Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-09-16
THE CENTRAL FALLS WOODEN MILL.

of the Central Falls Noulth NH "ou4u
have been bettered II there was no Nc
Kinley tariff bin IN force; in other words,
IL the markets Of the United states were
open without restraint to the Influx Of
OF the wooden goods Of England and Ger
many, produced by the confessedly
cheaper labor las compared with Amer!-
can labor OF those countrles?'
In the first place may not the employees
OF the Central Falls Wooien Mill ask
themselves what the Mckinley Aldrich
bill has done for them2 Perhaps our cor
respondent may remem ber the hne prom
ises these siameso Twins Of protection
made To the workingmen Of the country
when they were advocating and uphold
ing their tariff measure. Most OF us at
least recolloct the promises of higher
wages, more work, better markets, cheaper
goods, cheaper necessaries of life
But how many Of these promises have
been fulfilled, so far as the employees OF
the Central Falls Woolen Mil are con
cerned? Have they received the promised
higher wages9 No; the mills are deserted,
the looms silent, and they receive no
wages at all now Did they get the pro-
missed abundance OF work. There is no
work for them. Have the better market
materialized? No; the markets are glut-
ted with the goods of the Central Falls
mill and the company cannot get rid of
them.
Have the cheaper goods found their way
into the market2 No; and as long as we
have the tariff that we do they will
not find their way there either! Have the
necessaries OF life gone DOWN Even the
Providence News, that earnest advocate
OF high protection here in Rhode Island,
has at last confessed "that provisions Of
most sorts are higher than before the war
remarkably high lust at present"
w nat tDen mas lHc NUN ill1N ihIi hbii'
for the employees Of the Central Falls
Wooden Mill? Anything? Has one single
promise made by Senator Aldrich or any
of his tribe, been fulfilled? I'm fact, in
every case where promise was made the
exact opposite has occurred and the oper-
ative In the Central Falls Woolen Mill is
worse off than what he was before the act
was passed. Protection in this case has
protected it out OF existence.
But how, we are asked, would the
employees Of this mill be better OF if there
was no Mckinley tariff Certainly they
could be no worse of than what they are
now, for they have no work at all in that
mill and there is no prospect OF any. But
II the tariff was taken of OF the materials
used by the company IN turning out it,
product and the simple cost OF the mate
rials, less the tariff considered, and the
amount OF the tariff used for tho purpose
VI paying lhboIi Mbhl q Naol ulhIlNh''
there would bel The amount every year
that was paid out by this concern on ac-
count OF the tariff for it, raw material
amounted TO many thousands of dollars.
So much more then the company could
have spent for labor; could have paid our
correspondent for his work; could have
paid To his fellow workmcu and work.
women.
The markets Of the world might have
been open to the Wooden mill then, while
now it is confined to the markets here.
The markets here are gluttod so they say;
but II reciprocity will open up a market
for us, so will a delivery from the chains
OF protection and chance to compete on
an equal footing in the markets Of the
world. But we must first be delivered
from the bondage we arc now IN Of pay
ing enormously for the goods we use in
manufacture.
The cry OF cheaper labor is bubble
that has been prickod long ago. It isn't
the tariff that makes wages high. The
tariff never made wages high anywher
Even Major Mckinley and Mr. Blaine ad-
NIT that
But 1t is the ability TO do more in a
given time that makes the American
laborer worth much more 20 bis employer
Does the German or the English laboror
turn out rs much for his employer AZ hi.
brother worker hero2 Are his hours IA,
same? Are his machines run at the sam,
speedf The lsborer everywhere is paid IN
proportion TO what he does and as be /,
profitable to his employer he is paid &C.
cordipgly. The facts show tha, be turns
of more goods, and therefore gets better
pay. This because he is superior TO his
European competitor in every way.
With markets open 80 that be could
compete instead OF being confined and
crippled as he is, IL would not be long be-
g. 49,