St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-17
A FOOL NOTION
"A - OOA NO41ON
That the Tariff Maintains q High
Rate of Wages.

That the Tariff Maintains a High
Rate of Wages.
| If it were not generally supposed that
the tariff played very important part
in maintaining the ''high rate" of wages
prevalent in America, protectionists
would find it much more difficult to hold
| their ground than they do. They pre-
tend to be great friends of the working
| man. and they fairly Shiver with appre-
hension lest the wicked free-traders
| Should succeed in getting salt or lumber
| put upon the free list, for, by so doing,
they would Immediately reduce Ameri-
can wages to the ''pauper level'' of
| Europe. Therefore your protectionist
| always comes out strong for the Door la
boring man; and it is for the sake of
this same poor labOring man that we are
asked to advocate taxed salt, taxed lum-
Der and taxed everything else.
Suppose we indulge in little figuring.
The census of 1880 shows that in that
year there were 26S salt works, employ
ing 4,2S9 men and women. The amount
paid in wages was 81 ,260,023. Divide
this by 4.2S9, and we find, counting 800
days to the year, that the daily rate of
wages in this highly protected industry
was 50 cents, while the profit on the
capital invested was Is per cent per an
mum. The duty on salt is 8 cents per
100 pounds in bulk, and ~ cents per 100
pounds in barrels or packages.
The house very properly voted to put
salt on the free list, evidently not think
ing that a 9S-cent daily rate of wages
was sufficiently high to warrant the re-
tention of the tax OH a necessity of life,
in the 'intereSt of American labor"
The debate on the lumber tax is in
teresting in this connection. The tax
on lumber is So per 1000 feet, and the
proposition under discussion was as to
whether or not lumber should be made
free.
That eminent friend of the working
man, Mr.. BOutelle, of Maine, said, with
great solemnity: "The effect of the
free lumber feature of this bill (the
Mills bilD is to strike down business
in which to-day we are paying to those
brawny-armed sons of toll who are pro-
champions. of this bill, all the way from
20 to As per cent more than they receive
across the line in Canada. And would
say to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
MillS) that the most curSOry eXamina-
ton of the subject cannot fail to con-
vince that removing the duty on lum-
Der. and allowing free importation from
the British provinces, cannot fail to
have the effect of striking down the
rate of wages paid on our side of the
line" Striking down." it may be re-
masked, is favOrite phrase with gen.
tlemen like Mr.. Boutelle.
Well, Mr.. Cultivate, of Ohio, had
made the ''cursOry examination" which
the gentleman from Maine suggested
that Mr.. Mills should make. He showed
from the census that, in the state of
Maine, the total value of sawed lumber
was 81, 933, S6S; total value of materials,
81, 951, 957, leaving balance of s2,9S1,-
Oil. Subtracting from this balance the
amount of wages paid, and dividing the
remainder by the capital invested, the
result is 2S19 per cent on that capital;
and dividing the total wages by the
number OF employees, it is found that the
Maine lumberman is paid the princely
sum of s17O a year, or Sc cents day,
counting 800 working days to the year.
In Michigan the wages amount to S305
year, while the percentage upon cap
ital invested is 1877 per cent. The re-
suits were tabulated as follows:
SAWED LUMBER IN MICHIGAN.
Qtems from page l 1872 of the Compendium
of Tenth Census)
Total value of all products. $50, 449. 92S
Total value of all materials used. 80. PSI ,372
Total profit and wages. S2O19e. $50
Total wages paid 6,967, 905
Profit to capital ..................s STA, $50, COL
fetal capital employed. $50, 26o. 42s
Rate per cent received by capital 3S.7
Total wages paid during year. Sc, 1867 .9o5
Average number hands en-
ployed (males above sixteen
years. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 22.732
mans wages during year,. S3O5
/ Every 81 900 of capital earning
during same time ......... 1887
SAWED LUMBER IN MAINE.
Total value of all products. ..... $7,933, s6s
| Total value of air materials. 80. 1851 1857
| Total profit and wages. ........ S2,9s1, Oh
| Total wages paid. 1,161, l42
Profit to capitalist ............. $3.50, 76s
Total capital employed. ..: se,sa9, 1896
| Rate per cent received by capital 2SL2
Total wages paid. ......-.... S1,161, 142
| Average number hands en-
| ployed (male above sixteen
years. 6.4SO
mans wages during year,. $40
Every ST. 900 CT capital earning
during same time. -. .-....... S2S5
Well might Mr.. Cultivate ask, 'sIs
not this spectacle to show how pro-
| lection benefits the labOrer?" This is
but specimen brick, The same lying
| hypocrisy runs through the whole tariff
| schedule. The highest wages paid in
this country are paid in those industries
| which do not and-in the nature of
| thingS-cannOt derive any benefit from
protection; while the very lowest wages
are paid in the protected industries.
Nothing Rea i shs 5f of Wants with care