Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-08-09

I1.E1 l1U|IIIQN n ne uILIIuI q c1UU11Ir
uss. ncI in o. r.IIing q labor In no oass.
F,s sin 4 a. 1..'''g .sd sT'sRa'n.' ... s.s,,
en ssmuodil,.1 1..sE' IHc.s uks have lsboIs
nol commodities. v ..II N>r il there IN our
arlI any proplLl. has 1'ml st cnmpslling such
smpIoyerl q 4 blr|1u % 1hnrs dheir benefits
with their work uc1. While u gives these en-
ploye1 projection u Ne goods market 70 leaves
them free trade N ~ labor market, and for any
protection they 9ssd vo.kmsn have % Organise.
am net saying thai any tariff could raise
wages. am merely poinnng cut that in cur
protective tarid there = no attempt however
inefficient, 20 a. I1ia-ibat the whole aim and
spirit Of protection y not the protection Of
the seiler1 Of labor boa the protection Of the
buyers Of labor, nos ne maintaining Of wages
but the naiutsihInf Of proftA. The very
loan labor by rzl1inz the price Of what they
themselves have % seli, notori0usly buy labor
as cheap e. they can and hereely oppose any
combination Of workmcu 10 raise wages. The
cry Of 'proteotian Tor American 1abdf" comes
most voeiferousiy tremnewspapers that ieunder
the ban OF the printen' unions; from coal aud
iron lords who. Impeding ''PaaPsr labor" By
their men to clam anythiug like decent wages,
and from factory owners who claim the right 70
dictate votes Of men. The whole spirit OF pro-
lection is againsr he rights Of labor.
Employers never give the increase Of their
profits Is . reason fpr RAISING the wages Of their
workinemen, tiongh, they frequently assign de-
creased protits sa9a reason for reducing wages.
But this is an exehse. mot reason. The true
reason ls that the dull times which diminish
their profits Increase the competition d work
men for employ ment Such excuses are given
only when employers feel that Il they reduce
wages their employees Willbe compelled 10 sub
init to the reduction since others win be glad TO
step into their places. And when trades unions
succeed in checking this composition they ere
enabled to raise wages.
We thus see from fheory that protection can
not raise wages. That il does not. facts show
couclusiveiy. This has been seen IN SPAN, in
France, in Mexico, In England duringprotection
tunes, and everywheru that protection has been
tried. In countries where the working classes
have little or no infuenee upon government it
Is never even prstended that protection raises
wages. 1t is only ia countries like the United
States, where it is necessary to conjols the work
ing class. that such q preposterous plea IL made.
And here the failure Of protection 10 raise
wages is shown By the most evident facts.
Wages in the Hnitei States are higher than in
any other countries. not because Of protection,
but because we have had so much vacant land
TO overrnn. Before We had any tariff wages were
higher here thanin Europe, and far higher,
relatively to the productiEeness Of labor, than
they are now afterour yearsof protection. In
spite Of ail our protecton-and, for the last
tpenty1ohr yeafaet least, protectionists nave
had y all their own wayZ-the condition OF the
iaooring Glasses OF me United states mas been
slowly but steadily sinklng to that OF the pan.
per labor OF Europe. II does not follow that
thla - because OF gproteotion, but u - certain
that protecti0n has proved poweriess 70 prevent
IT,
10 discover whether protection has Or has not
eenentad the working clnsaes Or me United
States II Is not necessary to array tables OF hg-
ures which only an expert can verify and exam
Inc. The determining Facts are notorious. IL is
matter OF common knowledge tnat thoss q
whom We have gwen power to tax the Amer
lcan people tor the protection OF American IN
dustry pay Their employees a. little astheJ
can and make nc. scrupie OF Importing the very
foreign labor against whose products the tsrim u
malntained ~ is notorious that wages IN the pro-
lscied industries are, II anything, lower tnan
N 'ne unprotected industries, and tnat, though
we protected lndustrles 40 nos employ more
than twentiethof the working popuiution Of
tne United states, there occur In Them more
strikes, more iock outs more attempts 70 reduce
wages. tnan IN alho!her lnaustsies. In tne n'gl
" protected industries OF MASSACHUSETTS, ofncial
repcrts-dcciare that the operative cannot get Z
Hying without the work Of wife and children.
~ the hlghiy protected Industries OF New Jer'
.ey many OF the aprotecteds iaborers are chill
dren whose parents are. driven by their necessi'
tles 70 ma empicyment Tor them by misrepre.
~ lNC n =