Evening journal., 1888-06-04
rSGensoLL ON LABOR.
rhs Healshful Rnecf OF Protective
TarIu.

A1r1Ns
Robert G Ingersoll in an interview
with reporter Of the New York
Press expressed himself as follows:
"Whar, in your opinion, is the con-
dition OF labor in this country as COM
pared with that abroao?'
"In the first place it is self-evident
that il labor received morei in ether
lands thon in this the tide Of emisra-
ton would be changed. The work
ingmen would leave our ahores.
Peo pie who believe in free trade are
always telling us tkat the lsboring
man is paid much better in Germany
than in the United States, and yet
nearly every ship that comes from
Germany is crammed with Germans.
who, for some unaccounteblo reason,
prefer to leave place where they are
doing we'll and come TO one where
they must do worse.
1.-The same thing can be said of
Denmark and Sweden, Of England,
Scotland and Ireland and OF Italy.
The truth is that in all those lands the
laboring man can earn just enough
to-day to do the work of tomorrow;
everything he earns is required to get
food enough in his body and rags
enough on his back from day to day.
to toll from week to week. There are
only three luxuries within his reach
air, light and wafer; probably fourth
might be added--death."
"What effect has the protective
tariff on the condition of labor in this
country2"
ITO the extent that tho tariff keeps
out the foreign article, it is direct
protection to American labor Every
thing in this 1country is on larger
scale than in any other. There is far
more generosity among the manufac-
turers and merchants and millionaires
and capitalists of the United States
than among those Of any other country,
although they are bad enough and
mean enough here"
what will be the effect on labor OF
departure in American policy in the
direction of free trader"
sIf free trade could bs adopted to-
morrow there would be an instant
shrinkage OF values in this country.
Probably the immediate loss would
equal $1,000, 900. OOO-that is to say
one-third Of the value Of the country,
No one can tell it's extent All things
are 30 interwoven that to destroy Que
industry cripples another, and the in
fiuence keeps on until it touches the
| circumference of human interests.
"The condition Of the workingman
even in America, is bad enough. i
free trade will not reduce wages what
will? II manufactured articles become
cheaper the skilled lsborers Of Americl
must work cheaper or stop producing
the articles. Every one knows tha
most of the value of manufactured
article comes from labor. Think O.
the difference between the value Of |
pound of cotton and q pound of th'
finest cotton cloth; between pound o
flax and enough point lace to weigh
pound; between few ounces OF paint
two or three yards Of canvas and
great picture; between a block OF ston
and a statue. Labor is the princips
factor in price; when the price fall
wages must 20 down.
| Il ,.stn nlof frat Htat r.rotnStfnr1 a f..
the benefit Of any particular class, bu
that it is for the benefit not only 0
! that particular class, but of the entir
country. In England the common
laborer expects to spend his old age i
! some workhouse. He is cheere
through all his days of toll, throug
all his years Of weariness, by the pros
pect Of dying q respectable paupel
The women work as hard as the mer
They work in the iron mills. The
make nails, they dig coal, they toll i
the fields.
"In Europe they carry the hod, the
work like beasts and with beasts, unit
, they lose almost the semblance {
human beings until they look inferic
to the animals they drive. On tn
9 labor of these deformed mothers, {
these bent and wrinkled girls, of hit
o boys with the faces Of old age, tt
3 heartIess nobility live in snlendor an
7 extravagant idleness. / am not no
speaking OF the French people, /
!. France is the most prosperous counti
In Europe.
"Let us protect our mothers, Of
: wives and our children from the d.
4 formity of toll, from the depths
, poverty"
r "what do you think of Cleveland
message?'
: .Only the other day / read
> speech made by Hon. William
4 Kelly OF Pennsylvania upon this subje
I in which he says in answer to VIII
4 he calls the puerile absurdity of Pre-
4 dent Cleveland's assumption that Il
sr duty is always added to the cost, n
only Of imported commodities, but
N the price of like commodities produc
ID in this country, that the duties il
Is posed by our government on sug
Of reduced to ad va'orem were never
!. high as now, and the the price Of sue
\. was never ia this country as low as
= is now He also showed that this {
r on sugar has made il possible for us
ne produce sugar from other plants, a
he gives the facts 10 relation to co