The times., 1892-10-07

ticians' and the report, signed by ali
the members of the committee. has
;1 peSn given to the public No such
wiuo anu careful inquiry has ever be-
tore Deen made. These facts appear
from the report: ~ "reo"'
rust-1he cost of articles entering
into the use OF those earning less than
one thousand dollars per annum has
decreased, up to May, 1892. g a ner cent.
while in farm products there has been
an increase in prices, owing in part to
an increased foreign demand and the
opening of new markets. In ENGLAND
during the samo period the cost of Iiv-
ing increased 10 per cent Tested NV
their power to purchase articles Of
necessity the earnings of our working
people have never been as great as
they are now.
Second-There has been an average
advance in the rate OF wages of rs of /
per cent.
Third-There has been an advance in
the price of all farm products of 1857
per cent. and Of all cereals 1850 per
cent.
The ninth annual report Of the chief
of the bureau Of labor statistics OF the
state of New York. a democratic offi-
Ger, very recently issued, strongly cor
roborates, a. TO that state, the facts
found by tho senate committee. His
extended inquiry shows that, IN the
year immediately following the passage
of the tariff act OF 1890, the aggregate
sum paid in wages in that state was
SO, 377, 925 in excess, and the aggregate
production $31, 315, l80 in excess OF the
preceding year.
In view Of this showing Of an in
crease in wages, of a reduction in the
cost of articles of common necessity,
and of q marked advance in the prices
of agricultural products, it is plain that
this tariff law has not imposed burdens,
but has conferred benefits upon the
farmers and the workingman.
Special Effects of the Act.
Some special effects of the act should
be noticed. II was courageous at
tempt to rid our people of a long main
tanned foreign monopoly in the produc-
tion of tin plate, pearl buttons, silk
plush, linens, lace, etc. Once or twice
in our history the production of tin
plate had been attempted, and the
prices obtained by the Welsh makers
would have enabled our makers to pro-
duce it at profit. But the Welsh
makers at once cut prices to point
that drove the American beginners out
of the business, and when this was ac-
complished again made their own
prices.
A correspondent of the Industrial
World, the official organ of the Welsh
tin-plate workers, published at Swan
sea, in the issue of June 10, 1892, ad-
vises new trial of these methods. He
says;
the republicans at the polls means the
retention of sthe Mckinley bill and
means the rapidly accruing loss of the
80 per cent. of the export American
trade. Had there been no democratic
victory in 1890 the spread of the tin
plate manufacture in the United States
would have been both rapid and bona
fide. 1t Is not yet too late to
do something to reduce the price Of
plates. Put them down to lis. per box
of 16. 14x2O, full weight basis. Let the
workmen take half pay for few
months and turn out more. Then let
the masters forego profits for the same
time"
And again that paper says:
"It is clearly the interest of both
(employer and workmen) to produce
tin plates, tariff or no tariff at price
that will drive all competitors from the
field"
No Hope In the weIsh-Democratic Al
Iiance.
But in spite of the doubts raised by
the elections of 1890 and of the machina-
tions of foreign producers TO maintain
their monopoly the tin plate industry
has been established in the United
States, and the alliance between the
Welsh producers and the democratic
arfry for re cf,,1n M xyi1 or
ceed.
The official returns to the treasury
department of the production of tin and
terne plates in the United States during
the last fiscal year show total produc-
ton of 13, 240, $50 pounds, and compar-
ison of the first quarter, S26, 922 pounds,
with the last, 8, 600, 900 pounds, shows
the rapid development of the industry
Over 5000, 900 pounds during the last
quarter were made from American
black plates, the remainder from for
eign plates.
Mr.. Aver, the treasury agent in
charge, estimates, as the result of care
full inquiry, that the production
of the current year will be
100, 600, 900 pounds, and that by the end
of the year our production will be at
the rate of 200,000,000 pounds per an
mum.
Another industry that has been prac-
tically created by the Mckinley bill is
the making of pearl buttons. Few ar
ticles coming to us from abroad were
80 distinctly the product of starvation
wages
But without unduly extending this
letter 1 cannot follow in detail the in
fuences of the tariff law of 1890. It
has trapsplanted several important in
dustries and established them here, and
has revived or enlarged all others.
The act gives to the miners protection
against foreign silver bearing lead
ores, the free introduction of which
threatened the great mining industries
of the Rocky Mountain states, and to
the wool growers protection for their
feeces and hocls, which has saved
them from further and disastrous de-
cline. The house of representatives, at
its last session, passed bills placing
these ores and wool upon the free list.
The people of the west will know how
destructive to their prosperity these
measures would be. The tariff law
has given employment to many
thousands of American men and
women, and will each year give em-
ployment TO increasing thousands. It's
repeal would throw thousands out of
employment, and give work to others
only at reduced wages.
Communicate Appeals.
The appeals of the free trader to the
workingman are largely addressed to
his prejudices or to his passions, and
not infrequently are pronouncedly
communistic. The new democratic
leadership RACES at the EMPLOYER, and