Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-08-13

If you will look at the above diagram
it will explain the effect of the tariff upon
wages. By wages we mean all that men
make by their exertions-mental work
and physical work, whether for employ
ers or for themselves. The hod carrier,
the farmer and the business man are all
earning wages. Consider the diagram a
minute. A is America; z is Europe; the
heavy line is the border of America; and
60 per cent is the average duty on all ar
tlcles brought from Europe over the bor-
der. Now, let us take any sum repre-
senting wsges-say IS. What is it that
reduces the value OF the S. earned by the
American workman? The tariff. Whyf
Because the IS would buy more if there
were no duty on the articles imported
into this country.
Yes, but here a good protection friend
breaks in, and says that the American
would not get such high wages if it were
not for the tariff. Is that really sol
Think a minute. If the tariff raises
wages. it would be the duty OF every
Congressman to see that the tariff was
put up as high as possible. We all want
the highest wages But it does no such
thing. The wealthy capitalist who owns
large mill pays his workmen at the
market rate. What they produce all be-
longs to him. Sometimes the tariff pro-
tects him from foreign competition and
his product sells at a very high price, but
his workmen do not get any benefits.
All the extra benefits go to swell the
wealthy capitalist. His family often 60
to Europe and buy their goods, but the
families of his workmen have to stay at
home and spend their wages to pay the
tariff prices for all they buy.
Does the farmer get more wages by
reason OF the tariff? just the contrary.
He gets less. The farmer has to sell his
stuff at prices which they pay in the for
eign market. There he meets the COM
petition of the farmers of the whole
world. He is obliged to spend the money
that he gets for his produce in America
and to pay the high tariff prices for all
that he buys. His wages are reduced by
this process. But here again am inter-
rupted by my protectionist friend. He
says that we are giving all the home mar
ket to the farmer. But answer that tn 9
farmer always had the home market.
You cannot take it away from him. He
makes surplus every year, and accord
iDgly we cannot use all he raises. The
prices he sells his surplus for are the
ruling market prices all around. 1t
would be impossible to cell higher in
a"CllCoB lOI II ot ouSC sup
port. and all the farm produce would glu,
the home market and drive down the
price. Equally impossible would it be
TO get higher price for the stuff ex-
ported, for then all would be held away
from the home market, and the scarcity
would send up the price at home. So
trade in farm products creates a natural
balance in price between the home and
the foreign market.
But it is after the farmer has sold his
stuff that he gets most internally bitten
by the tariff, for then he must make his
purchases at prices which are made arti-
ficially high by the average OF 80 pei
cent levied on imports. Thus his wages
are reduced, and SO it is with everybody g
wages. What we want is to study the
value of our wages which is seriously i'm
paired by the tariff, Free trade would
give US the best value for our wages.
There will be more free trade and a
greater demand for labor when we get
free trade IT. W. Brown, Jr.