St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-25
PROTECTED" FARM LABOR.

The protectionist papers and speakers
spend no little time in trying to persuade the
American farm laborer that protection helps
him. Happily the leading Republican Or
gans of the West no longer lay much stress
on this, knowing that the farmers of the
West can no longer be fooled. Some Of the
so-called farmers papers make the same
claim. One of them lately fell into the
hands of Mr.. Macarthur, of Hancock, Stew
ems county, this state, who has taken the
pains to compare the averages with those
taken from the Peoples journal. of Dun
dee, Scotland, with the result tina. the pro-
tectionist claim is com pletey disproved. and
all things considered, the Scotch farm la
borer is shown to be much better paid than
his American co-laborer Mr. McArthur's
letter follows:
To the Editor of the Globe.
Sir: In the Farmers Tribune published
during the present week there is an editorial
setting forth the beauties of protection and
showing the blemishes of free trade To
illustrate his position the writer contrasts
the condition of the American agricultural
laborer with that of his British brother.
Wages is made the test Taking some statis-
tics TO suit from an organ of British protee-
uonlsts. named Fair Trade the Tribune tries
to show the condition OF the British fam
hand with that of the American.
British farm hand, wages per annum, with
board $50; American farm hand, wages per
annum, with board, 1886. Thus, according
to the Minneapolis Farmers Tribune. the
wages of the highly protected American
farm laborer are over three times that of his
British free trrde brother
Did the writer of the article to which l call
your attention know that he was contrasting
the wages of six months labor of the British
worker with that of twelve months wages
enclose clipping from the Peoples Journal.
published in Dundee, Scotland. You
see there the wages of the much pit
led free trade farm hand are. from Sig
10 Ell per six months, or $50 to SIS per six
months; not, mark you, per annum: in
other words, $160 per year for first hands to
Sll0 for the lowest class of plowmen. The
average, as given in the Nairn Herring fair,
is ETA. or SO per six months, or S140 per
annum with board. The Tribune tries to
make us believe that one-halr is equal to
whole, or that six months free trade labor
is equal to twelve months highly protected,
save the mark, labor. Is it any wonder that
farmers and others are indignant at that por-
ton of the press that tries to hoodwink them
and thus bolster up cause that rests on
human greed and selfishness, to wit Pro
tectionism." AS A. Lincoln said you may
fool some OF the people all the time, but you
can't tool all the people all the time. This
applies to such sheets as the Farmers Tri-
Dune."
The clipping from the Dundee paper to
which Mr.. Macarthur refers in the above let
ter follows:
Feeling Market-The half-yearIy. feeling
market was held at Marin on 21st inst. The
attendance was not quite so large as usual,
but the demand for wages WAS exceptionally
high. In some case foremen asked and re-
ceived SIC. Wages have risen slightly on the
whole, perhaps about 81. The rates were
quoted as follows: Foremen. 914 to ZIG;
second horsemen e13 to Els; third horse
men, ell to 913; orramen, 81 to ell; women
for outdoor work, 81 to eS; boys. e5 to eS.
Women for farm work appear to be getting
scarcer year by year. The demand was
greatly in excess of the supply