Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-10-27
BREWER On THU TARIFF


yon know " hen we took plow frout
the furnace we put IL Into the ground.
and ever, time we got 10 corner Ne
had 10 Get a sharp stone 10 scour the
mouldboard; and that vas so With al
the tnines We used on the farm.
| sad il tended u enhance the wages
OF labor. GO back again. What MAS
cur experience, and what was the ex-
perieues Of those that were compelled
To labor nervous To the war; What was
the rate OF wages during those years
When YOU were hired by the year, ten
dollars a month. When you warked
through the summer season alone,
thirt~en dollars was the highest price
thai have ever known being paid at
that time IN Oakland county. We
worked in the harvest held for
one dollar Q day. We swung the
moving seythe for ssventy-fiys cents
per day. How was il in the manufac-
turing Industries thai existed al that
tlme9 | have here = statement from
the books OF one OF the largest WOODEN
manufacturing establishments in the
great city ol Philadelphia. both IN 1850
and 1889. The 50 nners IN this estAb-
lishment Ia 100 got ak dollars per
week; IN 1855 fifteen dollars per week.
The weayers IN 1850 four dollars per
week; in 1883 ten dollars. The nnisn-
ers IN 1860 Sab per week, IN 1888 IS
per week. The skilled labor in 1860 ST.,
in 1883 Sl5. The common laborer in
1900 81 per week; in 1888 50 per week.
The engineer OF the establishment
in 1860 $3.50 per week, III 1886 SO per
week. And appeal to you, fellow
citizens; sonie OF you were engaged IN
manufacturing establishments during
the years from 1855 TO 1860. Take the
rate OF wages that existed at that time
and then compare il with the rate OF
wages you are receiving today IN this
country. Mr.. McMilIn, who spoke
here the other night, said there has
been no increase of wages since the en-
actment Of the Mckinley bill. Fellow
citizens, we did not promise any in
crease OF wages. What we sought was
10 maintain the wages that our !aboring
men were receiving. They threatened
To- repeal our tariff laws, or TO reduce
the duty 50 ~ to encourage importa-
ton oil lie product oil foreign labor,
and we comeated that idea and said
"if you DO that you must inevitably de-
stroy our industries. or you must de-
crease the wages of the laborlng men
employed therein" and therefore we
insisted on maintaining protec-
tive policy, that We might
maintain the wages that were hcing
paid IN our country. tApplause.l
remember the time when the people
from Iona. and perhaps from Grand
Rapids, carted their wheat TO Pontiac
or 10 the city of Detroit. After We got
a raiIroad at Pontiac many OF them
marketed their grain there. The nearer
you can bring the consumer OF pro-
duct of the farm To tine farm itself, the
more valuable becomes the product
which we raise. Hence, the more val
nable the farm. This principle is rs
liked as fixed can he. The more mouths
we have to feed from our farms in this
country, SO much the better il is for the
farmer than toirxport these products to
ioreign lands to feed them there.
But | must hasten on. i said that 1t
intended to develop our natural wealth
and material resources. Compare your
country today in its wealth and re-
sources with what it had IN 1860. Let
me look at the wealth and the wonder
fsl increase from 1860 TO the present
time. These figures are taken from
the census reports during the years
which ] shall mention. In 1860 We had
IN this country but "a. 900 miles ol rail-
road; ,day We have lie, 900 miles. In
1860 We produced IN this country but
las ,0U0, zoo bushels of wheat, While this
year our product is over 800. 000. 900 OF
bushels. The wealth OF our country as
shown hy the statutes III 1850 WAS cut
Sic .0o0, 000, 900; III 1870, $50 goo 90, 900;
IN 1850, $i3. 000. 100000; in 1890, as
shown by our recent census, the wealth
of our country has increased to the
enormous sum OF S61 900 ,000, 900. No
country on the face OF the globe
can show such rspldity OF ac-
emulation of wealth az is
shown by the figures winch l have
gwen you taken from the records OF
the government. Bismarck said on
the l4th of May, 1882: "The success of
the United States III materia! develop
ment Is the most illustrlous of modern
times. The American nation has sue
cessfully borne and suppressed the
most gigantic and extensive war Of all
modern history, and immed lately al
terward disbanded Its army, found en-
ploymcnt Tor ali it's soldiers and mar
ines, paid of clost Of its debt, gave
labor and homes To all the unemployed
OF Europe as fast as they could arrive
in its territory. and still, 10y tax som
direct as not Ia oe perceived, much less
felt. Because 1t - my deliberate judg-
ment that tho prosperity OF America Is
mainly due 10 - sys,s'. of protective
laws, urge that Germany has now
reached that point where 1t is neccs.
sary 10 i'm tate the tariff system OF the
United States" Applause.
With adebt at tue elose ekpur war in
1866 of S2,SS6, 200. 0V0ystnat debt has
been decreased unilftodat 4 10 les.
| than 81 ,0U0, 900 600, and iAsGe portion
of tbs Is our greenback currency,
| SAG, 0o0, 900 of it, and Icss than $500, ovC
| OF II Is interest bearing dett today.
Our national debt IN ls10--I gave II
for Is6o--in 1870 was s. $50. 900, 900. In
1890, and including the greenbsck cur.
rency AS we'll as the other, Ssss, o0o,-
| coo. The state debts of all the states
in 1870 were 500 ,0o) .V00, IN
1850. s152. 100000. County debts In
$3.50, 1857, 100000. In 1890. si15,-
600 900. say. fellow citizens. that
a. il the wonder OF the world how this
country could after the great war we
had. the immense destruction OF bill
! IONS of propeTty-that II could have
met its Indebtedness and wiped IL
out as II has, and yet prosperity all
the time existing IN the country.
Mr.. Brewer here discussed the law
OF supply and demand, and proved
that protection had been indicated
by the action OF the people In oppos-
Ing convict labor ~ Ionia. II is an
established feat-established ne well
50 ANYTHING can he by official report