Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-06-22
The Labor Cost of an Article Deter
mines Whether It L. Cheap or Dear.

The Labor Cost of an Article Deter
mines Whether 1t Is Cheap or Dear.
Some plain facts from Mr.. Dingley, of
Maine, in Congress-Now, Mr.. Chair
man, the gentleman from Nebraska
asked me whether goods are lower
WOODEN goods worn by the masses Of
the people, especially those that are all
wool-than in Great Britain.
l answer him that while the cheaper
grades of goods that are not all straight
wool goods are as low here as in En-
gland, yet all straight wool goods are
not as low here when estimated in
money, but that they are much cheaper
when estimated in labor or service, in
which most men ultimately pay for
their supplies.
l will illustrate what I mean: The
Chinaman gets 10 cents day in money
for his labor, while the American work
man gets $3.50 per day for his labor.
Mr.. Scott: Or fifteen times as much.
Mr.. Dingley: Yes. Now the China
man will take his labor and buy in
China with it less than one-half of that
kind of product which may be bought
IN this country by the labor of an
American, Notwithstanding the money
price of the article is much less in China
than here. We all, or the most of us,
unless we happen to have bonds to clip,
ultimately pay for everything We pur-
chase in what? In our iabor-in our
service. Is that not true? Now, if we
pay ultimately in service, the function
Of money and the part that it plays in
the transaction is simply to make the
medium of exchange. 1t is the medium
OF exchange between the labor and the
u-h oh ha 10 20
cure. Money is used for that purpose
IS matter of convenience; that is all
that it does.
Now, when you say that coat which
costs in Cork IS is cheaper than one
which costs $40 in Iowa, you have got
to know another fact before you can de-
termine it, and that is how much does
the man who has to buy thu coat get for
bis labor or service in the two countries
respectively. An article costing so cents
in China, at 10 cents a day for labor, is
much more expensive than one costing
81 here with labor at $3.50. There was
bright Hibernian in my state once who
illustrated this point in way that I
trust my friend from Nebraska will ap-
preclate.
He was a Republican and a protec-
ZIONIST, by the way, and be had been
ONoI LII ILLS lOE u1LO0u JOdIS.
He had not been able to get ahead any
in the old country, but he came here to
this country to improve his condition
this country where people are taxed so
much, where such burdens are imposed
upon them. He came here to improve
his condition, as he did improve it. He
secured himself little house and paid
for it. He had little money in the
savings bank, and was getting along
prosperously. He went back to pay q
visit to Cork, and while he was gone he
bethought him that as he had to get a
new coat he would puy one there. He
did SO, and he paid So for it. and when
he returned some of my Democratic
friends, having heard that he bought
the coat and paid SIS for it. and that the
price of the same coat was SO here, I'M
dertook before a crowd of fellow Dem
ocrats, one day, to rally him on the
point. So they said: Mike, you are q
protectionist, yet see what you have
done. You have paid 81 more for that
coat on account of protection than you
could have got it for if we had been un-
der free trade" "Ah, not So" said
Mike; 81 can buy that coat in this
country for six days labor, and in Cork
it will take twelve days labor to buy
it" Applause on the Republican