Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-08-25

OIHeI llllllSS llldl lHCy die NOl do
we'll off here as in free trade
England, also that he pays about
S per cent more for the articles
he uses in his family than he
would under a revenue tariff.
With regard to the first case l
have to say that reliable statistics
show the wages of the American
workman to be from 50 to 800 per
cent greater than those of his
English fellows. In further
support of this l would refer the
free trader to the report of the late
Senate committee on labor, which
shows that in sixteen different
occupations wages in this country
are about II per cent larger than
in England Further proof is
also found in the reports of Savings
Banks in this country and Eng
land, in which there is no COM
parison between the two countries.
In York State alone with a popu-
lation of 1884 900 laborers there is
| S33,o23,ooo more deposited in her
Savings Banks than the I5,ISI, 900
laborers Of Great Britain.
The claim of the Free Trader
that the poorer classes here pay
more for the articles they consume
than the English laborer is simply
not true. | have before me report
of an eminent statistician in which
he says that SI.oo will buy
considerably more flour, more
meat, bacon, ham, vegetables, eggs,
butter, cheese, tea, coffee, oil, and
in many parts of the country more
fuel than dollar will in Great
Britain. These articles constitute
about eight tenths of the laborers
living. 1t is also we'll known that
many articles of cotton and
wooden manufacture, and boots
and shoes are as cheap here as in
England.
Another charge Of the Free
Trader is that the consumer pays
the tariff, or in other words, the
article is increased in price to the
full amount of the tariff imposed.
This is absurd and is done for the
sole purpose of misleading and
deceiving the American voter.
Let us go back to 1857, near the
close of the free trade period.
The poor mans blanket we hear
so much about at present was
selling then for so.S3 per pair. In
1861 we put a heavy tariff on
them and to-day they can be
bought at $3.50 per pair. Salt is
another illustration. In 1861
there was no duty on salt and it
sold for $3.50 per barrel and our
money went to England for it. At
that time a duty of Ga cents Dbl.
was placed on it and according to
the tree trade theory the price
should now be s3.I4, but it is not
1t is about SI.Io. Another case
in point is wire nails. In 1883 a
duty of $500 per key was placed
on imported wire nails. The
: price at that time was 5000 a keg
and England got the money
This duty should have made. therl
$1,000 key if the tariff reforme1
is right, but it did not. The price
to-day is s2.55 all over the United
States and the money is paid tc
our own manufacturers. have
f at hand the prices of over SOC
articles that are selling at retail
far less than the tariff imposed or
them. Yet, in the face of these
facts, you can scarcely turn
corner without hearing some
parrot-li like voice crying out "the
tariff is tax" Instead of the
tariff being a tax it takes the
place of the tax and goes TOWARD
paying the expense of our govern
ment. But this will continue SC
until the laboring man inform:
: himself by statistics and the
: current history of the day of the
actual condition of the country, il
: which case he will no longer neeo
, the services of the Demagogue
the office seeker, or the free trade
aspirant to the presidency if yol
, please, to mislead and deceive hin
/ for their own self ACKNOWLEDGMENT
There is much that can be said ii
favor of the present tariff, it woulc
:, take volumes to say it. Suffice i
f to say that protection needs the
] eulogy Of no man. Its demon
f STATIONS are abundant proof t(
t anyone who will look at thu
/ matter in an bipartisan light tina
7 it is prominently the only policy
this country can adopt with safety
: to itself and in justice to thu
;, laboring classes. 1t is under it:
. benefcent influences that thi:
: country has made its gigantic
: strides in wealth and prosperity
5 especially since the tariff act O
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