The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-09-01

| which tne people can pc Dle0 ana n1Rn tax,
alton kept up Is advocated by these men
and Congress owing in great de.
gree to this fact Of surplus in the Treas.
ury. Before conclude, my friends, want
to ask your attention for moment to an.
other thing-what Is called tho Chinese
question, the question OF the Importation
Of Chinese into this country. What wish
| to say upon this subject can not better be
expressed than what said to my own con-
stituents in Cincinnati in 1870, five years
before the Legislature Of California memo
rialized the Congress on the subject Of
Chinese emigration. will ask my friend
Mr.. Cultivate, to read 1t, as find that my
voice is breaking down. Mr.. Outhwaite
read the extract as followsl: ~ do
not think that large Chinese immigra-
tion to this country is desirable. I
do not think it would be desirable acqui-
sition. On the contrary, think " would
be u serious, disturbing element. In race,
| civilization, habits, education and religion
the Chinese arc widely different from our
people, SO different as to torn very strik-
ing contrast. Tho European immigrants
are of the same race, religion and civiliza-
tion as ourselves, and while they add i'm
mensely to the power and wealth of the
Republic they do not seriously disturb the
substantial homogeneity of our white popu
l
| fits the country and deserves encouraging.
Not so with Chinese. They will never be-
come ono people with u.s. Were they to dwell
here for centuries they would probably be
| as distinct from the white race as are
| gypsies in Spain from the pure blooded
| Spaniard. We are destined to have great
| commerce with Asia, and the natural re-
suit will be the voluntary immigration
| from that continent of limited number of
business men. see no objection to that.
1t will not interfere with our workmen or
laborers. 1t will not disturb our social
or political system, while it will
| tend to increase commercial con-
nections and add to our commerce
and wealth. But that is wholly different
thing from the coolie immigration now go
ing on, which If not stopped must alarm
| ingly increase. This immigration Is in no
sense of the word voluntary. 1t Is kind
of Chinese slave trade. Instead of an in
dependent, self-reliant body of free men, it
introduces a horde of quasi slaves working
at half wages at the command of task
masters. And this leads me to notice q
statement 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 Ia
borers should be imported to supply the
|
My opinion is that we, or rather our pos.
terity, are much more likely to suffer from
a redundancy of population than from a
dearth Of it. In thirty years from now we
will have a population of one hundred
millions of people In sixty years we may
have two hundred millions; in one hun
dred years probably four hundred mill
ions. We are in no danger of scarcity Of
labor, nor do / believe low wages are a
benefit to any country. In the opinion of
an eminent authority, Buckle, low wages
and despotism are inseparable. 1t will be
found that the freer the institutions of
| country are the greater will be the tend
ency to higher wages for olabor. Low
| wages are mainly owing to unequal and
unfair distribution of the annual produc
| tion of wealth. This annual production,
| which is nearly all the result of labor, is
being constantly divided into four parts,
| rents to the landlord, interest to the mon
| ey lender, profits to the business man and
| wages to the laborer. Now, if the wages
be low it must be because the annual prod
uct is small and all classes suffer because
| that profit is unfairly distributed. In
general the latter is the case, and when
| wages are low the laborer gets but poor
| subsistence, while the other class, or some
Of them accumulate enormous wealth, and
| rich and the very poor. That this is an
| unfortunate condition for country is too
| obvious for me to remark, and that its
| tendency is hostile to free institutions is
| true. Ihave, therefore, no sympathy with
| the cry for cheap labor and low wages.
They may give rise, it is true. to great pub
! lie works and magnificent structures, but
the benetitis is gained at the expense Of the
suffering people. The pyramids are strfk
ing monuments Of the pride and ostenta-
tion of kings, but they are more striking
evidences of a degraded condition Of the
laboring classes. That country is likely to
be most free and happy where. the full pro-
duction of wealth being justly distributed,
labor obtains fair reward.
ALL SHOULD THRIVE AND PROSPER
These, my friends were my opinions
eighteen years ago, and every day has
served to verify their correctness. They
are my opinions to-day, and, l have no
doubt, they will be 80 long as l have life
in me. Loud applause If know my
self, there is no man on top of this earth
who has more sympathy with laboring
men, or men in humble condition, than I
have, and whatever can do to better their
condition would do-[cheersl and it is
because / don't believe for one moment
that this high protective tariff, which is
upon by our political opponents, is for the
benefit of laboring men. That is one Of
the reasons why l am opposed to such
onerous duties. have shown you that,
under this high-protective tariff, the agri-
cultural interests of the country have
fallen off enormously. The value of
farms has fallen off from an increase OF
one hundred per cent. to an increase OF
only nine per cent II you look at the
commerce of the country, you will find
something even more striking than that
The time was and not a great while ago,
when there were two countries that sub
stantially did the carrying trade Of the
world, Great Britain and the United
States, and we were gaining so fast on
Great Britain, that we had eighty-three
per cent of the carrying trade of the
world whereas now, If my memory Is not
at fault, we only have about fourteen per
cent. Now, why is thatl Why, gentlemen,
l had occasion, few years ago, to
visit Europe, and / felt Inundated,
confess, when, in crossing and recross.
ing the Atlantic and while in different
ports in Europe, never but once saw the
American flag on the mast of ship, and
that was a ship engaged in carrying pas
sengers, and she had British flag ON one
end Of her and the American flag on the
other. [I.aughter.l Now. the friends Of
high protective tariff say it tends to diver
sify Labor, and that diversified labor il
good for the country. Well, you may ad-
NIT the general proposition. When was
u boy we used to have toast at Fourth Of
July dinners-agriculture, manufactures
and commerce Those are diversified in
d,Striea 1hev ail ought IN Droa nor in n |