Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-08-25

increase the wages of the laboring man.
II is conclusively shown by the fact that
laborers in unprotected industries are
rs well paid rs those in the So
called protected industries. Now, how
many laborers are in what are
called the protected industries; that is to
say, who are engaged in manufacturing 81
ticles which, when they are brought from
abroad, are charged with tariff tax, ard
how many laborers ara there in the coun-
try engaged in industries which are in no
wise protected by tariff tax, and cannot in
the nature of things be protected by any
such thing? Why, my friends, it hiss been
estimated some plsce-I think the highest
estimate have seen placed upon the
laboreIs in these protected industries-at
between 300, 900 and 800, 900 men, women
and children. But / will put il
at 100000, and say that there are
LOCO, 900 Of them, while there are
EIGHT TIMES AS MANY
other laborers whose industries and occu-
pstions are in nowise protected by the tariff,
and, therefore, ifprotectiOn is for the bene-
III Vi thC InCh thC WHkCo vi tul5
million men engaged in the protected In
dustries ought to be higher than the wages
of men employed in unprotected industries,
and yet such is not the fact. In round
numbers, the laborers in unprotected
industries receive "a high wages as
those in the protected industries.
I do not know what the
wages of farm hands are here in Michigan.
In my own State they are about 81 day
for farm hands, and you see that in the
State of Massachusetts, according to the
returns of their own Board, they are 81 o.
in these manufacturing industries, 80 that
there is practically no difference whatever
worth talking about between the wages
that one receives and the wages that the
other receiyes-they are both substantially
the same If you take comforts and cost
of living and all that into account, the
agricultural hand in the State of Ohio re-
ceives quite as good wages as the laborers
in the protected industries Of the country.
My friends, nothing is more Common
for these men appeal to everybody
than to hear the protectionist orator say
that the tariff is benefit to the farmer.
How it can benefit the farmer have never
been able TO fad out. Let US consider the
subject in the light of experience. We
had a low tariff from 1916 up to the break
ing out of the war. 1t was called the
Walk.r tariff, or the tariff of '46. / re-
member it very we'll, for l was in the
House of Representatives at the time and
voted for it. Now from 1861 take this
from the census and, therefore, / have to
take these years-from 1850 TO 1860, while
that tariff was in force, farm lands in the
United States, according to the census
report, increased in value 103 per
cent Then came the high tariff of 1861 or
1862, whichever it was. And from 1860 to
crease in the value of farming land in the
United States was only 40 per cent. Under
tine low tariff it had been 103 per cent. in
crease in value. Under this high tariff it
was only 40 per cent. But it may be said
that it included the period of the war and
don't make fair comparison. Igrant the
force of that to some extent, but the war
ended in 1865, and we can compare the next
ten years, from 1870 TO 1880, and by the
same census reports it appears that in these
ten years of profound peace, from 1870 to
1880, the value of the farming lands Of the
whole United States have increased but 8
per cent.
CHINESE CHEAP LABOR,
Judge Thurman here made an argument
against the Treasury surplus, Ginning that
it is a great injury to the country, and
quoting John Sherman to sustain his po-
sition. He continued:
MY friends, before / conclude / want to
ask your attention for moment to another
question, to what is called the Chinese
question, the question Of the importation
of Chinese into this country. Now, what
| think upon that subject cannot be better
expressed than by reading what said to
my own constituents in Cincinnati, in the
yesr 1870, five years before the Legislature
of California memorialized Congress on the
subject of Chinese immigration. The ex-
tract from Judge Thurman's speech, de-
livered Sept. 10, 1870, at Cincinnati, was
then read to the audience, as follows:
81 do not think that large Chinese i'm
migration to this country is desirable. j
do not think it would be valued acqui-
sition. On the contrary, think it would
be a seriously disturbing element. In race,
civilization, habits, education and religion
the Chinese are widely different from our
people, 80 different as to form a striking
contrast. The European immigrants are OF
the same race, religion and civilization ss
ourselves, and while they add immensely
to the wealth and power o. the republic,
they do not seriously disturb the substsn'
tisl homogeniety Of our white population.
Their migration, therefore, benefits the
country and deserves encouragement. Not
no with the Chinese, They will never be.
come one people with us. Were they to
dwell here for centuries they would prob
ably be az distinct from the white race as
are the Gpsies in Spain from the pure
blooded Spanisrd.
1--WE are destined to have q great com
mercs with Asia, and the natural result
will be the voluntary immigration from
that continent of limited number OF bust
ness men. / see no objection to that. 1t
will not interfere with our mechanics or
laborers, will not disturb our social or po-
litical system, while it will tend by an in
crease of our commercial connections TO
add to our commerce and wealth. But
that is wholly different thing from the
Coolie immigration that is now going on,
and which if not stopped must alarmingly
increase. This immigration is in no
proper sense OF the word voluntary. 1t il
a kind of Chinese slave trade. Instead Of
an independent, self-reliant body Of free.
men it.introduces herd of quasi slaves
working at half wages by command of
task master. Aud this leads me to state
ment that / have seen that this country
needs cheap labor. In other words, men
who will work for low wages; that there is
a scarcity of laborers here, and therefore
Chinese laborers should be imported to
supply the deficiency. l do not concur in
this view. Applsuse.
REDUNDANCY OF POPULATION.
"My opinion is thst We, or rather our
pos.erity, are much more likely to suffer
from redundancy of population than
from dearth Of it. In thirty years from
now we will have 100. 600. 900 Of people,
without counting Chinese immigrant; in
60 years 2OO, OOO, 900; in 100 years prob,
ably 400, 900, 900. We are in no danger Of
q scarcity of laborers in this country. MOI
do think that low wages is blessing