New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-15
W4GES AND The TAEIFE.

The tariff question is one Of wages Repub-
Leans maintain. " II has nothing to do with
wages" the Democrats reply. If the Ameri-
can wage arners. who are more than half the
American voters, come 10 understand that the
Republican party is right in this matter, the
defeat of the Democratic party and policy will
be overwhelming. But if workingmen con-
tnue to divide according to former party lines,
the Democrats among them trusting the as
sertion that " the tariff has nothing to do with
wages,n they are likely to buy information in
the dearest market, that Of painful experience.
To anxious inquiries from Democratic voters
Mr. Mills has asserted, and 1.-The Newly DIRK
WorldD now asserts: "Tbere is not single
schedule in the Mills bill wherein the duty
retained on manufactured articles does not
more than cover the difference in wages be-
tween this country and England" Then " The
World" goes on to say OF woollen duties
"The difference in the wages OF American and
English woavers is 80 per cent In favor OF the
former. The duty in the Mills bill is 40 per
cent? Thus there is presented distinct issue
of fact between parties But the very effort
to adduce evidence on this question shows the
untruth Of the Democratic claim that the tariff
has nothing to do with wages 1t will be found
that tho facts which disprove the statement
regarding the Mills bill also dispose completely
of the audacious pretence that wages are IN
no way affected by the tariff.
The assertions of "The New-York World"
and Mr.. Mills are entirely disprOved by official
records. The difference between the wages OF
weavers in this country and Great Britain is
not 30 per cent, but more than twice as great.
When Mr.. Lamar was Secretary of the In
terror there was published under his authority
the twentieth volume Of the census. as appears
from the letter of transmttal to him dated
April go 1886. The superintendent OF the
census, himself an ardent Free Trader. says
this volume constitutes, 1T is believed, the
largest magazine Of statistics relating to the
wages Of labor to be found in any similar pro-
| duction The collectirn Of data re-
! lating to wages in the United States is be-
heved to have been as thoroughly tested and as
carefully purged as it is reasonable to expect IN
the case of any statistical work whatever"
The British wages given in the same volume
are also official, and for the same year, 1880
The average of all wages OF weaVers IN
Great Britain for men, women, lads and boys
thus officially ascertained is 81 81 per week
The average Of all wages Of weavers in tho
United States, including Chinese labor in Cali
fornia and colored labor at the South, is - Il
per week, so that the difference is not 80 per
cent, but 65 per cent. Instead Of covering
the difference in wages as to weavers' the
40 per cent duty Of the Mills bill fails to cover
that difference by rs per cent. But it must
be remembered that the four establishments
in which Chinese or colored labor are employed
do not fairly represent the wages of labor IN
the Northern States. Neither are weayers the
only hands employed in this industry. Omit
ting the works above mentioned the wages of
leading classes Of workers in this industry in
all parts Of this country compare with the
British wages as follows: