Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-02-08
ThedTransparent Fraud.

TheTransparent Fraud.
Senator Frye short time since made 6
speech in the Senate in favor of a protectevt
In speaking of the low wages in Italy ht
tariff. said:-
sin government lace factory, employing
hundreds of women and girls, making the
finest thread laces in the world, the earn
lngs were from eight to twelve cents day
One woman, who had worked there for forty
years, the most skilled in the factory, sue
ceeded in earning IL cents day, as I saw
by the payroll of the mill. The superinten
dent of a cotton mill near Naples, employ
ing mostly women, told me that they were
excellent workmen, willing, contented, ant
cheerful; that their wages averaged 20 cent.
a day, while the men worked for 40. In
marble yard found the earnings to be from
40 to 60 cents day. Forty cents day
was regarded as good pay for an able-bodiei
man. In the silk mills 90 cents for womer
and from 40 to 50 for men would secure al
the laborers wanted. The farming was done
almost entirely by women at from 16 to q
cents day. l never saw there any improv
ed farm implem ents."
In commenting on the above, the Lynch
burg Aduance says
Such is the low price of labor prevailing
in Italy and the condition of the working
people, both men and women, in that pro
tected country. The condition is deplorablt
and is about the same in every other foreign
high protective" tariff country. In Eng
land alone, which is the only country i,
the world where there is anything like Low
tariff or ''free trade" wages are higher
and the condition of the working people ia,
better. And yet, in the face of these motto
rious facts, Senator Frye and his party wan
to make it appear that high tariffs max
high wages and give the best of protection
to the laboring men and the mechanics o
the country!
A more absurd theory was never attempt
ed to be drilled into peoples brains, ant
none but monopolists and downright idiot
will ever believe it. All of the ':.strikes" il
this country, and all Of the suffering an,
wrong which our working men have to en-
dure, are the legitimate results of an op
pressive high tariff made to encourag
monopoly at the expense of labor an
poverty.
All of the low wages in Italy and othe
high protective" tariff countries are pro
duced by the grinding power of monopolist
who keep the noses of the working peopl
to the grindstone all the time, and tn
same will be the result in this country IN
der high tariff, when our population shal
become half an dense as it now is il
Europe.
A Bill to Provide a Board of Agriculture
The following is the text in full OF tn
bill to provide Board of Agriculture as i
passed the House of Delegates on Friday
and was sent to the Senate =
To Provide for Board of agriculture O.
Virginia, and Making Appropriation
Therefor.
[Patron-Mr. Dupuy.]
/. Be it enacted by the General Assen,
bly, of Vrgin,a, That there shall be estab
lished board of agriculture for the Stat
of Virginia, to be composed of one membe
from each of the ten congressional district
of the State, whose principal business shal
be the cultivation of the soil, to be appoint
ed by the Governor, said members to b.
selected from the two political parties, 81
that not more than two-thirds of the mem
bers of the said board shall belong to an.
one of the said parties at the same time
and whose terms of Office shall be fou
years, except that those first appointed
under this act shall be for the following
terms: Those from the First, Third, Fifth
Seventh, and Ninth districts shall be TO
two years and those from the Second
Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, and Tenth district
shall be for four years and thereafter al
appointments shall be for four years. TIL
said board shall choose its president b,
ballot.
g The department of agriculture shal
be under the control and management o
the board of agriculture. The Commits
sioner of Agriculture shall be ec ODfcio
member of the board and secretary ANT
treasurer of the board of agriculture.
8. For the purpose of practically carry
ing out the designs for which the board o
agriculture is established in this State al
appropriation of $15, 900 for each and ever,
year is hereby made, to be placed to tn
credit of the treasurer of the State board O
agriculture, to be paid out as hereinafte
directed on the warrants of said treasurer
countersigned by the president of tn
board.
4. The said sum shall be annually ap
piled by the Commissioner of Agriculture
under the orders and direction of the salt
board, to the promotion of the objects ant
purposes mentioned in the act of Assembl.
approved March 80, 1877, chapter 249, en-
titled san act to establish department o
agriculture, mining, and manufacture!
for the State" and acts amendatory there
of, establishing bureau Of immigration
and also bureau of labor and industrial
statistics pertaining to agriculture and TO
such other purposes as are specified in thi
act and;uot otherwise speciallysprovided TO-
5. The State board of agriculture shal
as soon as practicable organize Throughout
the State of Virginia system Of farmers
Institutes for the purpose of considering ant
discussing questions relating to practica
agriculture, Horticulture, pomology, ant
so forth and they shall be authorized t,
employ one or more persons compel ent t.
give instructions in practical and scientific
agriculture, to deliver lectures and reat
essays relating to agriculture and kindred
pursuits.
6. 1t shall be the duty Of the Commits
sioner of Agriculture to cause to be printed
with his annual report such of the lecture
delivered and essays read at the farmers
Institutes and industrial statistics pertain
ing to agriculture as the State board shall
deem of sufficient value to be preserved il
permanent form.
Z. The State board of agriculture shal
meet annually ia the city of Richmond 70
the transaction of business on the secon,
Wednesday in January in each year, bu
called meetings of said boards may be he'll
at any time upon he call of the president
The actual expenses Of the board of agricul
ture shall he paid by the treasurer of sal
board Oh the order of the president bu
no member of the board, other than tn
Commissioners of Agriculture, shall receiv
any compensation over and above expenses
7. AL laws ia conflict with this act ar
hereby repealed.
9. This act shall be in force from it
passage.
The Istllmus Transit.
A learned writer in the New York Jou,