Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1892-09-23
FOR CONGRESS,
WILLIAM M. McKAIG,
A DEL UsION AND A HUMBUG.
OF ALLEGANY COUNTY

A DEL USION AND A HUMBUG.
The high tariff advocates say that the
Democrats "are forced TO admit that wages
are higher in this country than they are in
England" Democrats are not forced L
admit anything of the kind. They have nc
desire TO set up any claim to the contrary
Wages are higher in this country than il
England, and no Democrat has asserted
that they are not.
But what them Does it follow that The
tariff has anything to do with this Wha
Democrats deny is not the fact, but the un
warranted conclusion that the high protec
ton party draws from it. Admitting tha
wages are higher in this country than il
England, it does not follow that they art
so because this country maintains a high
protective while England has very little
tariff of any kind. The Republican assertion
that the lowness of wages in England is due
to the fact that England has no protective
tariff, and that if this country had no pro
tective tariff wages would fall to the Eng.
lish level is a mere presumption. They
have no evidence of any kind to support
such an assertion. The claim that a tariff
makes and maintains high wages rests upon
no experimental evidence whatever.
The Democratic contention is that wages
are lower in England than in the United
States not because one country has a pro-
tective tariff and the other has not, but be-
cause of the operation of other causes. The
operation Of any cause ought to be uniform,
and If protective tariff is the cause of rela.
lively high wages in the United States il
ought TO follow that wherever protective
tariff prevails wages should be high. France
has protective tariff, Germany has pro-
tectve tariff, and SO has Italy If, then, the
tariff is cause adequate to produce high
wages, wages should be high in France,
Germany and Italy, but as matter of fact
they are not Wages are not only low In
these countries in spite Of the tariff, but
lower relatively than in England where
there is practically no tariff. Wages are
higher in one State than in another, higher
in the North than in the South, higher at
one time than another, showing that their
relative highness and lowness depends on
other causes than tariff levied on imports
The Democratic contention is that wages
are high or low according as the demand
for labor is greater or less than the supply
Its the experience of every workingman that
he can get better wages when work is plenty
and when labor is in demand than when
there is little work TO do and the demand
Tor labor is dull. That will always be the
case, tariff or no tariff. But with the tariff
reduced, as the Democrats propose, and Ger.
tain raw materials and necessities placed
on the free list manufactures and commerce
will be 80 stimulated that there will be a
great deal more work to do than there is
now and consequently greater demand
for labor, which always makes good wages.
What Democrats propose is to provide more
work to do, to make more places for men
10 work, 10 increase the demand for labor
and then wages will take care of themselves
They will be high, not by virtue of any
kind Of a tax or any kind of legislative in.
reference, but because, obeyng the natural
law Of supply and demand, they cannot be
otherwise than high.
This is the true theory about high and
low wages, and the Democratic plan is the
only plan that will maintain good wages in
this country. No tariff, however high, car
do it and the claim made by the Republi
can high takers that wages will sink to the
English level II we reduce our enormous
taxes a little is delusion and humbug.