Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-08-03
WAGE WORKER No. 2
FREE TRADE IN CHEAP LABOR.

FREE TRADE IN CHEAP LABOR.
''While politicians are disputing over
what they call free trade and protection,
all seem to forget that free trade in cheap
labor is going on every day at an appalling
rate
1.-THE official report of this free trade in
cheap labor during the year ending on the
3Oth of June, shows that $50, S1Simmigrsnts
landed in this country during that period.
While many of these were valuable addi-
tions TO our population, such as the sgricul-
tural Swedes and Germans Of various
types, the larger portion Of them are
simply refugees from pauper labor and are
here to supplant American labor and leg :
innate wages.
ga very large proportion of these immi-
.rarts ara Huns, Poles and Italians, who
s;thar cons NM -" Eurreptitious contract to
unscrupuIous dealers =. "a cheap contract
labor, or are the easy prey OF - ' ~
labor spectators who float around CasG.>
Garden like the buzzsrd over the putrid
carcass, to cheat both the pauper labor and
the legitimate labor of the country.
why is it that the friends of protection
to American labor have not taken the
promptest measures to protect our industry
against free trade in the pauper laborers OF
Europe? OF what value to our home labor
are high tariff duties to keep outthe products
of competitive cheap labor abroad, if there is
continued free trade in psuper labor from
every country of the world?
as il not the truth that many Of the
large employers of labor who insist upon,
high protection against the products OF
foreign labor, not only defeat the restric-
ton upon free trade in cheap labor, but
hold it in reserve to supply the places Of
home workingmen who are forced to &C.
cept low wages and high taxes upon the
necessaries of life? The truth of this
fact has been demonstrated in
every industrial centre of the country, and
free trade in cheap labor continues because
the employers of the country want it.
Every workingmsn in the land should
at once Jake positive and aggressive stand
against free trade in cheap foreign labor.
II our employers insist on free trade in
pauper labor, why should not the Ameri-
IAN workingmen insist upon free trade in
the product Of pauper labor. If one is
night, both must be right; but free trade
IN either cheap labor or in the competitive
products of cheap labor is ut war with all
The interests of both capital and labor in a
country where industry is the wealth and
power Of the government.
There should be free trade only for the
-aw materials of our diversified industries
md the necessaries of life not produced
here; and there should be full and gener-
,us protection to our American labor not
,nly against the products Of competitive
heap labor abroad, but also against cheap
abor itself usurpiDg the labor Of our own
Let labor protect labor"
something More About Glnghams.
The Hteligeaesr in its attempts to make
Kings seem what they are not misquotes
he REGISTER in reference to the gipghsm
Iuestion. The REGISTER did not say that
he Inteligeneer's Democratic Merch-
,nt's'' statement about The Slater Cotton
company intending to manufacture zephyr
inghams was merely an assertion; but
shat the REGISTER did say, and all intel
igent readers could see it, was that
Democratic Merchant merely made an
ssertion when he led the Intelligence read
rs to believe that the Slater Cotton Com
any could not manufacture the line OF
ephyrs ut less cost than the price of the
article with the tax added,
nd the REGISTER also stated and
eiterates the statement that there
; no proof furnished that the
later Company can not manufacture this
pecial line Of goods for less than the price
4 the French article with the tax added.
p REGISTER also desires to state that to
ne dress made from the French bingham
here are two hundred made from the
inehams of the Amoskeag, Canton, Lam
aster or Renfrew mills, which sell gener-
lly at from 10 to 123 cent& This is the
rticle used by the working classes, and
his is the article that viii have sufficient
rotection when the IL cents per yard re-
motion ia made as the Democrats propose,
ghich II cents win be put into the pocket
the consumer.