New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-30
HELP FOR AMERICAN LABOR.

The Manchester Board of Trade complains
that British trade is decreasing. The bradford
woollen manufacturers attribute great loss OF
business to the new American tariff, and 50 do
the Sheffield manufacturers of cutlery. The
manufacture Of cotton ties is said to have
been virtually extinguished, and the Welsh tim
plate makers are at war with their hands, each
side declaring that the industry in that country
will be Frustrated unless its demands are grant
ed. German woollen manufacturers, Austrian
button makers, French producers of silk goods
and silk plush are complaining that the Ameri-
can duties have closed multitude OF works.
TIE American thinks first OF the enormous
expansion of industry in this country which
these changes involve Not one of the foreign
products can be shut out by the new duties, UNI
less the demand here is supplanted by CORE
spending products here, and if it Is so sup
piled. the American workers must have more
work to do by many millions worth every year
Thus it is simply impossible that the foreign
industry should be suppressed or Frustrated by
the tariff, unless the object of that tariff the
development and expansion of an American in
dustry. is actually attained When it is at
tanned thousands Of Americans have work who
were previously seeking work in vain or else
thousands of immigrants from other countries
are employed here in establishing new indus
try who were formerly employed abroad in
working for American customers In either
case the American sees that he gains. If the
additional work is done by Americans who
previously lived in this country it gives en-
ployment and wages to thousands who have
been idle. and therefore burden on the earn
ings of othels. The number of the unemployed
| is reduced. As these were constantly seeking
employment, and In order to get it were con-
stantly offering to work for less than the wages
| commonly paid, this reduction in the number
of unemployed directly helps the wages of all
workers. removing or diminishing the most
| powerful Of all the forces that tend TO depesS
the remuneration for work. In this way every
additional hand employed in doing work which
| had been done abroad helps to elevate the earn
ings and the condition of all the laboring people
here, and it is no small gain for the enclre army
of Iaborers that employment has been found
or made in this country for thousands in pro-
ducing things which were formerly imported.
! But, it is said, the foreign producer was also
to some extent a consumer of American prod
ucts, and when he is deprived of power to
| buy the market Tor American products Is 10
that extent cut off This is strange mistake
| The American worker consumes on the average
more than twice as much when well employed
as the foreign worker, all products considered.
If unemployed he consumes perhaps half as
much as other workers here. The mere differ
ence in the consumption of 10000 employed
or unemployed workers is therefore as much as
the entire consumption of the same number OF
workers abroad, even if the whole of that con-
SUMPTION were supplied from this country, but
while abroad the workers get only small part
of their supplies from America. The benefit
| is equally clear when thousands are brought
hither to establish new industry. Before they
had been at work abroad drawing only frlc-
ton, perhaps tenth, of their supplies from
the United States Earning 81 per day or
less they were spending only 10 cents per day
for American products But when they come
here and earn 81 per day they spend substan-
tally the whole of it for the products of other
American labor Every one of the thousands
who have been brought hther in consequence
of the new tariff and of the far greater number
who have yet to come will hire nearly the
entire labor OF another American worker every
| year to provide things needed for him and his