Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-08-27

/ recently IN way that was very annoy
ing TO the protectionist Senator'S. Mr..
I George, Of Miss ssippi. made the state
/ ment that the labor cost OF making a
( ton of steel rails in this country was
/ only 81 81 This statement was denied
and denounced very earnestly by Sena-
/ tor Platt, of Connecticut, and Sena tor
! Hawley, of the same State, supported
his colleague in his denial
/ Then Mr.. Jones, Of Arkansas, under
/ took to confirm Mr. Georges statement
/ about steel rails by the official report of
/ Mr.. Carroll ID. Wright in pursuance of
a duty imposed upon him by Congress.
/ The raw material of the steel rail- man
ufacturer was the steel ingot and Mr.
| Wright had gwen the cost Of making
the rail from the ingot as Sl.54 per ton
J The Senator from Mississippi had said
| (Mr. Jones argued) nothing to the con-
trary.
! Hercupon Senator Edmunds, OF Yer
mont, attempted to convince Mr. Jones
| that he was entirely mistaken in the
matter His explanation was that the
d ference in cost between the steel
ingot and the steel rail vas - p, of
which amount labor got 81. 81.
Dub tNOH IL OtHdtOI luu-IS Dt COf-
rect his statement here is nothing TO
the point The orthodox protection
pos tion is that the labor cost in this
country must be compared with the like
cost in Europe; and when the cost of
labor is greater here protection must be
given equal to this excess of labor cost
That is what Ben Butterworth means
by his famous expression, equality of
opportunity"
Now if Senator Edmunds had exam
ined the report which was referred to in
the debate, he would have learned some
thing about the comparative labor cost
in making ton of steel rails here and
in Europe. That report OF Labor Com
missioner Wright contains a highly in
teresting table giving the labor cost in
making ton Of steel rails in two Amer
ican, two English, and seven Continent
al rail mills. This cost is given simply
on the process of making the rails from
the steel ingots or bars, and it is 81. 81
in one American mill and Sl3S in an
other, the average being 81. 4G per ton.
In the two English mills the average
was 81 % per ton. On the Continent of
Europe the average in seven mills was
81. 63.
This fact crushes the explanation of
Senator Edmunds rather fiat The
| point of chief interest is that the labor
cost of turning a ton of steel into rails
is much less here than in Europe.
1t has long been known by those who
take the trouble to inform themselves
that this pauper labor cry" is nine
tenths humbug. for when the labor cost
of any given article is taken nto ac-
count American labor is found in nearly
every instance to be tho cheapest labor
in the world. This is caused by the
greater efficiency of labor with MS and
by the greater use OF idbor-saving ma
chinery.
If any Republican wants to find out
the facts about this matter he can very
easily get them, and does not have to
take them from British free traders"
either. Mr.. Blaine and Senator Evarts
have thrown some very bright light on
this question.
During President Hayes administra-
tion Hon. William NJ Evarts, then Secre-
tary of State, made report on the State
of Labor in Europe" This report bears
date of May II, 1879.
directed to examine into the condition
and character of European labor, and to
report their observations to the Depart
ment of State at Washington. Their re-
ports were so striking that Secretary
Eyarts made liberal extracts from them,
introducing these extracts with the fol-
lowing strong assertion:
The average American workman per
ff,r
IN 3ch work in "A given time rs the s.verage
Europ an workman. This is so import mt
a point in connection with our abuity to
compete with the cheap lab I manufacturer.
OF Europe, and it seems a first thought so
strange, that will trouble ynu with some
what lengthy quotations from the reports in
support thereof
Tho Secretary then gave a number OF
extracts from the reports Of the Consuls
few of which are worthy Of reproduc-
tion here. They are as follows:
France-At his work tn. French laborer or
mechanic lacks the energy # the American
of tho same class, and the amount of work
execut by him is much less in the same
number of hours. Ibe hours OF labor are
from eleven to twelve, but IA 4 average Amer
lean workman will accomplish as muca in
nine hours.-From tho Report of the Consul
at Bordeaux.
Germany-I am satsfi d that an ordinary
much again as Will one in this district in the
same time.-FrOm the Report Of the Consul
ut ChemniiZ, Saxony
An active American workman will do as
much work in given time, MT any employ
ont, two or three German wOrkmen -
gr Ia che port OF the Consul NJ Leipsic
Tucre can be No question that, reaking in
general terms, the quality well the
quantity of the work of the Germ IN artisans
is inferior to that produced by the Auieri.
l. 1t.ro L.
sluggish and whdt he nc emphasizes is rcla-
lively small.-From the Z port If the Consul
at Snnneberg.
The reports of these good Republican
Consuls led Mr. Eyarts to say:
r the first tim cur manufactures ar
now assuming International proportions
~ a time of universal dep ession We have
met those nations wuich hold monopoly
of the world's markt ts-Iuet them in tneir
strongholds. ard established the fact that
American manufa; turts are second go tn.
manufactures uf no other nation: aad thut
with n prep and Ta'riptic understanding
between capitalist aad lauurcr we can
co nruand fair share of the buy ng WORLDS
pati oaagc. and command that patronaec
with larger profits to'the capittlist and
higher wages to / C lab -FSr than can be
made or pa in any other couatry.
And he adds:
Within tho last fifteen years we have
qcnoGs trated our ability. by the brilliant
Development nf our nwn res urccs, to ex-
c.ude b. hSD 50 coD,pntit on foreign ruanu-
features to a ii re GNt n fr IA S.Ia-res
The qucs ion whira low ptrG apt riiy nal
lcrg all thinking min - is how t. ere tie
'Or..igR domand for hose sD@n fractures
VI cn are left aftor sup , yiag our homo Dc
mands.
When Mr. B aine was S ceetary c!
STATE under President Garfield b. maae
report on the cotton goods report OF |
the world On payes 9s ard % of that |
report the following striking facts are
stated:
Fh y ges of sp.ancrs and weayers in /
l&ncastire Rnd in Massachus aSar1- /
ing TO tn forcSoiH ;vtsWents we're as foi. /
lows per w. X sriaqeF + 'siish, $40 t. /
IS 20 (fo8ster spsnners ruI9iaf - h{ri a. I