The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-08-05
THE MANUFACTURERS OPINION.

The recent voluntary increase in wages,
as unexpected to the operatives as it was
welcome, has attracted good deal of at
tentlon to the Fall River cotton mills.
Fall River is the greatest cotton manu-
tacturmg city In the country and one of
the chief centres of that industry in the
world. The managers of the mills are
men of ripe experience and commanding
ability, thoroughly informed in all the
details of their business. Some of these
gentlemen have been interviewed as to
motives in ordering the increase in wages
in their mills and the condition which
made it possible. Their answers have
vital bearing upon the great controversy
between the two antagonistic ideas of
Protection and Free Trade
This is the reply of Mr.. Cyrus G. Roun-
seville, Treasurer, of the Shove Mills and
Secretary of the Cotton Manufacturers
Associations
1--WE were in a position to advance
wages. We could afford to do it, and
naturally enough we did it. 1t is true
enough that the selling price of cotton
prints is lower than it was three years
ago, and it is also true that mills are sell.
ing more goods making more money than
they have for good many years. 1 am
not political economist, and | cannot
say that it is due to the tariff alone. l
90 know that we are prosperous, and l
also know that if we did not have Protec-
tion we would have to shut down our
mills. AS it now is, my company is
building new mills, so that it can be able
to meet the demands upon it. 1t seems
to me that Protection gives all classes
more money, and that increased sales
make a corresponding increase in the
output and thus reduces prices and ena-
bles the manufacturers to make more
profits at the same time. The increased
output makes more work for labor, and
the increased profits of the employer
enables him to increase wages. Itseems
to me that the whole country, therefore,
is the gamer"
Here is satisfactory answer to the
question how manufacturers can make
more money and pay their operatives
higher wages even when the prices of
their products are being gradually reduc-
ed. Mr.. Henry S. Fenner, Treasurer of
the Slade Mills, also discussued this
phase of the tariff issue, saying:
I'VE are selling at lower rate than
we did before the Mckinley act was pas
sed and our pay rolls show that we are
now paying better wages than we have
| pe'AN ava JNVlot IhCIC bdil OC puO OllC
ference. The people of the country are
buying more of our goods. This natur-
ally shows that the whole country is in
more prosperous condition than it has
been, or that everybody has suddenly
made up their minds to buy calicoes and
other cotton fabrics. 1 do not pretend
to be able to get at the bottom of the
whole question, but 1 know what the
facts are here"
| This is the testimony as to the init
mate connection between tariffs, wages
and prosperity, which admits of no dis
pute. Fall River is city of wage earn
ers. Under audacious misrepresenta-
tions many of these people have hitherto
been deluded into voting the Free Trade
ticket Democratic politicians have We.
hemently assured them, as Governor
Russell did only last autumn, that the
Democratic party is not Free Trade
party. Fortunately the Chicago plat
form, with its denunciation of all Pro-
lection as unconstitutional" and its
demand for pure, Free Trade tariff for
revenue only, will effectively head off
any such humbug this year.-Boston
| journal.