The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-09-01
LABOR'S DUTY DEFINED,
a MILWAUKEE MANEFACTURER
On THE SITUATION.
Good Advice by j.. y. AIlis-The Isspe
One of Vital Importance to Wage
Workers - Henry Smiths
Betrayal of His
IT,. Followers.
From the Milwaukee Wisconsin.

A striking illustration OF the attitude
which American manufacturers take
with reference to the one overshadow-
ing issue of the pending political cam
paign is afforded by the following adj
dress from +. p. Allis, the proprietor of
the Reliance Works, to the 800 men in
his employ. The address was written
by Mr.. Alis solely for his own men,
and neatly-I rinted copy enclosed in an
envelope was handed to each Of them.
But the universal int rest in he
subject at tins time, and IL clear
and torcible manner i'll which Mr..
Allis has handled it, give the document
public value, and it will doubtless be
OF great use III the pending campaign,
to counteract the iree-trade heresies of
the Democrats. The fact that Mr.. Allis
is an uncompromisiRg independent in
politics gives additional weight to what
he says. His address is strong, wholly
non-partisan argument Tor the Repub-
lican cause.
To MY EMPLOYEES: have been aske d by many
of you for my opinion upon the present political
situation. and III view OF the great importance
of the question itself, whether my opinion il of
value or otherwise, 1t seems best TO reply in an
open letter TO you all.
As you know, am a firm believer in the inan-
cial end industrial views of that eminent Amer
lean thinker and writer upon indu strisl rub
jects, Henry c. Cary, and have been sincere
worker IN the "Greenback' and "Grccnback
Labor" parties, which more nearly than any
other embodied his principles and If my vote
and influence could establish those principles
at this time, ii would be so given.
The underlying sentiment of those principles
IL, that American labor is the foundation stone
of our national life and future greatness. and
that 10 encourage and aid the working and pro
ducing class $, whether on the farm In the work
shop in the office, should be the first duty of
government, and that our legislation should be
or ntyn "a tor mr.
governed by other nations.
Two leading features of this belief are, first
that the government alone should furnish the
currency OF the country, whether meta lie pa
per, and that 1t should also establ SD ami Tegu-
late its volume III the interests of the whole peG-
pie beyond the reach of res oonsbe or irIesp lnsi
bic causes arising from individual OF corporate
control, or from the port alton or variation in
the supply OF the precious metals, and sec
own country should be utilized by and for our
own people without damaging competition from
the peOpe Of different governments and diverse
social and economic conditions. OF those two
great principles, the Labor party alone at the
present time advocates the first, but the success
Of that party in the approaching election IS an
less OF the second Of these principles, which It
does not endorse, would, fear, be fruitiess VIC
tory.
The two dominant political parties, one of
which must succeed in this election, while alike
ignoring the first of these questions, take dis
tinct issue upon the second and II Is made the
one or the other OF these two parties rests the
settlement of this question TOR many years to
come, and the consequent good or i'll for long
time to our beloved republic.
The workingmen Of America have many diff
culties TO contend with but under present CON
ditions they are gradually acquiring the power
to more successfully cope with them, and
though the proce may be thought slow, 1t is
nevertheless certain that they constantly bet
tern9 their condition. while their ethren across
the sea are vast multitude so STEPPED in power
better future. This fact is beyond success Sui dis
.ute, that whatever Ills the American
rkman has to contend against, his rste of
wages is twice to three times that of his European
brother and ii is this point OF vantage that ii is
his vital and lasting interest to maintain 1t is
also OF vital interest to the country itself, that
1t should be maintained for if American work
men must be reduced to the low rate of wages
paid abroad and to the want and misery that
naturally follows that low ebb O: payment, as
evidenced not only by foreign reports, but by
the destitute hordes of emigrants now landing
upon our shores, then our government of and
for the people is a failure and q fraud
The only possible way that this diffe ence of
wages between our own and 10 eign lands is and
can be maintained is by the continuation of the
policy that made the difference exist, viz: the
exclusion, to greater or less extent, of the prod
ucts of that foreign, cheap labor from our
shores The policy which does this is The
policy of protection TO home industries, and it is
this policy which is now being thr, atened by the
present national administration and which is TO
tc passed upon III the approaching election. For
the time being, this question dwarfs all
OF hers and every other Issue sinks into insienIti-
canoe beside it. The removal of this protection
which he now enjoys, would place the American
w orkman upon the same plane as his less fortu-
nate foreign brother, and take from his hands
tn great weapon of better wages which he now
holds and Is using successfully to contend with
the giant and graspiDg spirit of the age 1t is
quite probable that the rate of wages paid, even
in america is not as high as 1t should be aud
fully believe that the distribution of the prod
ucts of labor is faulty and that the producer
does not get his proper share but am equally
sure that the road to better distribution does
not lie in reducing the share he now gets. That
the elect of foreign competition would be TO re-
duce his wages. it is only necessary to apply it
to our own case right here at home.
Our city is divided by rivers into three i'm
portant sections viz: the East, West and tie
South Sides, in the latter Of which our works are
located Here we 1900 strong, fully occu-
pied at as high q rate Of wages as prevails in the
United States in similar establishments, and,
whe Their as high as 1t ought to be or not, 1t Is
twice or three times as high as is paid abroad.
Now, suppose q similar establishment should be
started upon the East OF West Side and for ONE
reason, that establishment could obtain its work
men at materially less wages than we pay on
the South Side. Since labor represents far the
larger per cent. of the cost of our products, you
can readily see that 1t would only be matter of
short time when our establishment would be
compelled to do one of THREE things: either
close its doors, move over TO the other
side or reduce its wages to The rate
paid on the other side. This result would lie in
cvitable, and there is no escape from IT. If our
river was broadeued TO a lake, and the Jake ex-
tended TO an ocean, it would make no difference
in the inevitable necessity o. change in loo ,tiou,
lower wages failure, and, change of locaIio
would be impossible, and closing or failure
would be no remedy, the inevitable outcome
would be lower wages. 1t is tr1e that the mat
ter of transportation bet ween two distant points
enters into the calculation, but communication
by water and steam IS so close, that the cost of
transportation is OF no importance The great
fact remains that the nations o. the wor d are
cur competitors, and we must adopt their scale
of wages or go out of business in our own coun-
thnir to
rs. They may claim We are exclusive in This,
out philanthropy begins at home, and Amer
lea is large enough and good enough for
us, and VIC are legislatlng for america and
Americans and not for Europe and Euro
peans. one great claim that is urged for the re-
moval of duties upon imports, in the interest of
workmen, is, that under a protective policy, he
has to pay higher price for what he consumes
but admitting this TO be true we must also con
| slider the other truth. that If he pays more, he
has far more to pay 1t with. The true measure
of the cost of living TO the workingman
is not in dollars and cents, but In
country on earth where the labor of the work
| ingman will buy more than one-third 10 one-half
OF the necessaries, comforts and Injuries of life,
that it does in our own favored land, under the
present system of protection.
Another claim is, that more ia paid into the
| treasury than we need, bit is 1t so Have we
more income than we can probably use? Which
| OF you having a debt of 81 600 upon his home
| stead, and saving of 500 over and above his
| living expenses, would consider hat amount
lald away 10 pay on the neDt, n pau CoIultlOn OF
things? And yet this is precisely parallel case,
Our government has a debt Tin round numbers)
| of a thousand millions drawing interest and &C.
cured by mortgage on the homes and property
| Of us all, and has an accumulation OF a hundred
millions towards paving 1t, to which has been
given the alarming title OF dangerous sur
plus.' 1t is dangerous surplus 70 one, and
| only one, interest among US and that is, TO
| the holders of our national debt, but they
cannot Justly complain at its being raid. To
the people al large the surplus and means of con-
| tlnulng 1t. is blessing unparalleled, and while
| we have dollar ofunpaid debt, there is no such
| thing as "a surplus" possible, and there is no
| safety in reducing the means of rapidly extin-
gushing the debt. Neither would the income
| we receive necessarily be burden If there was
| no debt TO be paid, for there are thousands OF
| uses beneficial to all the people, to which the
money could be put But il our debt were paid
| and we were in position to reduce u Is income,
there is a method TO do ii ten thousand times bet
ter than to open our ports TO the produces OF the
| starvation labor Of Europe.
| last year there was brought into this country
in spite of present tariff, 500 .00l.JCD of for
| eign manufactures, representing the labor OF
| women at $50 per year and of men at perhaps
not over double that sum. All of this starvation
| labor was brought into direct competition with