The Portland daily press., 1892-07-27

Senator Aldrichs Speech on on Mr.. Haie's
Resolution-Facts and Figures Which
Are Gratifying to the Believers in Pro-
tection-How American Workmen Fare
as Compared with Their British Cous-
ins-Mr. Chandler and the Grand
Trunk.
WASHINGTON, July 26.-After five
minutes executive session at which the
nomination of Mr.. Shiras as justice OF
the Supreme Court was confirmed by the
Senate today, the doors were opened and
the two house bills amendatory of the
laws as to the redemption of stolen
natiaonal bank notes and receivers for
national banks, were passed.
A resolution was offered by Mr.. Chand-s
ler and referred to the committee on in
terstate commerce as to unjust discrimi-
nations against American commerce
made by the Grand Trunk Railroad Com
pany of Canada.
Mr.. Hale's resolution as to the relative
effects eff protection and tariff for
revenue only" was laid before the Sen
ate, and Mr.. Aldrich proceeded to speak
upon it. The Senator said: ut is shown
as the net result of investigation that the
prices and the cost of living, based on
the expenditures of family in ordinary
circumstances, had declined "a per cent
in May, 1892, as compared with the
period to the acceptation of the tariff
act of 1890. 1t has, I believe, been Tor
many months apparent to the greatsmass
~, Of hn MI
none of the Democratic predictions in
regard to higher prices and greater cost
of living, as result of the tariff legisla-
ton of 1890. have been fulfilled The
decline in the cost of living from June,
| 1889, to May, 1892, as reported by the
| finance committee, was 3-4 per cent
The Advance in Wages,
as sho, by the same report, is rs of
one ps sent. Assuming 5000 as the
average income of the families of the
country, this would be equivalent to $25
a family, an aggregate saving for 10
million families of 1926, 900, 900 each year.
| The addition of this vast sum annually
to the national earnings and wealth is an
achievement which speaks with a more
eloquent voice than / can command in
behalf of the policy under which such
results are possible.
ssIt is very significant that while the
| cost of living has declined for the period
| covered by the investigations of the
finance committee, the cost Of living in
England has increased 1.9 per cent.
While an attempt to compare the average
4 reteil prices in England and the United
States is not satisfactory, am convinced
for family buying the same quantity
| and quality of articles at retail in the
| two countries. that the cost of living
will not be higher in America. These
| relative conditions do not exist, as the
| scale of living for the masses of the peo-
| pie in the respective countries is vastly
| different. At no time in our history
| have the
| Earnings of the American People
been as great, measured by their power
! to purchase the comforts and necessa-
ries of life, as today. Measured by the
same standard, they are vastly greater
than those of any other people in the
! world" t#8
! Mr. Aldrich stated that the recent in
! yestigation of the finance committee
| showed that in general occupations the
wages in the United States were N per
| cent higher than in England. He had
submitted tables showing the relative
wages in the cotton and worsted mills
in the two countries, and the American
| wages. in many cases, were more than
] 100 per cent higher. The tables in refer
ence to the wages in the production of
tin plate showed difference of 152 per
cent. in favor of the United States and
still greater excess when compared with
the countries of continental Europe.
Tariff reformers, as rule, admitted
that American earnings were greater
than any others. They assumed that the
higher rate of wages insured lower
cost of production on account of the
greater skill and efficiency of American
workmen. This, they asserted, was the
necessary result of a general economic
law that higher wages resulted in low
cost of production. There were many
instances in which the producers of the
United States, through the a.
Superior Energy, Skill and Genius
of our mechanics and inventors, or by
the greater or more effective use Of ma
chinery, had reduced the cost of produc-
ton to point lower than that in compel
inc countries. In these cases import du-
ties, of course. were imperative. The
number of cas- es in which this was true
was constantly increasing.
Referring to MI. Vests assertion that
never before the present time had there
been such disturbances of labor. or such
hostile and inimical relations between
the employer and employe, Mr. Aldrich
presented statistics of strikes in each
wear from 1880 to 1890 inclusive in the
United States. These strikes varied
from $40 in 1880 to 1928 in 1890. In Great
Britain, the paradise of tariff
reform, 3,164 strikes occurred
in 1890 As to the prostration of agri.
cultural interests, about which Mr.. Vest
said SO much, Mr.. Aldrich asserted that
Mr.. Vests statement was Numerically
opposed to the actual facts of the case
The farmer today, with the equal mum.
ber of bushels Of grain or pounds o1
meat. could buy more and better clothing
machinery or supplies than ever before
By the operations of the act of 1890, the