The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1892-12-08

ten years prior to 1891 by Sl35,2l5,94
During the fiscal year 1892, the value of
imports free of duty amounted to $751;
999,65S, the largest aggregate in the his
| tory of our commerce. The value of the
imports of merchandise entered free of
duty in 1892 was 55.35 per cent. of the
total value of imports, as compared with
43.35 per cent. in 1884, and 49, &c per cent.
in $780,
The Coastwise Trade.
| In our coastwise trade most encour-
| aging development is in progress, there
having been in the last four years an in
crease OF 16 per cent. In internal COM
merce the statistics show that no such
period of prosperity has ever before ex-
listed. The freight carried in the coast
| wise trade of the Great Lakes in 1890 ag-
gregated 1895, $50 tons.
Another Indication of Prosperity.
Another Indication of the general pros
| perity of the country is found in the fact
that the number of depositors in savings
| banks increased from 693.S70 in 1859 to
| 4,258, 1893 in 1890, an increase of 5l3 per
cent. and the amount of deposits from
$149, 277, 504 in 1869 to 81 54, S44 500 in 1890.
Plenty of Work at Good Wages.
There never has been time in our his
| tory when work was so abundant or when
| wages were as high, whether measured
by the currency on which they are paid or
| by their power to supply the necessaries
and comforts o. life.
If any are disconnected with their state
| here; if any believe that the wages or
prices, the returns for honest toll are in.
adequate, they should not fail to remem-
| Der that there is no other country in the
world where the conditions that seem to
| them hard would not be accepted as
| highly prosperous.
Believes in Protection.
believe that the protective system,
| which now for something like thirty
years has prevailed in our legislation, has
been mighty instrument for the devel-
I opment of our national wealth, and q
| most powerful agency in protecting the
homes of our workingmen from the inva-
| sion of want. l have felt a most solicit
| tous interest to preserve to our working
| people rates of wages that would not only
give daily bread, but supply a comfort
| able margin for those home attractions
| and family comforts and enjoymentS
| without which life is neither hopeful nor
| sweet.
1t is not my purpose to renew here the
| argument in favor of protective tariff.
The result of the recent election must be
accepted as having introduced new
policy. We must assume that the pre-
sent tariff, constructed upon the lines of
| protection, is to be repealed and that
| there is to be substituted for it tariff
| law constructed solely with reference to
| revenue; that no duty il to be higher be-
| cause the increase will keep open an
| American mill or keep up the wages of an
| American workman, but that in every
| case such rate of duty is to be
| imposed as will bring to the treasury
of the United States the largest returns
| of revenue. The contests not being be-
| tween schedules but between principles
| it would be offensive to suggest that the
| prevailing party will not carry into legis-
lation the principles advocated by it and
| the pledges given to the people. The
| tariff bills passed by the house of repre-
| sentatives at the last session were as
supposed, even in the opinion of their
| promoters, inadequate. and justified only
! by the fact that the senate and house of
representatives were not in accord and
that q general revision should not, there
fore, be undertaken.
Let the Democratic Congress Attend to
| Tariff Revision.
| recommend that the whole subject of
tariff revision be left to the incoming
congress. 1t is matter of regret that
| this work must be delayed for at least
three months for the threat of great tariff
| changes introduces so much uncertainty
| that an amount not easily estimated, of
| business in action and of diminished pro-
| duction will necessarily result.
| Those who have advocated protective
| tariff can we'll afford to have their dis
astrous forecasts of a change of policy dis
| appointed. If system of customs duties
| can be framed that will set the idle wheels
| and looms of Europe in motion and crowd
our warehouses with foreign made goods
| and at the same time keep our own mills
| busy; that will give us an increased parti-
| cipation in the markets of the world" of
| greater value than the home market we
| surrender; that will give increased work
/ to foreign workmen upon products to be
| consumed by our people without dimin-
| ishing the amount of work to be done
| here; that will enable the american manu-
| facturer to pay his workmen from so to
| 100 per cent. more in wages than is paid
| in the foreign mill and yet to compete In
! our market and in foreign markets with
the foreign producer; that VIII further re
duce the cost of articles of wear and food
without reducing the wages of those who
| produce them; that can be celebrated,
after its effects have been realized, as its
expectation has been in Europe as well as
| in American cities, the authors and pro-
! moters OF it will be entitled to the highest
praise
| The Labor Question.
The now strained and too often dis
turbed relations existing between the
employe and the employers in our great
manufacturing establishments have not
| been favorable to calm consideration by
the wage earners of the effect upon wages.
The facts that his wages were the highest
paid in like callines in the world, and
that maintenance of this rate of wages,
in the absence of protective duties upon
the product of his labor was impossible,
were obscured by the passion evoked by
these contests, He may now be able to
| review the question in the light of his
personal experience under the operation
of tariff for revenue only. If that expe-
rience shall demonstrate that present
rates Of wages are thereby maintained OF
increased, either absolutely or in their
purchasing power, and that the aggregate
volume of work to be done in this country
is increased, or even maintained, so that
there are more, or as many days work in
year at as good or better wages for the
American workingman as has been the
case under the protective system. everJ
one will rejoice A general process O.
L -