Amer.
lean woman; the intelligence, industry
pluck, skill, endurance, energy and ambi-,
ton of American workmen. In the fourth
of July Grafton the Americans are the
finest race that ever lived, and their coun.
try the greatest the sun shines upon. But
when that same orator. may be, gets on the
stump and begins to talk of protection, al!
this bright picture vanlshes. Uncle Sam S
magnificent territory and boundless re-
sources sink to barely an equality with the
worn out lands and deep mines OF Eng.
land, Holland and the continent; that
grand race of men, the American work
men, is reduced in pluck, skill, energy and
ambition to the level of the ilLfed, i'll
housed, over'taxed paupers of England and
the continent, who tolls along from day to
day ambitionless, hopeless; nay more, he
is degraded below them, for he is made to
tremble at the very thought that in that
very thing where pluck, skill, ambition
and energy are developed to their highest
degree, commerce. he can be beaten by
these miserable paupers whose whole en-.
durance Is taxed to keep soul and body
together from day TO day and who live
without hope of ever lettering their con-
dtion.
Further the Fourth of July orator grows
eloquent In declaiming of Americas mag
niicent machinery, her amazing inventive
genius and her capacity for overcoming
obstacles. What nation on earth" he
cries, "csn compare with her?' But when
he becone s protection stumper all is too
changed These magnificent creations of
inventive skill become as nothing cOmpar.
ed with those across the water, operated by
the hopelessly pauperized labor of the old
world. so while the patriotic orator ex-
tolls Americas greatness and strength, the
protection shrieker pities her poverty ano
helplessness.
What strong working man who read this
has fear of any man save one stronger
smarter and better equipped than himself :
No man but craven fears weaker man
than himself. Is America, then as ma
ton of workers, sfraid TO enter into compe.
tition with other nations who confessedly
are not so we'll equipped as ourselves?
But II is not high wages that proven,
Americans from exporting and from com.
peting in the markets of the world. An
examination of the exports of manufac.
lures proves this absolutely. 1t shows that
only those manufactures which contain the
greatest amount Of tabor are exported
while those which contain the least labor
are not exported.
Protectlonists recently cited the fact as
one indicating the growing strength of
American manufactures that the Disston
saws were being exported to Europe, Asia,
Australia, sc. 1t is true that saws of that
make are taking the markets from the
English makers of high class goods. But
the protectionists forget that In this class of
goods there is more labor exported than
material. Though Disston's wages are
higher than the Englishman's per day, yet
they pay less per sd,, than the Englishmen
and since the raw material In the saws they
export Is less important item of cost than
the labor, they can compete with the Eng
lishman; but In loo grade of saws, where
the raw material is greater item in pros
portion than the labor, they cannot CONS
pete. The Disstons compete with the
"cheap" labor of the Englishmsn because
their labor is cheaper than his), but they
cannot compete with the Englishman when
the raw material is large in proportion to
le Dor.
Mr.. II. B. Sargent, of New. Haven, Conn,