Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-09-28

try and the reduction of the wages of the
men employed in them. 1t shows be-
You'd all cavil that the tariff has nothing
to do with the wages paid in one country
or the other. If it had, English s|pinners
under free trade would not be getting
from S7.20 to Sl2 while Americans get
only 500 to 5000 for one-fourteenth
longer time. Or, if it were the tariff that
makes the difference in wages, the weav-
ers of England would not be paid less
than American weavers, while the Eng
fish spinners were paid more. Or, if the
tariff were the decisive influence in fixing
wages, the workmen in Massachusetts,
would not get more pay for less time than
those of other States equally protect
ed by the 'beneficent' tariff. Taking Mr..
Blaine at his own word, it is plain that
the revision of the tariff and the reduc-
ton of its val rates may be considered
without any reference to the effect on
wages, because it would have none, ex-
cept a beneficial n by increasing the
market for our goods. and therefore the
demand for labor.
"But Mr.. Blaine has gone further than
even this in his evidence that the war
tariff may safely be reduced. The only
argument against a reduction is, of
course, that the high war rates are need
ed to keep out of our market the product
of cheap foreign labor. But Mr.. Blaine
shows that low-priced labor is not cheap
On the contrary, he says: 'Undoubted-
ly the inequalities in the wages of Eng
fish and American operatives are more
than equalized by the greater efficiency
of the latter and their longer hours of la
bor.' This is fully sustained by the facts
reported two years previously by an
English cotton expert on the cost of la
Dor in the two countries. He found that
the weaver's labor in a given quality of
cotton cloth wa in Blackburn, England,
25.4S cents, in Rhode Island 17.2l: at
Stockport, England, 25.4; at Fall River,
1896; at Hyde, England, 25.2S; at Low
ell, 1896. Thus it will be seer that the
work of the w%ell-paid workmen is cheap
er than that of the low-paid workmen,
and this is more strikingly true the great
er the difference between the wages.
What is paid for is not the time used but
the work done, and the man who turns
out twice the work in the same time is
worth more than twice as much in wages,
because the saving in time brings saw
ing in all other expenses.
1--WE have nothing to say of the good
faith of the author of the report from
the department of state in his present
capacity as the prophet of evil to the
workingmen and the a~pologists of trusts.
He was right in 1881, and what he said
then is Just as true now. If any work
ingman today is inclined to be disturbed
by Mr.. Blaine's cutlery from the stump
let him turn to the report of the depart
ment of state and see how utterly
g%roundless are his present gloomy pre-
dictions. There is a famous historical APP
peal from Philip drunk to Philip sober
let the w~orkingman turn from the cam.
paign alarmist to the secretary of state
We also add the following on the valu-
alton of the United States from a Primer
of Tariff Reform by David a. Wells. On
these subjects there is no higher authori.
ty than Mr.. Wells:
SO. What is supposed to be the value
of the annual product of all the capital
and labor of the United States.
"a. In all probability, not in excess
of ten thousand millions of dollars $50.
900, 000, 000). The census estimates fol
1880 were IS, SOC, 900, 900.
20. The population of the country in
round numbers, in 1880. was fifty millions
go, 155, 1889. Accepting the census est.
mate of the value of the product of the
country for 1850, what would have been
the average annual share of each person
"a. About $40.
20. If each such person was obliged
to live on the results of his own labor,
what would be the average individual ex-
penditure permissible, to meet the eXpen.
ses of living?
"A. About AZ cents per day.
so. The census estimate of the accum.
ulated wealth of the country in ls60-ac.
knowledged to be imperfect-was el4,-
900, 900 900, exclusive of the value OF
slaves. The estimate for 1880 was S43,-
GAP ,0O0, 900. Mr.. Blaine Gin his letter &C.
cepting the nomination for the presiden.
cyl calls it S44, OOO, OOO, 900, and, compar.
ing the two, claims that the difference,
thirty thousand millions, should stand to
the credit of the protective policy estab,
lished in 1861. Is there any warrant for
such an assumption?
"a. No. In the first place the census
estimate of 1880 includes the value of all
the lands of the country, as well as of all
the churches, school houses and public
buildings, as follows:
fdrlnS III, lJI ,UOU, ON
Residence and business real estate 1851 zoo, O0C