Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-26
JOSLIN

JosLlN, DC. 26.-McKinley lie certainly
playing for big stake. He not only
obtains princely sum for every speech
he makes, but he expects the preside cy
in 1895. G J.Searle In his speech at Jos
lin flung McKinley's banner to the breeze
for 1895.
Would it not be wisdom to start SUBJ
scription for the purpose of erecting
permanent monument at the Worlds Fair
to commemora- the citizens of the
United States who lived in the nineteenth
century, ard for their business shrewd-
ness and financial sagscity. in losning
money TO the banks at one per cent, and
their borrowing it from the banks at
from to 20. according to locality, Was
there tvor such another instance Of dis
interested oenevolencef
There is so much exaggeration and
misrepr' entatiOn in republican papers
and campE;gn speeches that the public
mind has become befogged in conse-
quence. For instance, q great many
people cannot understand and won't b.
lieve that wages can be higher in this
country than in Europe, ID yet the cost
of labor in certain manufactured articles
be less. 1t should always be borne in
mind that a high protc ,tive tariff makes
higher wages a necessity. because as q
the subject is SO complicated that it is al
most impossible to tell how much of the
cost of any article is the real cost of cre-
stiug it and how much is the cost Of
special legislation The tariff not only
enables the manufactures to charge more
for his product, but it greatly increases
his expenses 1t increases the cost of his
raw material. 1t increases the costs of
tools. his plant, his buildings, and this
increases the fiscal cost for interest on his
nvestment. Then our high interest
maintained by special legislation adds
still further to the cost of manufacturing.
1t is pretty safe to say in general that
there are very few articles of Importance
which cannot be manufactured here AS
chesply or more cheaply than in England.
if The manufacturers were relieved of the
burdens of tariff, high interest and heavy
taxes America is the most favored ma
ton. naturally in the world she has the
best nd cheapest labor in the world.
quality and quantity console ed. She
has the smartest and most Inventive peo-
pie She has the most and best labor
saving machinery, and that is the main
reason why manufactured article has
cost less for labor. slthOd2h the higher
wages have been paid than in Europe.
Ia general America ought To be able to
beat the world, aud no doubt would il
she had half chance.
In this connection il should also be re-
memberCd that low priced labor is very
rarely cheap. James q. Blaine in his re-
port on the cotton goods trade of the
world, dated Department of State, w ssh-
ington, June 20, 1881, gave q comparison
of the comparative wages paid in Lam
cashire, England, and in Massachusetts
showing that the wages paid in Msssa
chusetts are the higher. He concludes
The hours OF labor in the Lancashire
mills are Sc in he Massachusetts Co per
week The hours of labor in the mills in
the other New England states where the
wages are generally less than in Massa
cbusetts, are usually 66 TO SO per week
Undoubtedly the inequalities in the wages
OF English aud American operatives are
more than equaliZsd by the greater eff
cheney of the latter and their longer hours
of labor"
Statistics might be fixed up to show
the same thing. The rule holds good
| that take the labor of the country
| throughout. the better facilities for work
| in this country. the larger use of labor
| saving machinery. and the greater eff.
| cheney and intelligence of the American
| laborer mikes the cost OF labor in Amer
| lea less than any civilized country on the
globe.
| The above is dedicated to the serious
| reflection and consideration Of my es.
| teemed friend, G. ]. Searle.
MULTUM IN PA yO