The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-08-23
WORKING INTERESTS.
THE FALSE ASSUMPTION OF cLevE-
LAND AND HIS PARTY.

The LaborinG People Dress Better, Live
More Comfortably and Have More
Money in This Country Than Anywhere
EIse-The Democratic Remedy"
Mr.. Cleveland and his party choose to
assume that protection has not increased
the earnings Of working people nor
helped them in any way. Nothing
could be further from the truth. Wages
are higher hero than in any other coun-
try, and employment is constant and
under the easiest conditions. There is
no other land where working people live
as comfortably, dress as well, have as
much money in savings banks and get
on more rapidly than they do in Amer
lea. The protective system is largely
responsible for these results, since it has
multiplied industries, maintained high
level of wages in the face of competition
from cheap labor countries and en-
ployed the toiling masses here instead Of
favoring the underpaid industrial popu-
lation of Europe. The assumption that
the tariff has not benefited working peo-
pie is an English theory, and is not
grounded upon American statistics or
practical experience. But let that 20,
We want to take Mr.. Cleveland and his
party on their own ground. They say
that protection has increased the bur-
dens of the workingman until he can
hardly pay his weekly expenses with his
earnings. What remedy have they to
propose for what they consider intolera-
BILE eyils3 How do they intend to aid
the working masses?
Their remedy is tariff for revenue
only-one that will not protect even in
cidentally the labor employed in home
industries. They propose to help the
working masses by placing them on
level with European labor. Industries
which are now protected from foreign
competition are to be left to shift for
themselves and to take their chances,
That means that many factories in every
manufacturing center will be closed and
men and women employed in them
thrown out of work, and also that in all
that are kept in operation wages will be
heavily reduced. That's the Democratic
plan for relieving the "misery" of the
best paid working population on the
face Of the earth. They will have less
work and will earn smaller wages,
Those are the benefits to be conferred
upon the working population by the
adoption of an English tariff in America,
Eyes, but that is not ALL" will be the
Democratic reply. 1.-THE cost of living
will be reduced under a tariff for rev.
enue." How can that be? All the main
food supplies are either produced in this
country or are already imported without
payment Of duty. Neither bread nor
meat, neither sugar, coffee nor tea will
be cheaper in consequence of q revenue
tariff. Neither municipal taxes nor
house rents will be reduced under free
trade. Food and shelter will cost as
much as now, and these are the main
expenses of tho workingman. As for
clothing, 1t was never as cheap in Amer
lea as it is today. "Yes," breaks In the
enthusiastic tariff reformer, "but it can
and will be cheaper under free trade,
when foreign cottons and woolens are
imported without restriction" We are
not prepared to admit that Nothing
seems palmer to us than q rise in the
price Of woolens and cottons, if under
the operations of free trade American
production of these manufactures is
largely checked. But let that point be
waived. For arguments sake let 1t be
granted that under revenue tariff the
workingman may save half dollar on
his coat. What will that amount to il
his wages are cut down one-third or one
half, or if he is thrown out of employ
ment altogether? 1t will not matter
very much to man that coat will
cost little less if he cannot afford to
buy one at any price.
All this Democratic clamor about
high prices of clothing and the cost of
living is empty claptrap. The supreme
interests of the working millions of
America are employment and good
wages. Under protection they have
both. Under revenue tariff they will |
have neither, for there must be less en-
ployment and lower wages here if foreign |
industries with cheap labor behind them
are placed on even terms with home in
dustries.-New York Tribune