Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-08-30


be to get these high Wagesl Why, heis TO
get them because bis employer, the capital
ist or monopChst, will make moro money,
and, therefore, can afford to pay his en-
ployes or hired men higher wages than he
paid them before. l agree that he could; /
agree that it increases his profits; agree
that be might, having these increased prof
its, pay his laboring men more than they
were paid before. But does he do itl That
is the question. [Applause and cries of No,
no1 The tariff has been raised again and
agein and again; it was immensely raised
by the law of 1861 or 1862 forget which
Of those years it was. It was raised in a
few years again, and it has been raised
again and again; and yet in all that time l
never have been able to find the manufac-
turer or capitalist who, upon the raising of
the tariff, has increased the price paid to his
laborers. If there was such a case, it has es-
capped the attention of everybody, even of
these diligent newspaper men, who gather
up all the news, and sometimes O great deal
that is no news at all. [Merriment.l But
they have never been able to find that manu-
featuring manswho increased the price paid
his laborers because tire tariff was increased.
"But, my friends, We have had now for
twenty-seven years nearly the highest tariff
that this country ever knew-fully on an
average twice as high as it was before the
war. We have had that high tariff all this
time. Now, if that high tariff is SO much
for the benefit of the laboring men, why
have not the laboring men in these twenty
seven years grown rich, l should like to
know9 Have they2 [Cries of No, nor] If
they have they are very unreasonable men,
for not year passes over our heads that we
do not hear of strikes Of the laborers be-
cause they demand more wages, and say
they can not live on what they receive.
Again and again we hear of what are called
1ock-outs'-that is, where the employers
suspend operations and lock up their mills
because, they say, they can not afford to
pay any more wages than they did pay.
Why are these strikes9 Why are these lock-
outs9 Why are there such institutions as
labor unionsa So as to secure better wages.
Why is there such an institution as the
Knights of Labor? To prevent laboring
men from being imposed upon and to in
crease their compensation. Why is there
necessity for all these things and all these
extensive and worthy organizations if
high tariff gives high wages to the laborer2
No man can answer that question satisfac-
torily even to himself. If what these men
say is true about high tariff and its effect
upon wages, why then, gentlemen, all these
labor unions, all these Knights of Labor,
and everybody else who is engaged in that
kind of business are simply wasting their
time, for the tariff nicely solves the prob
lem for them. Laughter and applause
Yes, it does solve the problem for them, but
not in the way they like. [Renewed
laughter.l Not precisely in the way that
they feel as if they were benefited, and
therefore they have to resort to other means
to get these wages which the employers are
not willing to pay. But while I am on this
subject of the laboring man let me add, they
say that the tariff does not raise the price
If it doesn't raise the price, l would like to
know why the manufacturers or so many
of them, are in favor of it2 Do they want
high tariff in order to lower the prices?
Not many of them, think. There are in
stances in which a high tariff has lowered
prices for special and peculiar reasons; but
as a general rule, as I have already shown
you by what I read from Mr.. Adams re-
port, and from other authorities, and also
If it doesn't increase the price you may be
sure that the manufacturers and capitalists
would not want it; and if doesn't increase
the price, pray where is the protection
where does that come in2 They are afraid
of our getting things cheaper in this coun-
try than they can be manufactured here, as
they say, by reason of the pauper labor, as
they call it, of Europe.
"Well, now, if the tariff is not to increase
the price of articles which we buy and
which are manufactured here, where is the
protection to American manufactured and
how, if the price is not raised, can they pay
better wages to the laborer3 But there is
one class of laborers, my friends, that
want to call your attention to especially.
There is one class of laborers in this coun-
try who have been, according to the claims
of Abolitionists in the country, and of the
Republicans, their especial wards-especially
under their guardianship and for whose in
terests they feel the most peculiar and earn
est solicitude, and those are the negroes.
''Now, the result of the war was to free
about four millions of negroes, and am
very glad they were freed, and they have
increased now to about six millions or seven
millions, for the negro is prolific. [Great
laughter and applausel Now, how do these
negroes make their livingl Why, great
many of them go to town and pursue any
kind of handicraft that they can, becoming
domestic servants, backing Shoes shaving
faces or doing things of that kind. But in
the country the negro makes what he gets
by cultivating the earth throughout the
whole south. How does he cultivate itl
Why, he either has bought some land-and
some of them have bought good deal-or
he rents the land. Whether he cultivates
his own land or whether he rents it, the
crops that he gets from it are the remunera-
tion he receives for his toll. Now, that crop
in the main consists of cotton. some corn
and some little wheat, hut mainly all cotton.
"Now, how can the high protective tariff
benefit that negro who raises cotton and has
for his share Of the crop tsree or four or five
bales of cotton each years Why, gentlemen.
there is no tariff at all OH cotton. 1t comes
in free as the air The price of cotton,
therefore, is not raised, as they say, or less.
ened by this tariff tax, and vet here is all
that the negro has for his labor He can't
get a cent more for his cotto, by reason of
any high protective tariff, and he dom get,
perhaps, a cent less. He has to sell his cot.
ton and to sell it at the price that is made
by the foreign market; the price in Liver
pool or in London, to which cotton is ex-
ported from the United States. 1t is there
that the price of his cotton is fixed, and for
that price he has to sell it, tariff or no tariff
"But how is it on the other hand2 The col
ored man, although he is living in a pretty
warm climate in some places, still wants to