The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-03
SENATOR ALDRICH's GREA1
SPEECH.

| piete that they furnished both amnuni-
ton and arms for every party speaker tina.
followed him. The great tariff speech Of
Senator Aldrich, delivered before the
United States Senate on the 18th uI.., is
Of the Conkiing quality. Not even John
Sherman or Major Mckinley has mas
tered the argumen; for the protective
tariff SO thoroughly in al its details as
| Senator Aidrich, who. equally with
Mckinley, is the architect Of the tariff of
| 1890.
In his great speech Mr.. Aldrich showed
| by the recent non-psrtisan report of the
Senate finance committee on wages and
prices for the iwenty-eight months Just
before and after the passing of the Nc
Kinley law, that the new tariff had not in
creased the cost Of living in this country,
but On the contrary the cost Of living had
fallen since that law had gonAinto opera
| ton Under the new tariff, on the other
hand, wages had increased slightly. strikes
| had been less numerous, foreign commerce
had been enlarged and expanded. The
prices Of agricultural products had been
| advanced
The decline in the cost Of living from
June. 1889. to May, 1892, as shown by the
report Of the financial committee, was ,.
per cent. The advance in wages. as shown
by the same report, was rs of per cent.
This makes an average advance in the
purchasing power Of wages Of AIS per
cent. Assuming $500 as the average in
come of the families of the country, this
would be equivalent TO, say SIS per family,
or an aggregate saving for IL, 0O0. 900 fami-
lies OF So, 900 900 for each year.
While the cost of living in the United
States declined for the period covered by
the investigation Of the finance commit
creased 1-e per cent
Senator Aidrich pointed out that the
rule that should apply in fixing the rates
Of protective duties is that they should in
all cases equal the difference between
the cost of production and distribution,
under normal conditions, of the article in
question in our own and in that Compel
ing country where the cost Of production
Is lowest. This was the rule which was
followed in the preparation of the act of
1880 and of the Senate tariff act Of 1SSS,
which formed the basis of this measure.
On the sound limitations Of protection
Senator Aidrich said:
Protective duties levied in this manner have
but one purpose. and can have but one effect
tia, is, 10 protect American labor and 70 main
tain the existing high level OF wages and earn
ings o! American vorkmen- When such duties
removed or reduced below the protective
point labor receives tie full force Of the blow.
" bile il 10 not claimed thai protective tariffs
guarantee any particular scale of wages IN q
particular industry, and while tariff rates can
not De based directly on the difference in aseer-
tained wages, or even In the relative earnings Of
people n competing countries, IL wiz be readily
seen that by the rule ! have laid down, this
difference becomes indirectly the basis upon
which all duties are levied, Is tariff rates
fixed by tie difference in the cost Of production
between competing countries. sad the offer
eDce IN the COS; Of production IN the iual anal
ysis consists OF q difference IN wages earn
ings This rule for fixing rates should oaiy sp-
Ply, however. 70 articles in the production Of
which the United states has equal natural ed-
vsntages vita other countries. AS protection
ist believe that the United States can rot
afford, having in view ths most rapid develop
nent o: her great resources, 20 levy duties pom
articles IN the production OF which other eo9n-
trles have permanent natural advantages Such
articles should - sdnlttet iree
Duties under the Mckinley tariff are
fixed by simple rule. If IL costs 81 10
produce yard Of WOODEN cloth in Massa-
| chuseits and % cents in France, the
natural advantages Of the United States
being equal 10 France in the production OF
WOODEN cloth. i; would be necessary. in
| order 20 equalize conditions, to levy duty
! OF 20 GEMS yard.
Concerning strikes in industrial centers
| Senator Aldrich showed by report of the
/ labor bureau that she number Of strike. in
| tbs country varied from 4i3 in 1854 TO
! l,il in lSs6, the average number OF each
| year for the whole period being se5. The
| number reported in is90 is 79s. Available
/ statistics show that in Great Britain. the
| paradise OF tariff reformers. S.Isi strikes
| occurred in 1859. The British Board OF
| Trade officially reports / ,02s strikes IN
| Is9e. with 81. 9sl persons involved in 73s
| OF these.
| Concerning the condition of the farmer.
| Mr.. Aldrich said that the prices received
/ for farm products subsequent. to the pas
sage Of the act Of IS9o show 81 average
| increase on all crops of ls.67 per cent. The
| percentage Of increase on many important
| aEticles-corn. for instance, ~ A. per cent.
| was greatly above the average. The
| advance in the average price of all cereals
| was So 50 per cent. Since the passage of
the Mckinley tariff set of October. 1880.
| there has been great advance in the sum
| received by the farmers for their crops.
| and $ substantial decline in prices OF
articles. especially manufactured products.
| which they are obliged to make use OF.
| The farmer today, with an equal number
| Of bushels Of gram or pounds OF meat. can
! buy more and better clothing, machinery
or supplies than ever before. Within this
| period hundreds % millions OF dollars OF
their Indebtedness have been paid of, and
as class their financial condition has
been vastly improved. By the operations
of the act of tSa0 the farmers wers given
larger and more profitable markets both
81 home aad abroad. As sn instance OF
this, onr exports 20 Cuba. largely OF agri.
cultural products, were increased during
the ten months ending June so, ls9s IS
| compared with the corresponding ten
months OF the previous fiscal year, s.. no.
oa,. or IN increase Of S4s7 per cent. The
price received for meats OF al kinds
averaged per cent higher II September,