The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-09
THRIFTY RHODE ISLAND.

THE outlook in Rhode Islandn is the
caption of signed article in the last num-
Der at hand of the New York Recorder by
d. RUSSELL BROWN, who has lust been
elected governor Of that state. In this
article the writer says:
Our people are generally in thrifty condi-
ton, business is good. all are earning COM
Portable livelihood and wish to rive The present
protective tariff fair trial.
And 1t would be strange if the Rhode
islanders, as whole, were not satisfied
with their condition. They possess a di-
versied system OF manufactures. and there
IS superior proftableness in the work they
are engaged in. With immense water
power, supplemented by steam and cleo
tricity, their mills ond factories. employing
scores OF thousands of hands. have helped
to supply the world with cotton. and WOODEN
fabrics, boots and shoes. leather goods,
clothing, hats and caps, etc. Their bank
ers, merchants, spectators, railroad kings,
trust and insurance companies are thrifty
and influential. business is good.n AL
wish to give the present protective tariff
fair trial." And no wonder. They
are, mostly, the beneficiaries Instead
of submitting and acquiescing in the
protective tariff, as the quoted,
expression implies, they urge and demand
1t. The tariff continues to enrich them. by
driving off competition from their looms
and spindles and their improved labor
saving machinery.
But how does this thrifty condition" of
the people of Rhode Island compare with
the condition of the people of the aFricul-
tural states! For the purpose of making
the comparison let US take the two states,
Rhode Island and Nebraska, the former a
small state given almost exclusively to
manufacturing ana businesses growing out
of its profits, and the latter small state
given almost exclusively TO farming
Rhode Island, in 1890, had population of
345, SOC; Nebraska, of LOSS, $40. But the
purposes Of this article will be better
shown by taking the statistics of 1880,
when Rhode Island had $4,000 and Ne
braska 452, 900, especially as we have not
the last census returns except on popula-
ton.
Rhode Island in 1880 had capital invested
So, 575, 0O0; Nebraska, S114, COO 600. Rhode
Island employed CASTS; Nebraska. GO. 502
Rhode Island paid wages, $21, 1855. 900; Ne
braska, SIS, 900, 600; Rhode Island, value of
materials, s5S, 103, 600; Nebraska, S1O,OOO,-
0O0 Rhode Island, net value of products,
SAG, 060,000; Nebraska, 81, 700, 600. Rhode
Island, average earnings per hand, S733 !;
average wages per hand, $40; Nebraska,
earnings per hand, $685.
Rhode Island had population only two
thirds as great as Nebraska; it had only
about three-ffths as much capital invested
in manufactures as Nebraska had in farm
ing and it had third fewer hands employed
and yet we find that the value of its net
manufacturing product was more than
double the value of the net farm product
of Nebraska. 1t appears, further, that the
average years earnings of a person en-
gagged in manufacturing in Rhode Island
were 1913 year, and of person engaged
in farming in Nebraska only $3.50 year
| Deducting the cost of materials and the
wages paid from the value of the gross
product, which the census report gives as
| SlO4, lob, 600, there was left for the Rhode
Island manufacturers net profit of S24,-
702, 600, which is 80 per cent. on the capital
1t took, therefore, three farmers in Ne
braska TO make as valuable product as
single factory hand in Rhode Island made
The Republican party forces every farmer
| IN Nebraska, as well as every farmer in
Utah, to contribute $50 per year to ''pro-
tect'' the manufacturers of Rhode Island
And SO the people of that state "sre gem
orally in thrifty condition, business is
good, all are earning comfortable liveli-
hood, and wish TO give the present protect
| i've tariff far trial.