The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-07-30

Never in the history OF the cou ntry had
there been suoh a storm OF popular in
dignation against single act OF legisla-
tion as that which overwhelmed the ad-
vocates of that measure in 1890. And
now, as a result of that storm, the Sena-
tor from Rhode Island and the other
friends of the protective system wore
confessing that higher prices were not
beneficial to the people, and that the
original, avowed purpose OF the McKin-
ley act was wrong.
He (Mr. Carlisle) admitted that on
single day-after the passage OF the Nc
KIniey act and during the period covered
by the investigation-the retail prices OF
215 articles embraced in that list given by
the committee (taking them all together
and giving to each one the same impor-
tance) were 64-loo Of one per cent lower
than they had been at the beginning OF
the period; and that on q single day
(which was the last day included In the
investigation) the cost OF living In the
United States Qncluding rent) had fallen
4i-100 of per cent from the rate prevail
ing at the beginning of the investigation.
He submitted that no just or valuable
conclusion, for any purpose whatever,
could be drawn from calculations based
upon the prices which prevailed on a sin
gle day during "a months-and that the
very last day on which the investigation
was made.
Referring to Mr.. Aldrich's statement
that the committee had found that the
cost of living had increased in England
during the period covered by the investi-
CATION 10 per cent, Mr.. Carlisle stated
that the committee had made no investi-
gation whatever concerning the cost OF
living in England and had made no re-
port on the subject. The committee had
Caused the retail prices OF certain list
OF articles to be taken in England on the
Arst of June, 1889, and on the first OF
September, 1897 but IL has caused no
investigation to be made as to the proper
tions In which those articles entered in
to the consumption Of the people.
As to Mr.. Aldrich's statement that
30 far as he knew, no such investigation
had been made. He had learned of 1t
for the first time when he had seen the
statement in print.
He proposed to show In the second
place that the rates OF wages in 15
unprotected industries in the United
States had increased during the period
covered by the investigation; while the
rates OF wages in 15 OF the mighty pro-
tected industries In the United States
had fallen since the passage OF the Nc
Kinley act.
The Is general occupations in unpro-
tected industries were bakers, black
smiths, bricklayers, cabinet makers, car
penters, common laborers, farm laborers,
machinists, masons, iron moulders,
-,
and tinsmiths.
The average increase OF wages in these
occupations had been 70 100 of per cent
The fifteen highly protected occupations
were bar iron, boots and shoes, cotton
goods, cotton and wooden goods, crucible
steel, flint glass, green glass, lumber,
machinery. pig iron, steel ingots, steel
blooms, steel rails, window glass and
wooden goods.
In these occupations the rate OF wages
had fallen (since the Mckinley act) an
average OF So 100 of per cent. as against
. rise OF 5-100 per cent. in ths 10 unpro-
tected industries. Mr.. Carlisle then went
into a detailed statement as to the cost OF
imported goods and as to tin plate. On
the latter point he quoted Mr.. Aldrich as
saying that the people of the United
States had paid to the Welsh tin plate
manufacturers i'm 1891, 20 cents per box
more than they had been paying before
that time. That was undoubtedly top
true.
The Mckinley act had been a bonanza
to the Welsh tin plate manufacturers.
II had enabled them to take from the
people OF the United States many mill
lions over and above their normal profits.
The Mckinley act had paid not TO the
importer. not the government, not to the
dealers, but directly to the Welsh tin
plate manufacturers q, ,629, ,750, or more
than half the value OF tho plant OF the
eos tin plate works of Wales. The Nc
Kinley act as to tin plate had proved TO
be not for the benefit OF the American
consumer, but OF the Welsh msnufactur-
ers.
Mr.. Carlisle closed his speech with
some specific statements as to wooden
goods and with the assertion that Amer
ican wool manufacturers would be Will.
ing to give up the tariff on imported
woolen goods IL Congress would only
give them free wool.
Mr.. Carlisle closed his speech after
having spoken an hour and forty min.