The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-09-01
A Political Pointer.

al your SHOPS!
We have Sixtyseven men, machinists
and laEorers.
Have you any idea how they stand
on the Presidential question?
Certainly l have, we talk freely
among ourselves, and there is not a
man whc has not openly said how he
intends to vote.
How will these sixtyseven men vote
Sixty four OF them will vote tor Har.
rison and Morton, and three will vote
for Cleveland and Thurman.
OF these sixty-seven men, how many
are Democrats and how many are Re-
publicans3
Twenty eight of the sixty-seven have
always voted the Democratic ticket.
What has brought about this change
of sentiment?
Why as laboring men they are natur-
ally in favor of defending themselves,
and all other laborers, by voting to
sustain our system of protection to
American industries, and they believe
that the tendency of the Democratic
party is towards free trade, which would
place them in direct competition with
the poorly paid wage-earners' OF foreign
countries.
How long have you been employed
by the company you are now with, and
how do your present wages compare
with what you received years ago?
Like myself number of our men
are old hands, and remember too well
what we received when "teu cent
Jimmy" (Buchanan) was president.
This was in low tariff Democratic times.
Then our machinists worked for S1.25
per day. Now they receive from So 40
to $3.50 per day. Now our day lab
orers receive SI25 per day, then they
were paid from 90 to 70 cents per day.
How was the cost of living in those
days compared with today.
With very few exceptions all the
necessaries of life are cheaper TO-DAY
than they were then. Clothing was
never as cheap as it is now. l can buy
a better suit of clothes today for $40
than | could in 1857 and 1853 for $50.
All my wife's clothing, all the domestic
goods she buys for the house, our car
pets, furniture, and household goods
generally are far cheaper now than they
were then. In other words we receive
today under protective tariff about
double the wages we received under
low tariff, while the average cost of
living is very little, if any thing, above
what 1t was in the years referred to.
Then your men in voting for Harri-
son and protective tariff believe they
are voting on question of bread and
butter for their families and for those
dependent upon them?
Certainly they do. THIS whole ques.
ton in our judgments IS purely ques-
ton of employment and wages for the
mechanic and laboring man. They
know where their interests lay. They
may not be educated men, as you IN
derstand that term, but they have hard
common sense, and besides the older
ones among them have good memories,
and can remember what they received
as daily wages in low tariff times.
But the free-traders claim. that YOU
workingmen will be benefited by free
trade, by being able with free wool to
buy cheaper blankets and cheaper COM
modities generally, and be able to live
very much cheaper than you can now.
Yes, but would we not suffer a cor
responding reduction in our wages to
enable our employers to compete sue
cessfully with foreign manufacturers, who
pay their employees from 40 to so per
cent less than we receive in America ?
Then you prefer higher wages with
higher priced commodities under
protective tariff, to lower wages and
lower priced necessaries of life under
low tariff?
Certainly we do. We live better,
and can save more at the end of the
year. Besides, if our wages are lowered
and we can earn but little money, aVhaf
does it matter TO as hOa0 cheap things
are If ne haVent tie money 10 by
them. No sir, eve have been there"
We have tried it, and we don't propose
if our votes will prevent it to repeat the
depressed times we had under Buch.
anan's administration. Since those days
we have under the protective system
lived better, given our children better
| education, surrounded our families with
more of the comforts of life, earned
more money, accumulated more prop
erty, and generally prospered more
than any previous generation of me-
chanics in this country. We believe
that the continued prosperity of the
working men of America depends upon
the maintenance of our present pro-
tective system. We as mechanics owe
too much to 1t to vote to destroy it,
and l believe that the relative proper
ton OF mechanics in every shop in
America of those who will vote for
Harrison and protection is about the
same as in our shops in Baltimore. Not
only in our shops, but on railroad lines,
steamboat and canal lines generally the
conditions are the same. Why l re-
o,I o. -.