The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-09-01
BEN BUTLER TALKS OF THE TARIFF.
The Lowell of Today Compared with
the Lowell of i84o.

the Lowell of Is4o.
Better Pay and Shorter Hours,
Thanks to Protection.
Detention of a Huge Cunarder the
Right Sort of Retaliation.
BosToN, Aug 21.-In response to the re-
quest of large number Of business men in
this city, Gen. Butler delivered an address
at fremont Temple this evening, the audi
ence being predominantly Republican, sew
eral prominent men Of that party being on
the platform.
returned from college we'll taught in the
theories of free trade. | also was a Demo-
crat of the puTest New Hampshire type. AS
a youth, l enthusiastically believed 1t my
political duty to do everything 70 amelior-
ate the labors and raise the condition OF the
working classes. At that time, in 1888, the
working men and women OF Lowell were
employed 131 hours per day, with the break
fast taken before the days work began,
with 20 minutes for dinner, and supper after
the days work was done. / saw them failing
in health, in strength and every relation Of
life. Agitation for the shortening of the
hours OF labor had scarcely begun. 1t was
evident that there could be no amelioration
to the Massachusetts, workingman in that
If the Lowell manufacturer must compete
with those in other States who were making
the same goods working longer hours. That
turned my mind to the thought whether the
hours of labor in the United States co uld be
shortened, so long as the laborer in England
engaged on similar work in competition was
employed more hours. In other words,
could the Massachusetts, mills running at
the same rate as the English mills for 10
hours day only, compete in manufacture
with the English mills running IA hours
day, even at the same wages. That propo.:
sition brought me to the consideration Of
free trade. Could manufacturing carried on
in the United States, paying higher wages,
and running shorter hours, compete with
the lower prices and longer hours Of labor In
England? The answer was too obvious 70
need argument. How, then, was the stand
ard Of the American laboring men to be kept
up? At that time there were no importa-
tl0ns of lab0rers to work in our mills, save
specially skilled laborers. The answer
could bel only, by tariff protecting Amer
lean industry against foreign greed and tyr
amy with pauper prices of labor.
While these things were passing through
my mind. the tariff of 1912 was passed, levy
ing duties which were substantial prohibit
ti0n to the Importation OIL ordinary cotton
fabrics. This rendered the rewards Of cot
that those industries sprung up
ALL OVER NEW ENGLAND.
calling for such an increase of labor in that
behalf that the workingmen and women
could demand an increase of wages, or at
least a lessening of the hours of labor.
Coming then. somewhat into political life,
took part in the agitation for 10 hours only.
That was resisted upon claim, not of the
competition of England, but of the competi-
tion of manufacturers in the other States,
where mills ran for much larger number Of
hours. This illustrates the beauties OIL free
trade in labor. There was no tariff as be-
tween the States to ameliorate the condition
of labor in that regard. And besides, all
employers, in every branch of industry, ag-
riculture and others, worked their employees,
some part Of the year at least, IA hours a day.
Besides, the tariff Of 1876 was enacted, di-
minishing the protection to American labor
in many industries, but not specially affect
ing the cotton industry, as Tennessee sec
retary Of the treasury, Mr.. Walker, did not
desire to intefere with the staple OF the
Still the labor agitation for 10 hours at Low
ell was kept up without special results until
1850, when our labor representatives in the
legislature elected Charles Sumner to the
Senate of the United States, in its results
the most wonderful triumph American labor
ever had.
Soon after the agitation was quieted, In a
compromise which began at Lowell, and was
agreed to throughout the State, that III
hours per day for six days in the week only,
should be wrought-and that compromise
existed until after the tariff of 1857, and had
left Lowell in '61 for another and different
field of action. Afterward the hours of la
Dor were fixed, first by agreement, and lat
terly by legislation, at 60 hours week, with
out any decrease of wages, but, on the con-
tror aaf add n,I n
general amelioration Of the condition Of
the laborer, because Of the still high pro-
lection.
1 have carefully given this history of the
pioneer manufacturing city, now Of nearly
any ike people, which know SO well, and
in which have lived so long, that the facts
shall come to be.underst00dibyiall, that to the
support Of protective tariffs Lowell owes'th the
prosperity of her mill owners and the nigh
Should legislation which works such mira
cles of benefits to whole classes of our labor
ing men, and, agree, richly earned wealth
to her manufacturers, for more than a gen.
Grafton of men. be denounced as scarcely
better than a combined robbery Of the many
for the benefit Of a few." 'Ahl" but the
scoffer will say. 'shere is Lowell manufac-
turer glorifying the means that made his
wealth." A single word to that: | never
owned share of manufacturing stock until
after 1858, and then bought in the shares
of ruined concern after the tariff Of 1857.
But
NO LABoRING MAN OR WOMAN
ever lost dollar by the failure to pay of
Lowell mill. From reading his message 1
learn that the President does not believe in
these benefcent results Of protection; but /
do know, and l believe, if he had observed
and known as saw how much a protective
tariff has done for American workingmen,
that message would never have been psnned.
1t is not his fault, but the laboring mans
misfortune, that he did not know these facts.
have taken this one specimen community.
of which there are thousands upon thous-
ands in this country, as witnesses to the eff
feet of the protective tariff. There it Is be-
fore us. Look att. That tariff legislation
be said against 1t is in word: 1t is human.
That 1t might be made better every one be-
lieveS. Do not mock us. But what will you
do to better it? Take away the inducement
to the capitalist to employ his money in man.
ufactpring? Such temptations are plenty
boats and railroads have made without tariff
protection thousand millionaires to one
winning his wealth because of tariffs.
San Francisco, Chicago and New York
were not built up with their men Of many
millions earned by manufactures protected
by tariff.
The capitalists Of New England, the own
ers of mills, water power. establishments
and appliances for the manufacture OF cot
ton and wooden goods, have seen and know
what the rest of the country Is rapidly learn
ing, that the c0arser manufactures of woods
is going to the West, and all the coarser cot
ton fabrics to the South and that sooner OF
later our skilled operatives will follow busi-
ness to the iplaces where it is to be done.
And | feel assured that, within the next five
years, he must be bold politician who shall
suggest that there shall not be sufficient
tariff to protect the woolen and cotton man
ufactures of the West and South against
British manufactures or British aggression.
We recognize this in the fact that provisions
are now made for it, as regards cotton, in the
Mills bill, which provides ION all cotton cloth
40 per cent ad valorem."
Certainly the President cannot agree to
that provision of the Mills bill which puts
duty Of four-tenths the cost on every poor
mans shirt, and the manufacturer has only
to card, spin and weave the cotton, and the
pay Of the laborer doing that IS scarcely 10
per cent Of the cost, and much less II ne Is
niger so that If his shirt cost cents
yard, one quarter of the whole cost would be
tariff addition, if the Presidents statements
are correct as regards other dutiable articles,
for nobody needs tariff protection In raising
cotton, because neither India nor Egypt can
compete with our Southern States as to their
iieyed to be king. We call attention here
after to the fact that it is deemed necessary
in the Mills bill TO protect cotton against
home compettion,as the niger" now raises
the larger part and sells for direct export the
least.
protection of American industries by tariff