The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-12-05
o-o-oh'Byrne, OF Texas.

till too late how the poor rackrented
struggling farmer was forced to supply
the cheap loaf-till I saw the murderoul
crowbar brigade under the protection o.
}, trocns burning them out of their houses
and turning their land into game pre-
serves.
81 saw these farmers afterwards wheel
;np barrows for nine cents day. ! knew
a good strong pIowman who worked fol
the rector of Ballinahinch, County Down
for eighteen cents day without board
I have known horseshoers TO work in the
County Derry from A. N. till 10 at night
| for 1s., twenty five cents day OF oui
money. Please tell this to MI. McAooo,
as see by one of my papers that ne Il
writing about how degrading protection
is to American citizenship. l have worked
at my trade in Ireland from 5 A. N. till 2
at night for 0s. week without board. !
am now getting old, but even now work
| ing at my trade in America l could earn
48s. a week, thanks to our protective sys
tenn. The only degrading thing would
be having to carry three-quart tin din
per pail in place of more genteel one
just holding small pint"
The above bit of stupidity was
| written by one John O'Byrne, and
appropriately enough was first pub.
lished in that universal conduit OF
slush and vapidity known as the
american Economist" 1t was re-
published few days ago in the
Statesman, with the cordial appro-
val of that paper, and yet it does
not state single fact nor attempt
to show or to prove or disprove any
thing. Says Mr.. O'Byrne, "When
young l was an ardent free trader and
supporter of Golden and Bright. .
Indeed How old is he now? Did
he support Golden and Bright be-
fore their labors had established
free trade in England, or was it
during their fight against protec-
ton? Did those farmers wheel bar
rows at nine cents day under pro-
lection or was it after free trade had
been established? Did that poor
devil work for the rector of Ballina-
hinch-wicked rector-while Cob
den and Bright were fighting pro-
lection, or was it after the ushering
in of the free trade era? Upon the
answers a logician would hinge the
weight of all of the above ques-
tions, because it is clear that if Mr..
O'Byrne's evils took place under
protection in lreland-and they did
that free trade cannot be held
responsible for them.
But Mr.. O'Byrne says he gets
better wages in Texas than he did
in Ireland, a circumstance he very
absuruly attributes to protection.
But he does not tell US anything
about the cost of living in Ireland
as compared with the cost of living
in Texas, therefore his statement is
mere assertion, and worthless to
prove or disprove anything. But
we will admit that wages are better
in Texas than in ireland, and that,
leaving protection out of the ques-
ton altogether, conditions are equal
in the two countries. an admission
by no means true. But it will serve
our purpose just as well, as we pro-
pose to show that the matter of
high or low wages is affected by
localities and other conditions quite
as much as by tariffs, although we
believe the wageworker is better off
under free trade than under protec-
ton; because free trade stimulates
enterprise and increases the volume
of money in active circulation,
which always tends to advance the
earnings of the wage-worker by in
creasins the demand for his scryi-
ces. To prove this we cite Mr..
O'Byrne first to different localities
in his own state. Wages in Eastern
Texas are, or were eight years ago,
materially lower than in Middle
Texas, and the difference was quite
as pronounced between the wages
of Middle and Western Texas, wages
in Western Texas being fully 80 per
cent higher than they were in Mid
die Texas, where they were 20 to
% per cent higher than in Eastern
Texas. Again, wages were % per
cent higher at the same time in No
Ian county than they were in Wax
ahachie county. Yet the whole state
was protected alike.
To pursue the subject: Wages
are higher in Eastern Texas than in
Massachusetts, and higher in Mas
sachusetts than in North Carolina,
where wages are very much lower
than in any other part of the Union,
but North Carolina is protected like
the rest. In Northern California,
ten years ago, the writer paid under
ground miners So a day and board,
which is more than is paid here,
the cost of living there
was at that time fully Is per cent
lower than it is here at this time.
Both Idaho and California are pro-
tected and every section of the two
states is protected alike. Again,
wages are said to be as high in
as in California, and they
should be because conditions are
alike, except as to protection.