The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-09-15
Hsnnifsn, Mr.. Msgafin, Mr.. Colwell and

| hennlI0u, bAr. MoBumub Mt NotWoh e"A
Mr.. Thomas,-all very trustworthy gentle
meA, but somewhat pronounced republicans.
However, We have no reason to doubt the
accuracy of their recollection Of the wages
paid to lsborers here 40 years ago. but w
do think it is quite little stretch back. The
result Of his quotations is that common ls
borers ct that remote period here in the city
of Ottawa received one dollar day, and
now, according to these same authorities
they receive the sum Of $l.75. | am in
formed that there are thousand laborers in
this city who receive the lucrative salary Of
$l,l5 at the present time. The Major as.
csrtsins that men are paid higher today than
they were 40 years ago. And with q mag
ni6cent disregard Of all other reasons why
they are paid higher, he hurres to the CON
clusion that 1t is because Of the tariff Of AZ lO
average on everything they purchase And
he leaves the audience to infer that the sue
cess Of the democratic policy-the adoption
Of tariff Of 40 per cent-would lower the
princely salary OF this thousand men who
get $l.l5 to that of "paupsr labor Of Eu.
rope Thus he passes on from the first
proposition, namely, that the policy Of the
democratic party will lower wages, having
satisfied himself and the impartial audience
that he has proven it beyond the shadow Of
doubt. (Sic)
Then he took up the second proposition,
namely, will the reduction Of the tariff pro-
posed by tho democratic party result in the
oheapening Of the goods that the working.
men buy?
That Is what President Cleveland thinks,
because he says that the tariff is added to the
cost price of the goods, and the consumer
pays the whole thing. That being so, il the
tariff is lowered, it will cheaper the article
1t is lowered on the amount it Is lowered.
Mr.. Widmer gives the President credit for
entertaining that opinion.
Mr.. Widmer also commented on Mr..
Brewers speech at the Democratic County
Convention, where he stated that the poor
man has to pay $S9.97 on every 500 worth
Of clothing he buys, Tor pay $lSo.97 for
every 500 of actual value he receives, and
he takes issue with Mr. Brewer and the
President. He took the position that the
consumer does not pay all Of the tariff He
did not tell just how much he did pay, bu,
he said he was sure he didn't pay ALL of 1t.
l suppose that is so, because the Major said
it was 90.
In proof Of his position he cited the eel.
ebrsted Government army blanket contract.
He said that the English manufacturers
offered to sell blankets at 1926, tia Ameri.
cans offered them ct 1886, difference Of 81
cents. He says that the tariff on blankets is
81. so 9 blanket. II this was added to the
price paid to the Englishmen by the govern
ment-the government not having to pay
tariff-it would make the price to the Amer
loan people for these English blankets SO. Is,
and yet the Major says We can buy them for
$2.56. II that is true, then the consumer is
not paying all the tariff He is only paying
81 cents Of it. But the Major forgot to tell
US where we could buy such blankets for
$3.50. He also forgot to tell US whether We,
the people, could get them at the same price
at which they were offered to the govern.
msnt, in the face of foreign competition. We
would like to know these things before We
are ready to accept his conclusion that the
people do not pay all the tariff and that it is
paid BY the foreign importer for the pr,vi'
lege of the market. II the lowest price that
the English manufacturer could offer his
blankets to the government for was 1925,
and we think it was, because he had compe'
tition; and if he had to pay $3.50 on each
blanket before he could get it on this mar.
ket, we would like to know how he could
manage to pay all the tariff except 81 cents
and sell his blankets at 1886. Let US figure
it: He pays out, first, 1925; second, ST. so
tariff-$375 He only gets what the Amer
lean competitor sells for, 81 So, leaving him
70 cents loss. This business would not be
conclusive to q bowling success.
This did not demonstrate very clearly that
the consumer does not pay the tariff We
think it proves that he does. We know that
he does. Neither does it prove the PROPOSE
ton that the Major attempted to prove: that
the democratic policy will not cheaper the
price of commodities. Aud here as in the
first proposition the Major has failed.
But one thing he did prove, and that is
this: If the American manufacturer could
bid within 81 cents as low as the English
man without any tariff restri ,tion at all, and
if the American had paid II cents pound
tariff on four pounds of wool the amount
necessary to make one blanket, making 4S
cents tariff on the blanket if he did not
have to pay this tariff on the raw wool, he
could have bid as low as the Englishmsn and
II cents lower. No tariff on the manufsc
tured article at all and none on raw wool, he
could have underbid the Englishman. That
Is the Only conclusion we must come to from
the figures given by Major Widmer.
He talked Of the English manufacturers
smashing our factories, and then monspoliz
ing the market and setting their own price
and making 1t as high as they saw fit. He
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