Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-10-02
THE GLORY OF PROTECTION.
Explanation Of Why Labor Is Cheaper
in Protected Germany Than
Free Trade England
In This Country Wages Are Proven
to be Higher Where PrOtec-
ton Is Practically APP
piled.
Answers to Free-Trade Arguments
Against the Bcneficent American
Policy of Protection.

tectIOnlstS. Fer instance they say: lit Is
we'll known that the wages paid skilled
workmen in Kentucky, for instance, is
greatly in advance of that paid in Florida
In California wages are much higher than
In Illinois. This being true In states be-
tween which there is absolute free trade,
how can it be proven that the difference OF
wages in England and America is due to
protection? Again, if protection increases
wages, why are better wages paid in Eng
land than in Germany"
As to wages in England and Germany, it
can be said In reply, free traders should
remember that for several hundred years,
certainly from the reign of the first mon
arch of the house Of Tudor to the middle OF
the IN of Victoria, England was build
ing up d manufacturing system by the aid
of the most rigid protection ever heard of
so rigid that, for quite long time, i'm
prisonment and confscatIon of goods was
the lot of the man who dared to export raw
material that could be used for home man
ufactures, or to import certain things that
could be made at home. England old not
even nominalIy abandon protection until
she believed her manufacturing system had
become so perfect as to give her absolute
control of the markets of the world.
Hence England's protective system had
created demand for
HOME LABOR,
and for long years Englands wage rate
was the highest in the world. Germany,
on the other hand, was a nOn-prOtective
nation for centuries, consequently her de-
mand for labor was light. Protection is
quite thing of yesterday in Germany
and can not have done for it in few
years what centuries of protection did for
England. But wages in Germany have in
creased far more rapidly in its few years
of protection than they have during the
forty years or SO of free trade in England.
Now as to Kentucky, Florida, etc.
Wages are low III all the American states
which have not awaited themselves of the
privileges of protection and developed
their manufacturing resources, and high
in those states which have taken advant-
age cf them To protect an industry will
not of itself create demand for labor, and
so raise wages, unless the enterprise of
the people seconds protection.
Wages are low in the United States
wherever the free trade theory has hold,
and high where the protective idea has
ripened to practice.
Hon. James c. Blaine in his speech
to the Maine republicans August %, 1886
said particularly to the laboring classes
81 read few days since, in creed put
forth by an association of Knights of Labor
in another state. a recital of eighteen dis
tinct ends which they desired to have Sc
cured or maintained by national lagisla-
ton. Among these there was not the
slightest mention of protective tariff. In
any event it would be we'll for the labor or
CARNATIONS to diligently inquire and ascer-
tain how the
of labor in the United States CAP be kept
above the rate of wages in England, Ger.
many and France on the same article OF
manufacture without the intervention Of
protective duties With the present cheap
modes of interchange and transportation
of all commodities, inquire of these gen
tlemen how, under the rule of free trade.
can the wages of the United States be
kept above the standard of general Euro
pean wages? | do not stop for the detail
of argument; only desire to lodge the
question in the minds of the millions of
American laborers who have it in their
power to maintain protection or to lnau-
gurate free trade who have it In their
power to uphold the party Of protection OF
the party of free trade.
Another protentOus fact has ben omit
ted-sO far as | have observed from con-
sideration and Judgment of the labor
organizations They seem to have taken
little or no heed of the existence of more
than million and half of abe-bodied
laborers in the south with dark skins, but
with expanding intellect, increasing in
telligence and growing ambition. While
these men were slaves, working in the
corn and cotton fields. in the rice fields
and on the sugar plantations of the south,
the skilled la.oror of the northern states
felt no competition from them. But since
they have became free men there has been
great change in the variety and skill of
the labor performed by colored men in the
south The great mass are, Of course, still
engaged in agricultural work, but thou
sands and tens of thousands, and In fact
hundreds of thousands, have entered and
are entering the mechanical and semi
mechanical field They are making pig
and bar iron in Tennessee and Alabama.
They are manufacturing cotton in Georgia
and the Cardinals They are brickiayers
and plasterers everywhere; they are car,
penters and painters; they are blacksmiths
they make wagons and carts: they make
cigars; they tan leather and make har.
nesses; they are fremen and pilots on river
boats; they calk vessels in southern ports
they lay railroad tracks: they are switch.
n and section men on the line and fire
men on locomotives. In fact they are en-
tering all the avenues and channels O
skilled labor Of course they are under
paid. They receive far less than has beer
paid in years past to northern mechanic
for similar work. They are able to take
no part in making laws for their own pro
lection, and they are consequently and IN
evitably unable to maintain q fair stand
ard of wages or to receive a fair proper
ton of their proper earnings.
THE LABOR MOVEMENT Is A SOUTHERN
AS WELL AS A NORTHERN QUESTION
Il do not dwell on this subject at length
though it could easily be presented IN ag
gravating detail. | mention it only tt
place it before the labor organizations O
the north. with this question addressed t.
them. Do you suppose that you can per
manently maintain in the northern states
one scale of prices, when just beyond al
imaginary line on the south of US ia
different scale of prices is paid for labor
The colored mechanic of the south is no
so skilled a workman nor so intelligent
man as you are, bat if he viii lay brick il
a new cotton factory in South Carolina a
half the prices you are paid if he vii
paint and plaster at the same low rate, h
is inevitably erecting an industry which
if the same rate of wages be mGintaine'
throughout, will drive you out of bushes
or lead you to the gates of his own poy
erty."
A prominent manufacturer of Bradford