The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-05-04

wages above the old world level 1t is
also a most remarkable fact, in which all
good men rejoice, that for more than
century the wages of labor have been con
tinually increasing, whilst, owing to the
help Of science, the price of the products
of labor has been as steadily diminishing.
The testimony taken by the royal commiS
sion which recently Investigated the causes
of the depression of trade establishes this
beyond dispute. Wages in the United
States have largely partaken of this in
crease and benefit ed by the decreased cost
of products.
Our manufacturers, therefore, pay high
er wages than those of other countries, not
because they prefer to do so or try TO do
50, but simply because they can't help
themselves not from philanthropy, but
from necessity. Their utmost efforts are
exerted, on the contrary, us have already
shown, to reduce not to increase, wages,
and it is absolutely untrue to claim that
protection is the cause or the intention Of
this high reward of labor. 1t is quite true,
as pr0tectiOnists assert, that manufactures
tend to increase wages by dlverslfylng in
dustries ana thus increasing the demand
for labor But to give high tariffs the
credit for this is to assume that manufac-
lures cannot exist without protection;
whereas we know that England and Bel
gium-the one a free trade and the other
a very low tariff country-are, in proper
ton to population, the greatest u manufac-
turing nations on the earth. In no possible
way can it be established that labor is
benefited by protective tariffs. But even
! if it did inure directly to the advantage OF
the operatives, If 1t stopped with the fac
! tory man it would be an outrage that
ought not to be tolerated for a moment.
| That it does stop there cannot be honestly
doubted. Promising, as set out in pre-
vious article, that it is sfong as well rs
| lmpOlitlc to tax one nan TO support
another, let US see how protection ope
! rates-not on the whole body of consumers
| at large, but on the workingmen them
| selves on American labor. In round
numbers the total of all persons engaged
| in labor in the United States Is IL, ,0OO, 900.
| For the purpose of considering the effects
| of tariff taxation upon their callings, these
may be divided into two classes pro
/ tected and the non protected class the pro
tected class being those engaged IN the
production of articles which are taxed by
tariff duties, whilst the other class IS en-
| gagged in labor of such character as can
not be benefited or aided IN any way by a
tax on its foreign competition. The whole
number of those engaged IN the protected
| industries is about , 500. GOO, leaving the
remainder, about Ii, 500, 600 workers, in
! the unprotected industries, a little more
| than six to one. Now for the effect OF
protective tariffs on these laborera Sup
| pose it placed on woolen goods an average
of 81 per cent, it excludes foreign Wooiens
and enables the home manufacturer to
place at least so per cent. increase en- the
| price of his goods, and, according to the
protection theory, 30 per cent increase on
! wages also. Very well 4; the people who
/ RI i-. ba a
country, numbering some 250, 600, get a
large increase of wages and thrive as much
as protectionists say. Now who pays for
it? Undoubtedly the remaining 16,S00, 900
| laborerS every other man III the United
States who works and wears woolen goods;
all are taxed to give prosperity to the man
in the woolen factory. The butcher, the
baker, the wheelwright, the carpenter
| Joiner, the mason, the blacksmith, the
plumber (thank God for that the wag-
oner, the farmer, the pow boy, dltcher,
cattle herder. tanner, railroad hand, po-
liceman. the porter, printer, cob5ler,
| WaSherwoman. house servant-1n short,
every man, woman and child who earns
bread by the sweat of the brow IN the
course Of human toil-has to scant his pay
and shorten his comforts to increase those
of the wool worker, who is no better or
more deserving than himself
The same thing precisely is applicable to
those who manui acture every other article
in the protected catalogue, Numbering
about 4. OOO The six tCilers are made to
support the seventh. The six who are
made to pay taxes to increase the living
of the seventh are not heard of III our
legislation and are not deserving OF our
care, but the seventh one is an American
laborer," whose welfare engages all the
powers of craftsmanship, and who must
be made com Portable if it takes half the
wages of all other common workers who
labor in the open air. In addition to all
this it must be remembered that II you
raise the price of labor by means Of in
creasing the price Of its products the pur-
chasing power of the laborer's money Is
not increased, and he is just where be
started If workman at dollar day
can buy with one days work a pair OF
shoes, and you increase the price of shoes
to 81 so by tariff, IN order to pay the
workman 81 so per day. the man who tells
the workman that he is etter off by hall
dollar per day IS either fool himself OF
believes the workman to be. But they
constantly tell us that everything in Amer
lea is as cheap as it is in Europe. If thi!
be true and it is not-then it is proof
!, positive as reason can furnish that labor
is not high because prices are hlgh, bu
ONLY because it is effective Yet their ar
: gument is absolutely dependent on th'
) theory that protection increases the price
of home products and enables manu-
facturers to pay higher wages 1t i
everywhere and at all times the staple o
every appeal to the American people, ant
it is lie, because it is simply impossible
it can cheaper goods, increase the cost o
production and raise wages at the SAM
: time Labor is simply the decoy witt
which the manufacturer bats his protec
7 ton trap Thanks to the gullibll'ty 0
mankind, they San buy their bait free.
, T. B. VANCE.
The Verdict Unanimous.