The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-08-07
LABOR IN AMERICA.
The Ruinous Competition Which Our
Working-SIen Will Have to Meet.

The Ruinous Composition Which Our
Working-s Men Will Have to Meet
When the Indianapolis candidate
for the Presidency. last fall, received
Il delegation of the horny-handed type,
sent to him by some protected manu-
facturer to produce the impression
that there was but one friend of the
working-man, and Ben Harrison was
his name, he usually read them
h mily on the direful consequences of
allowing the pauper labor of Europe
to como into competition with them.
1t was only by putting the Republican
party back into power that the toll
ers of America could be saved from
the ruinOus competition of cheap la
Dor beyond the sea. In his letter OF
acceptance he dwelt with particular
emphasis on the necessity OF some in-
spection of and limitation to immigra-
ton, stating that the day of the immi-
grafton bureau had gone by. He was
very emphatic about the awful results
of the competition of the products of
American shops in the American mar
kets, without favoring duties, with
the products of cheap foreign labor.
'.Such competition" he said, twill
soon reduce wages here to the level of
those abroad, and when that condition
is reached we will not need any law
forbidding the importation of laborers
under contract Such competition is
on our shores already, and there is no
necessity for the importation of labor.
ers under contract, for the protected
manufacturers can get all the pauper
labor of Europe he wants ready at
hand without having to send for it.
The flood of immigration has set in
this summer with force that threat
ems to surpass all previous records.
The Storage of every steamer coming
to this country is filled with the pauper
labor of Europe, and in Liverpool and
Queenstown there are not accommo-
dations for the vast numbers bound
for the protected home OF American
industry. From the Mediterranean
ports come crowds Of Italians. and the
Austrian Government appears to dread
the depopulation of Hungary. Over
two-thirds of those immigrants may
be classed under the general head
of laborers, as they are without
trade or occupation. Hence, when the
Ca 'negies and other friends of Ameri-
can industry undertake. to reduce
wages TO the starvation point, their
betrayed employees must either submit
to it or 60 on strike, with the cer-
tainty that their places will be filed
by the ever-increasing contingent of
the pauper labor of Europe in this
country. The beautiful theory of the
protection of American labor. so elo-
quently set forth by Republican ora
tors in and out of Congress last year,
has failed to materiallze. With the
markets of the world effectually closed
against us by prohibitive tariff, and
our own markets over-stocked, with
trusts controlling the production and
output of every thing, and thousands
of pauper laborers ready to step into
the places of American work ing-men.
the roseate visions Of protection have
assumed decidedly glowing aspect
The Italians and Hungarians are will
ing to work for wages that an Ameri-
can could not support his family on
without descending to the frightful
level of those pauper laborers. Such
is protection On. " Argus.