The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-09-08

Our city is divided by rivers into three
important sections, viz: the East, West,
and South sides, in the latter Of which
our works are located. Here we arc
800 strong, fully occupied at as high
rate of wages rs prevails in the United
States in similar establishments, and,
whether rs high as it ought To be or not,
il is twice 10 three times as high as IS
paid abroad. Now. suppose a similar
establishment should be started upon the
East or West side, and, for some reason.
that establishment could obtain its
workmen at materially less wages than
we pay on the South side. Since labor
represents far the largest per cent of the
cost of our products you can readily see
that it would only be n 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 il. II our river was broad
cned to n lake, and the lake extended to
an ocean. it 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
munication 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, ii we permit their
wages To- come free among us. They
may claim we are exclusive in this, bGs
philanthrophy begins at home, and
America is large enough and good
enough for Us. aud we are lcglslating
for America and Americans and not for
Europe aud Europeans. One great
claim that is urged for the removal of
duties on imports, in the interest of
workmen. is, that under protective
policy. he has to pay L higher price for
what he consumes; but admitting this 10
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 hay more than one
third to one e-half Of the ncccssaries COM
forts, and luxuries 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 we can pro-
fitably use? Which of you having 4
debt of 81 900 upon his homestead, and
a saving of 500 over and above his liv-
ing expenses, would consider that
amount, laid away to pay on the debt, n
bad condition of things? and yet this is
precisely parallel case. Our govern
ment mas debt lin round uumbers) of 3
thousand millions, drawing interest and
secured by n mortgage on the homes and
property of us all, and has an accumula-
tion of n hundred millions toward paying
| ii. TO which has been given the alarming
| title, of dangerous surplus" 1t is a
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 ut its being
paid. To the people at large. the sur
| plus and the means of continuing ii, is a
blessing unparalleled and while we have
dollar OF unpaid debt, there is no such
| thing rs "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 ii there was no debt TO be
paid for there are thousands of uses.
beneficial to all the people. to which all
the money could be put. But if our
debt were paid and we were in posi-
ton TO reduce this income. there is Il
method TO do it ten thousand times bet
ter than to open our ports to the products
of the starvation labor Of Europe.
| IMPoRTATIoNs.
| Last year there was brought into this
country, in spite of the present tariff.
| 500. 900 600 of foreign manufactures,
representing the labor of women at SGt
per year and OF men ut 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 500, 600, ,00J kept out there
would have been ut least that much
more paid out in America for good
| American material and labor and a,
much more as the greater consumption
of the people due to their great prosper
ity. would eugender If we ara getting
too much revenue. or if what we get i:
costing too much in its getting, let u!
legislate TO keep out entirely that 800,
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 SYMPATHY voting for th'
Mills" bill has betrayed the cause
which he was elected TO represent, ant
that deem it my duty 1t the presen
sime. temporarily sinking all other ques
tions-to he revived At more auspciou
timc-to DO my utmost in this election Il
strengthen the republican party, whicl
broadly and openly expouSes the caus
OF protection To American industries
and trust that every one of you tha
loves his family, his home and his couu
try. will do the same. When we havi
succeeded in rendering permanent on
position of vantage. thCn we can lool
| forward and strive for other benefits ant
| advances hut il we lose what we now