Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-09-06

cost OF our products, you can readily see
that it 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 be inevitable. and there can be no
escape from it. If orr river was broad
ened to a lake, and the lake extended to
an ocean, 1t would make no difference in
the inevitable necessity of change in To-
cation, lower wages or failure, and, as
change of location would be impossible,
and closing or failure would be no
remedy the inevitable outcome would be
lower wages. 1t is true that the matter
of transportation between two distant
points enter into calculation. but COM
mUnlcatiOn by water and steam Is so
close that the cost of transportation is
of minor importance. The great fact re-
mains, that the nations of the world are
our competitors, and we must adopt
their scale OF wages or go out Of business
in our own country, If we permit their
wages to come free among rs. They
may claim we arc exclusive in this, bC5
philauthvophy begins at home, and
America is large enough and good
enough for Us, and we are iegislating
for America and Americans and not for
Europe and Europeans. One great
claim that is urged for tie removal of
duties on imports, in the interest Of
WOrkmen, is, that under protective
policy, he has to pay higher price for
what he consumes; but admitting this to
be true. we must also consider the other
truth, that if he pays more. he has far
more to pay it with. The true measure
of the cost of living to the workingman
is not in dollars and cents, but in days
and hours of labor, and there is no
country on earth where the labor Of the
workingman will bay more than one
third to one-half of the necessaries, COM
forts, and iuXuries of life, than it does
in our own favored land. under the
present system OF protection.
THE TREASURY SURPLUS.
Another claim is, that more is paid into
the treasury than we need, but is it so?
Have we more income than VIC can pro-
itably use? Which of you having q
debt OF 81, 900 upon his homestead, and
saving of 800 over and above his liv-
ing expenses, would consider that
bad condition of things? and yet this is
a precisely parallel case. Our govern
ment has debt Gin round numbers) of
thousand millions, drawing interest and
secured by a mortgage on the homes and
property of us all, and has an accumula-
ton Of hundred millions toward paying
it, TO which has been given the alarming
title, Of a dangerous surplus" 1t is
dangerous surplus to 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
paid. To the people at large, the sur
plus and the means of continuing it, is q
blessing unparalleled, and while we have
a dollar of unpaid debt, there is no such
thing as "a surplus possible, and there
is no safety in reducing the means Of
rapidly eXtinguishing 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, 10 which all
the money could be put. But if our
debt were paid and we were in a posi-
ton to reduce this income, there is a
method to do it ten thousand times bet
ter than to open our ports to the products
of the starvation labor Of Europe.
rIPORTATIONS.
Last year there was brought into this
country, in spite Of the present tariff,
S7C0, 600, 900 of foreign 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 competi-
ton with our mechanics, artisans and
laborers and had just that depressing
effect upon their wages and occupation.
With that S700, 600, 900 kept OFT, there
would have been at least that much
more paid out in America for good
American material and labor and as
much more as the greater consumption
of the people due TO their great prosper
ity. would engender. If we ara getting
too much revenue, or if what we get is
costing too much in it's getting, let US
legislate to keep out entirely that $780,,
600, coo of pauper made imports, from
which the revenue is derived
/ can only add, that [ think our pres
ent labor representatives in congress,
Henry Smith-with whom | have form
erly been in pathy-in voting for the
mills" bill has betrayed the cause
which he was elected to represent, and
that | deem it my duty at the present
time, temporarily sinking all other ques-
tions-to be revived at a more suspicious
time-to do my utmost in this election to
strengthen the republican party, which
broadly and openly EXPOSES the cause
of protection to American industries,
and trust that every one of you that
loves his family, his home and his coun
try, will do the same When we have
succeeded in rendering permanent our
position of vantage, then we can look
forward and strive for other benefits and
advances, but if we lose what we now
have, our condition will be helpless in
deed. EWD p ALLIs