Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-02-11
The Tariff and Wages.

" 49, ssaS .A'O'NA ~ WV SA'sN0
States than Europe. Why? The
Republican party says that it is due
to their protective tariff. Is that
true, or are wages higher because of
something entirely distinct from the
tariff and independent of it If the
United States was the only nation in
the world maintaining free trade,
then there might be some excuse for
believing that our tariff caused the
difference in wages but it happens
that our country is not the only
country holding to high taxation, and
we have the opportunity of compar-
ing not new country possessing vast
natural resources and great diversity
Of soil and climate with an old one
possessing fewer resources, but nations
on the same continent, of equal age,
with similar forms of government and
similar institutions, England, France,
Germany, Spain and Italy-these
countries have equal opportunities.
All of them were settled at time
when land was considered the only
kind of property worth having and
the soil and natural resources of the
country were divided up among the
favorites of the crown, while the
common people were but serfs, with
no political or property rights. Every
means for accumulating wealth thous-
ands of years ago went into the hands
of the few and the millions have lived
ever since with no hope. Those
countries have tariff that averages
in about the order i'm which they are
named. Italy, the home of the laz-
zaroni and brigand, has the highest
protective tariff; Spain, the home of
poverty and idleness, has the next
highest; Germany comes next with
its low wages and discomfort France
follows with as little discomfort among
its working people as any nation in
Europe; and England last, paying
the highest wages. This proves that
the tariff has nothing to do with
wages, or if it has anything to do
with them it is to lower them. Wages
are higher here than in any of the
countries named. Why? In the
first place it may be we'll to state that
wages are not so much higher in this
country than in Europe as they APP
pear to be. An illustration will show
how this is true: Suppose that in a
boot and shoe factory in England
there are thousand employees, receiv-
ing an average of SIS week and turn
ing out 5000 pairs of shoes per week
Suppose that in the United States
there is similar factory with 1000
employees, receiving al average of SO
per week, the difference in wages
being 81 per week. But suppose that
the 1000 employees in the United
States turn out 5000 or 1000 pairs of
shoes per week, are the wages as much
higher than the wages in England as
they appear to be, taking into con-
sideration the work done? As mat
ter of fact, in large part of manu-
featuring business of this country the
laboring men produce more man for
man than they do in Europe. The
fact that this can be done is due to
the different conditions that surround
our workmen When men and women
are surrounded by every opportunity
and possibility, where the angel of
progress beckons them ever onward
and upward, they can do better work
than they can when they have no
possibilities aud the future is always
dark. In the domain Of logic, Of
reason, of common sense, IL certain
promises are laid us foundation for
argument. such premises must be adj
hered to- To claim that a certain
thing is true just as long as it suits