Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1890-08-27
ON PROTECTION. WAGES AND
PRICES.
tDsnator Justin q. Morrill,, in ths North Amsri
can Revfsw.I

PRICES.
t0euator Justin q. Morrill,. in the North Awer1.
can Revfsw.I
Free trade does not YER profess re-
gard for the wages OF artisans, and 10
based wholly on the idea Of supplying
the demands OF the consumer at the low
est cost. How the armies which delvo
In mines and work In mills and factories
are fed and housed, educated and paid,
does not concern the adismal science" Of
free tradors--if only they . be cheaply
paid. They start In tho race by chal-
longing the competition Of the lowest
paid laborers Of al the world. That
wages under free trade, in such . race,
can DO equal to wages under protection
10 glaringly preposter0us. One fresh
illustration Of the difference, however,
may not be i~nopportune. The late great
wage-strike OF the London dockmen was
made to obtain an increase OF n penny
por hour-6d. (12 cents) instead Of Sd.
no cents per hour-and the increase of
One penny per hour has been reckoned
as . browning victory. But the long
shoremen, employed In the same kind Of
work on the docks of New York, are
paid 30 cents an hour for day and 40
cents an hour for night work. Twelve
cents an hour was stoutly resisted In free
trade London, while $50 per cent. higher
wages still prevail under protection in
New York.
Protectionists claim, rs Bismarck
claims, that protection puts the chief
burden upon the foreigner, who 10 COM
PEELED to pay the duty or give an equiv
alent by reducing the price of his prod
ucts. They also claim that, In the long
run, the consumers supply their wants
ct less cost than would be possible with
out protected home competition. For
example, years ago mOquette carpets
brought Is to IS per yard, but under
protection, and owing to . loom invented
by IN American, they are now sold at
$3.50 per yard, and sometimes for less.
Bessomer steel rails in 1867 brought $l66
per ton, but with . protective duty the
price In 1885 was only $2s. SO per ton,
and 80. 50 in 1883. When the American
demand in 1872 exceeded the home sup
ply the British price at once was adj
vAncod from ESQ shillings per ton to $50
shillings, and again In 1880 the British
price was for the same reason advanced
from 40 shtllings per ton to 200. This
shows how merciless would be the greed
OF foreigners were our manufactures
suspended for lack Of protection.
Home manufactures planted In every
State alongside of the farmer large
~ AVE In distribution the heavy
cost and waste Of long transportation.
The immediate proximity to farmers Of
manufactures is IN advantage . great
that the holdings Of farmers In every
locality Of America where such proximity
exists can readily be sold for more than
nifty per cent. above the price OF land
whore manufactures have not been es-
tablished. and annually yield . much
larger income.
Poiats for the Farmera
The Sentinel has commented on the
wonderful growth OF the. cities Of this
population OF the cities containing 1900
about 226, 1000. In 1850 there were but
twenty-four Of our cities with : popula-
ton Of 1000 or more; nov there are
thirty-four such cities in the State.
The marked disparity In the rate OF
increase OF the city ! compared with
the rural population Is due 70 the devel-
which In turn 10 largely the result OF
the policy OF protection.
Each n OF these cities forms . mar
ket for the agricultural produce Of the
adjacent country. The growth OF each
contributes to benefit the farmer, BY en-
larging the number Of those who con-
sumo his products. They furnish the
most important market, the home mar
ket. They take from the farmers in
large quantities articles which viii not
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