The Forrest City times., 1891-02-06
HANDS OF THE POTTER.
LOWER WAGES AND A STRIKE
 AT TRENTON, N. J.

A High Tariff Journal Prints Soine In-
 teresting News-The Highly Protected
 Manufacturers of Pottery Cut Wages
 One-third and Their Men Strikc-This Is
 Twce-Told Tale.
 The protectionistnew and trade journals arc printing great deal ot news now that will be of interest in future discussions of the Mckinley tariff law. Here, for example, are two items which have recently appeared in tho Boston Commercial Bulletin:
 The pottery manufacturers of Tren- ton, N. J., have submitted a s,hadule of wages to the sanitary ware pressers which means reduction of about 8 k per cent"
 "Nearly 400 potters arc on strike in Trenton, N. J.. because Of the decision to reject the reduction of wages proposed by the manufacturers. The men were willing to continue work at the old scale pending further Investigation, but the bosses insisted that the new list was to go into effect, and the men quit work
 These two items are taken from tho same column in the high tariff organ; and on the same page is an editorial de-. lending the Mckinley tariff law.
 The McKinleyites gave the pottery men higher protection than they ever had before, in order, of course, to pro tect American labor," yet already this same American labor has it's wages cut down one third and goes out on Il strike
 It is d significant fact that the tariff law of 1883 was followed by the same re- suit, though not in so brief time. This fact was admitted before the Mckinley committee by Mir. John Moses, a large manufacturer, of Trenton, N l., as the following extract from his testimony will show:
 MT. Carisle--In answer to a question by Governor Gear, you said that if the Mills bill had passed, in your opinion you would have been compelled ther to close up your establishment or to re- duce wages. Is it not q fact that shortly after the passage of the act Of 1883, which increased the duties, you reduced wages at Trenton?
 MT. Moses No, sir.
 Mir Cariisle-They have never boen reduced since 1885?
 Mir Moses-In 1885 thcrc was a TO. duction submitted to by the mea them selves, owing to the reduction made in the price of goods From 1879 to 1885 there was no reduction of any kind, although the priee of goods had been gradually gong down. In 1885, about the lst Of January, VIC called our men together and he ,d q consultation, and we showed that there was necessity for a reduction of wages.
 MT Carlisle-That was less than two years after the act of 1883 took effect In about two years after that you found you were not able to pay the same wages as you did before that act was passed.
 M, aa si Nt ia ttsItA hs.- cause the foreign goods of all classes were thrown into our market Prices of goods fell in the foreign market
 This MT, Moses simply wrote cut the duties which he wanted and handel in the list to Mckinley, and that list ap- pears in the tariff law today with no change, except in the direction of mak- ing the language strongeCand more com prehonsive. The duties t Mselves, which Mo es asked for were about the same as under tho o,d law; but there was a moro important form of protection that he wanted. He asked that the duties on foreign ca thenware and pottery should bc assessed on the cost of packing, on the freights in Europe and at sea, etc. As these charges were under the old law de- ducted before calculating the duty. Moses claimed that the importers were saving the duties on from 15 to 60 per cent. of their goods.
 Tho good Mckinley held up the hands of Moses and gave him everything asked for Not only did the tariff bill include the earthenware duties as written down by the hand of Moses, but tho admins tratiye customs law, which went into effect August 1, go, assesses the duties on packages, freighs, otc., and no allow ance is made in 1t for goods broken or damaged in shipment
 Moses had gloomy tale to tell about the pottery business. The domestic potterics" he said, have been kept in operation with tho hope that the wisdom of our members of Congress would lead them to give us tho protection which we so much need to maintain our ground against the colossal fortunes which have been made by foreign manufacturers at the expense of tho American people [" He talked much about the wages of labor heFe and in Europe, and went so far as to confess that but for tho difference in the price of labor there would be no need of d tariff for protection.
 All that Moses asked for to lead the children of labor safely through the wilderness was granted by the great Me kinley; and already the Trenton potters are on strike because of reduction of their wages by one-third.