Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-09-10
An English Manufacturers
View of the Effect of Cleve-
lands Election.
T he Success of Grover WopId
Mean an Eventual Fall of
One-Half in Wages.
Important Admissions---State.
ments Worthy the Con-
sideration of All.

The London Iron AID Steel Trades
Journal prints an interview with ]. n
Rogers, the managing partner of the
firm Of e. Norwood & Co., proprietors
of the South Wales and Cambria fin
plate works, which is almost as inter.
csting reading to the American work.
man who is asked to vote for Cleya-
land and free trade next November as
u notification Of an actual cut in his
wages would be, so plain does Mr.
Rogers make it that lower wages IL
what Tree trade means. Mr. Rogers is
chairman of the Wales Tin Plate Max.
ers' association, and as such is far more
interested in the protection Of British
industries than an American. His firm
is building a large tin plate mill near
NorristOwn, Pa, and he has Just re-
turned from Il visit to this country to
look over the ground, but he is anxious
to keep his Wales works going. He
says:
we intend to make a hard fight to
keep our works here and at Cambria
running. Our American works ara
what is called in sporting terms a
hedge, so that if the actions of the
leaders Of the working people and the
house OF parliament make it unproht
able for US to carry on our works in this
country, we shall sun be able to be
large manufacturers"
This is what he s. in answer to the
reporters question, "Supposing Mr.
Cleveland We're elected. what do you
think would be the effect of his Dol.
icy?"
II think the result would be that the
duties would be gradually lowered, and
that wages would consequently fall
The working classes would, of course,
not be waning to remain without work,
and manufacturers would have to re
duce wages to enable them to compete
successfully with other countries
Wages in America are at present about
double what they are here, but If Amer,
lea adopted free trade they would prob.
ably be reduced by one-half, and be
come equal to the wages paid here
The question of free trade or protection
in America is, therefore, Of far more
importance to the working class Of
America than it is to any class in this
country. In America the working class
earn high wages at present, and the
cost of living out there is so little more
than it is here that they have much
greater comfort and are able to save
more rapidly"
Could there be a palmer case for the
workingnan? Could there be mop
conclusive evidence that capital viii
take care Of itself under fee trade and
make labor stand the lower prices BE-
cause capital will have the power 70
force a reduction and labor would not
have the power to refuse it? That
the testimony of a manufacturer, who
is not a republican nor a politician talk
ing politics, but an Englishman talking
in an English town, and who would
prefer to see the tin plate duty re
pealed. But the democratic statement
of the case really is no better when you
look at it hard:
Proceeding, Mr.. Rogers remarked
that some of the democrats said: we
are quite prepared to admit that If the
duties are reduced wages will have 20
be correspondingly reduced, but our
aim is that wages shall be so far re
duced that our manufacturers can I'M
delsell Europe in neutral markets suel
as India, Australia. etc, but we believe
that the cost Of living and Of luxuHeS
should also be so reduced that work
men would be as well off at the love-
wages MS they are now Mt the higher
wages
The great question is whether WoIh
ingmen viii take the chances by youns
for Cleveland and free trade.