The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-11-04
In a City Where the Subject Of
Wages Is Understood
Very Well
Strong Points Made by Judge
Kirkpatrick Before Butte
Audience.
Nobody In That Great Industrial Center
Has Had His Wages Increased by
the Tariff.

BUTTE, Nov. g. Special, The demo-
cratic rally Mt the orera honse tonight was
one Of the most enthusiastic and largest
attended of the campaign. There were
several excellent spsakers, bonfires, fire.
works and music. all cont ibuting to a sue
cessful meeting. DR.. Schultz, president of
the Young Mems Dem DORA ticiclub. called tho
meeting TO order and introduced Judge
kirkpatrick, who delivered one of the best
addresses of the campaign. The repub-
!icsn party, said he, by many prstexts. has
endeavored to show that high thrift ID
necessary TO the prosperity of the country.
-Four years ago Harrison was elected on
that ptetext, the Mckinley bill was made a
law, bill which raised the high war tariff
AZ per cent higher. Now the beneficiariss
of that tariff. through the republican news
papers and speakers, say to the people,
I'VE pray you continue us in power for We
are the particular friends of labor. II the
democrats are placed in power we will be
deprived of revenue from the tariff which
we mean to devote to increasing the wages
of employees"
Tho democratic party has shown the
fallacy of such arguments. They have told
the people that they have no security for
the promises made by the republicans and
no assurance that the promises made will
be fulfilled Besides, the laborers Of the
protected industries are very small per
cent. of the laborers in the country, SO thaa
even II their promises were fulfilled uni
versal tax would still have to be levied for
the benefit of the few. Harrison was
elected on that pretext and now comes
Wayne MaoVeagn, that old republican, and
says the election was paid for In cold coin
by tariff benefcaries. For them the No
Kinley bill was passed by republican con-
gress, but if the promises of the party went
for anything the money received through ii
by the protected industries was simply re-
ceived in trust for the laborinQ men, and
was to be applied to increasing their wages.
Have any higher wages been paid or more
lator employed since the passage of that
bill? Have there been less strikes and lock-
outs? No; the truth is that wages in nearly
all the protected industries have dimin-
jshed rather than increased. Take Penn
sylvania. the hotbed of protection fallacy.
for an example. Take Carnegie and Friok,
for instance. who have been piling up mil
lions of wealth under protection, have they
increased the wages of their employees?
NOV Cue slH8to pEUtSGt5u luuUSkty Ill Lldb
state has increased wages since the passage
of the Mckinley bill. Did any single tariff
beneficiary call his men around him and
tell them that by reason of high tariff he
was protected by cheap foreign com pet tition.
and that he got that protection on the
promise to increase the wages of his em-
ployes and that he was glad of the oppor-
tunity to discharge his obligation TO the
government and lnborers2 Not one Of
them has been heard 30 do 80.
On the contrary, we hear too often the
cry of distress coming from the workshops
of the protected industries. Fortunes are
piled up by the partnership between the
government and the corporations that has
been the policy of the republican party,
under the tariff law. The promises under
which the Mckinley bill was passed have
all been broken. No sooner did it become
a law than 300 of the protected manufao-
turers actually cut down wages, and since
the massage of the bill there have been no
less than 800 instances of strikes, loekouts
and labor disturbances The protected
manufactur sts are the men who contribute
the republican corruption fund by which
the ballot is debuuched. Judge Kirkpat-
rick also spoke on the silver question.
An able speech was also delivered by Hon.
w. A. Clark.