Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-07-28
cONIMUNIOATT0NN.

| A PLATA Arguing of the Tar1G 0ues-
tien-EmpIOyers and Employees.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
ON THE Cars, July %.
A few weeks agof sent you a short COM
munication to brief article IN one of our
| morning papers which was written in hur-
ry upon the cars. You had the kindness to
send me several copies of that issue, and I
| in turn sent them to my friends in business
my surprise, the matter attracted more at.
tention than it deserved, and I have been
asked so many questions and about
1t, and also about kindred matters, that
am minded to send you this, which will,
trust, in very plain manner set forth few
facts that will not wholly fail to interest.
Scarcely day passes but what am asked,
Chow do you stand upon the tariff question:
and it has come to me so often that have
one illustration that use upon all occasions,
as it seems to 'fhit the nail" more exactly
than any other reply. I say, you are in the
dry goods business; you have been in it many
years, for have sold you goods for over
twenty years myself We are well acquaint-
ed and can talk plainly both as friends and
business men. When I frat sold you goods
you had tho leading business In your town
and the largest trade Of your kind in your
town. During the past twenty years compe-
tition has arisen, and while you to day may
kC6V
carry very much larger stock and sell goods
at a smaller margin and have a greater per-
centage of expenses than at that time. To
this every old merchant will agree, for it Ia
the truth. Now why is thisg It is that others
have come in, have divided the trade and for
your own protection in order to stay in busi-
ness you have been forced to do as you are
now doing. That confession from them
gives me the argument. To-day we in this
couRtry make about 80 per cent. of all the
goods we sell In an ordinary dry goods store.
They pay fair margin, and business on the
whole is going on successfully, that is at the
present rate Of protection. Now we lower
the taff6, and what is the resulti 1t is as
just stated in the case of an old leading mer~
chant in his own town. We invite foreign
competition which, with their cheaper labor,
come directly into competition with our
domestic manufactures and better paid
labor, and the result is plainly seen. They
divide the business between Us and them
selves, and then whoever can get goods in
to the market the cheapest gets the trade.
But, says my Democratic friend, "It will
not cost as much to live when goods are
cheaper" Let me state to you that the best
information can get by studying the cost
of living, both in this and the largest foreign
countries, is that the present cost of living
in Europe is more than in America. Meat
costs more, bread costs more And to prove
this by single statement, ask if this is NOT
the fact why do we export those very articles
by the millions of dollars worth every year
Why then do they work cheaper If it costs
them more to hvea will tell you, both from
what read and have seen: A foreign work
| ing man in his native country Is easily dis
tinguished by his personal looks, his dress
and by his home, from q foreigner of means.
Yet in this countryI see every day of my
| life, or my travels, men who work by the
| day who by their looks, dress and from the
home they live in cannot by any outward
signs whatever be told from persons of
wealth.
As rule. workingmen vote the Demo-
cratic ticket. Why's It is a question have
worked over with a constant thought
for years, and l cannot find
even an excuse for correct answer. Often
hear men say, who are working men: You
| look at Mr.. Brown, he is manufacturer of
| certain goods; those are protected by high
tariff. Look, he has built up great for
| tune by reducing his employees to the lowest
possible cent, aud he has grown rich because
| he has his business protected by high tar
if. Now it should be SO that he should di-
vide his great profits with us, for 1t is by Us
| that much of his great wealth has been
made.
To this I answer: Did the tariff protect
Mr. Brown any more than it would have pro-
| the humblest of Mr.. Browns employees, had
I this same humble employe of Mr.. Brown en-
gagged in the same business that Mr. Brown
| is ini
If you will take but moment to- consider
| you will find that Mr.. Brown was once but
humble employe of some large concern, and il
/ is not either high or low tariff that has made
1 him an employer instead OF an employe, but
| thisl To come back to the starting point az
| to how low tariff will benefit the working
| man of to~day-it is q problem which l as
l yet have not seen an answer that could un~
| derstand. Yet the issue of to-day is ''Hsrri-
SON and high Cor presently tariff, or Cleveland
/ and lower tariff. Ii. Q. SwEzEY.