The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-05-02

| cost OF labor enables q manufacturer TO IN
! crease the price above that limit, which
/ the laborer in return, as consumer, is COM
/ PEELED TO pay, and thus is robbed. The
! tendency of wages since 1850 has been up
| ward, il is true. but it has been equally so
| in free trade England. Besides, labor's
: wages arc fixed By competition if in great
/ demand wages are high, if not, low, and
/ an import tax OF any kind would have no
/ material effect upon the rate.
! Mr.. Bynum then turned TO the state
mentS that the country had grown rich
under protection. True, he said, but
where is the wealth? In the
hands of the few. During the past
/ twenty-five years we have increased our
productive power by the acquisition of
population and the invention of labor
| saving machinery; yet while our laborers
/ are able to produce, in many lines, more
/ than we can consume, we have been
constructing a wall around our coast
which, year by year, month by month
/ and day by day, restricts more closely
! their market within our own boundaries.
/ As our surplus increased our market has
/ decreased We have had for some years
what we nave denominated Overproduc-
I ton. surplus of labor; and we arc also
/ told we are suffering from under-con-
/ sumption. That is true. Our markets
/ being circumscribed, operatives are neces-
/ sarily thrown out of work, and then they
are compelled to live upon the smallest
! amount possible And this is the result
! of protection. The Hon. Thomas il.
Dudley of Camden, n. j., late U. s. con-
| sui at Liverpool and protectionist, in an
article addressed to Mr.. MOngredieu of
! London, said: "If you will go into your
/ hardware stores you will see displayed for
/ sale. imported from the United States axes
] edge-tools, forks, etc, superior in quality
and finish and cheaper than YOU can
make them" American labor has paid
| 81 ton more for its materials, paid trans
/ pOrtatiOn across the ocean, paid an inter-
| est upon q plant costing 90 cent. more,
/ and yet has made better article and at
! lower cost than its British competitor. If
American labor can do this, and we have
! the evidence of a protectiOnist that il has
| done it, take off this load that YOU have
! placed upon its shoulders and give it an
! equal chance, and it will drive the pau
/ pei" labor of Europe out of the markets
! of the world
! The cry of free trade, said Mr.. Bynum,
| is a false one, raised as a bug-bear to
/ brighten the wage-workers. 1t is not a
! question of free trade but one of whether
/ we shall so adjust our tariff as to take adj
vantage of the changes that have occurred
/ and give our manufacturers and labor
! chance to enter the markets of the world.
| Our present law not only excludes us
/ from these markets, but it cripples our
ability to even supply the home market,
about which gentlemen are so much con-
cerned. Last yearwe exported over S2l5,-
! 000, 600 worth of cotton, which was worked
up by European labor. Over one hun
dred and fifty millions OF this went TO
/ the United Kingdom and was converted
into manufactures aggregating S2S0,000,
/ 600, an increase in value OF $4,000, 600.
With equal opportunities for trade and
exchange we ought to have manufactured
and exported a portion of this product, as
it is an admitted fact that in the manufac-
ture OF the cOaTSer cotton goods, such as
new countries consume, we can compete
with any nation.
We have not only been supplying Great
Britain with cotton to work up and sell to
other governments, but have been fur
nishing her industries the materials with
which TO manufacture considerable
amount for our own consumption. Last
year we imported cotton goods to the
value of S2S, $40 1913, while we exported to
the value of only S15,0900 60, leaving our
imports in excess of our exports to the
extent OF Sl3, $50. 293, thus showing that
while some OF our cotton mills were idle
or running on short time, with many OPP
eratives put of work, we paid to foreign
manufacturers over So, 100000 for cotton
goods. We not only deprived American
| labor of the opportunity and ability to
manufacture this amount of goods, but we
taxed the people by way of duties upon
their purchases ST., 7l0,7l9, to add to the
surplus in the treasury.
We also imported during the same period
WOODEN goods to the value OF S44 1902 7S,
while we exported only SSl3,777 worth,
clearly showing that while our wooden
mills were closed, while their operatives
were out of work, we purchased from other
countries over 81, 100000 worth OfwoOlen
goods. We not onlv, by our so-called
system of protection, deprived American
labor OF the opportunity 10 make this
amount of goods, but, to add to their mis-
fortune, we extorted from the people by
way of taxation upon what they were COM
PEELED to purchase abroad S29,279,7l7, to
/ 90 into the surplus III the treasury. These
sums are the actual amounts paid out upon
importations and do not embrace in the
slightest degree the amount we were COM
|. PEELED to pay by way OF increased cost
! upon the home product. We therefore
last year deprived American operatives OF
| the labor required to manufacture over
] So 100000 worth of cotton and wooden
I goods and taxed the people over $40
! 100000 for the loss.
Mr.. Bynum then quoted statistics show
/ ing that this state of affairs has been con-
stantly growing worse for the past twenty
J five years. As a more striking example
/ he quoted figures in relation to the pro-
/ duction, exports and imports of coffee IN
! 1877 the production was 4, 100000 pounds,
! exports less imports ] | $3.50, 725. The price
! TO manufacturers was lS4c per pound,
| and TO exporters l79c. In 1881 the pro-
/ duction was 70,300,000 pounds, the ex-
/ ports less imports 6,600,653 pounds. Price
/ to manufacturers Isle, and 10 exporters
|. l51c. And, he said, we have, during the
! last five years, exported over Sl2000,O00
! worth of copper over and above our inn
/ ports, and yet during all this time we have
| had a duty OF from p cents pound upon
copper ores to 4 cents upon plates and
| bars. What has been the effect of this
/ duty? in the first place, it has almost
extinguished our trade with Chill, where
we used to sell large quantities OF our
/ manufactures. In the second it has, By
fostering higher prices in this than in
/ other countries, prohibited great indus
/ tries from springing up and fiourishing.
/ 1t has, however, been of incalcuIable
\ benefit to the owners Of the Calumet 4,
! Hecla mines, who, upon capital OF
/ g, 100000, had paid dividends since 1870
to the extent of over S30,0OO,O0O. Are