The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-09-29
PROTECTION AND WATCH MAKING.
Views OF q Practical Watch Maker, Who
Evidently Knows What He is Talking
About,
rom the Chicago Herald.

Evidently Knows What He is Talking
From the Chicago Herald.
CHICAGO, Sept. A.-Editor of the Her
aid: The Chicago Tribune of recent
issue, in an editorial commenting on
Judge Altgeld's speech at ElgiD, claims
that Elgln owes her prosperity to pro-
lection. Now let us see il this is fact.
MIR. Hunter, as the Tribune claims, says
the average pay of watch factory hands is
50 per day, and this after about fifteen
years of protection. Twenty years ago
the average pay of factory hands was
So, 80 per day. An examination of the pay
rolls of the factory from 1868 up to the
present time will substantiate what / say
to be true. A number Of years ago peti>
ton asking congress to put duty on inns
ported watches was circulated in the
watch factory. The employees we're given
to understand that il duty was put upon
foreign made watches 1t would make
times better for employees OF American
watch factories. OF course the employees
all signed the petition. The result 10 well
known. Congress placed q duty upon
imported watches and inside OF six
months wages were reduced 10 per cent.
in the Elgin factory, being the first cut
they ever experienced in Elgin. 1t cannot
be denied that working men and women
in Elgil are great deal worse off than
they were before duty on watches was
thought OF. Scarcely year passes with>
out reduction of wages. Now, IL this
is protection, l should think Elgin watch
factory employees would prefer little
less of it. During all this time, while
wages have bsen reduced nearly 100 per
cent, watch factory stock has increased
from Sc cents on the dollar up to 475 per
cent, they have added at least mile of
buildings; they have paid semi annual
dividends OF ~ per cent to their stock
holders; they have built fine hotel, and
only short time ago paid $1,000, in
gold out of their accumulated surplus to
stockholders. Now, the question arises,
Who has been benefited by the tariff
claim that the only persons so benefited
are the holders Of Elgin watch factory
stock. Then, again, let us see bow we
stand as regards foreign competition or
be denied that the Elgin watch factory has
succeeded in establishing a market for
their watches in almost all parts of the
world. In fact large percentage of their
watches are sold in England and on the
continent OF Europe. Some person will
ask how this Is possible. In the first place
the use of improved machinery has sim
plified the manufacture OF the watch un'
til we can make better grade OF watch
and make II for less money than they can
| do the work In any part of Europe, or In
the British islands. The city of Elgin is
prosperous because its citizens are hard.
working and intelligent people, not be-
dustry among the many at Elgin that has
been benefited by the tariff. II Ia the
same with the Elgin factory that It is with
all protected industries--the more protec-
tion the less wages, And again Elgin owes
q great part of her prosperity to her great
dairy interests, the city being the center
OF the largest and best dairy district in the
| world. A WATCHMAKER.
NoTE-Now how is II In Canton? Have
wages been increased In the Dueber fac>
tory, since the Mckinley bill passedf Let
the employees answer.