Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-10-26
THE QUESTION OF LABOR.

The fact that wages are not dependent on the tariff has been thoroughly estab- lished in this campaign, and the scare on which the republicans have builded so hopefully has pretty well petered out. Evidence that wages are not fixed by GUS toms duties is supplied by the very high est republican authority, and is such that republicans themselves cannot call it in question. If a certain government docu- ment known as "Commercial Reports, October, 1SS1-No 12," is found an in troductory letter written by MT Blaine. The document is made up of consular re- ports on the cotton trade of the world, and the accuracy of the statements made therein is vouched for by these words of MT Blaine 'Nothing but substantial or presumably substantial facts have been presented in this letter, speculation being entirely rejected as unworthy place in a commercial report"
 According to the report, the wages of spinners and weavers in Lancashire and Massachusetts were as follows per week: Spinners-English, $7.20 to $8.40 (master spinners running as high as S12); American, $7.0S to $10.30. Weavers-English, $3.S4 to sS.64, subject, at the date on which the rates were given, to a reduction of 10 per cent; American, $4S2 to SS. B.
 The average wages of employees i'll the Massachusetts mills were as follows, ac cording to the official returns: Men $S30, ! 0 IL children $30S According to Colonel Shaw's report, the average gages of the men employed in the Lancashire mills on the 1st of January, 1880, was about $S per week, subject to reduction of 10 per cent; women from $340 to $4 30, subject to reduction of 10 per cent. The hours of labor in the Lan- cashire mills were 56, in the Massachusetts mills 60 per week. The hours of labor in the mills in the other New England states, where the wages were generally less than in Massachusetts, were usually 66 to 69 per week. Undoubtedly" says MT Blaine in commenting on the figures, ''the in equalities in the wages of English and l AluSIlCdL OpS1delNSS dlS LAOIS GudA SNoals ized by the greater efficiency of the latter and their longer hours of labor"
 Certainly no good republican will ques- tion the ability of MT Blaine to discuss this matter, and they should be equally willing to admit the accuracy of his ob servations When he disclaims that American wages are made higher by the protective tariff he states simple trutl that is admitted by impartial politica economists everywhere. It is only the minimizing political zealot, or the bitterly partisan economist, that will maintain tha American labor owes it's high standing anc it's excellent wages to the duties collected at the customs houses. In the exigencie! of an exciting campaign, when the wages scare is worked on every hand by unscru pulous organs and stump orators, tht wage-earner is apt to be beguiled by theil ingenious sophistry. He has, however only to appeal to the testimony of sucl eminent republican authorities as Nil Blaine, MT Evarts and Consul Shaw to learI that American labor is the best paid labo1 in the world because it is the best labor il the world It is of greater efficiency than the labor of England, which, though it is free trade labor, is the best and high est paid labor of Europe. If the tariff made high wages English labor would bt the lowest paid labor of Europe, wherea. in fact it is paid 40 to 50 per cent than tht labor of the protected countries.
 American labor owes it's high wages tt itself, not to the tariff.