The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-09-30

have been advanced from per cent. to Is
of the oldest foremen in the country esti-
mates that the advances which have been
made in wages. together with the more
steady work given the men, will furnish
them at Aeast an average of 90 per cent.
more annual income.
"Many of the factories have more than
doubled their capacity in buildings and
machinery, and all of them show increased
production. The gain in output of course
reduces incidental expenses.
1.-THE fact that the value of the pocket
cutlery imported last year, with the duty
added, so closely approximates the amount
made here shows the conditions of compe
tition pretty accurately adjusted"
1.-THE senator here analysed the oft quoted
statistics of Mr.. j. Schoenhof and others in
regard to the greater efficiency and conse
quently greater cheapness of American
labor, showed their glaring fallacies, dem
onstrated that wages in many lines are II
per cent. higher in America than in Eng
land and continued]:
The rule that should apply in fixing the
rates of protective duties is that they
should in all cases equal the difference be-
ton, under normal conditions, of the arti-
Gle in question in our own and in that
competing country where the cost of pro-
duction is lowest. This was the rule which
was followed in the preparation of the act
of 1890
Protective duties levied in this manner
have but one purpose and can have but one
effect-that is, to protect America labor
and to maintain the existing high level of
wages and earnings of American workmen.
When such duties are removed or reduced
below the protective point labor receives
the full force of the blow.
This rule for fixing rates should only APP
ply, however, to articles in the production
of which the United States has equal nat
ural advantages with other countries. AS
a protectionist l believe that the United
States cannot afford, having in view the
most rapid development of her great re-
sources, to levy duties upon articles in the
production of which other countries have
permanent natural advantages. Such arti-
Giles should be admitted free.
From this point of view much valuable
time has been wasted in the collection and
discussion of statistics in regard to so called
total labor cost of production. Most of
these statistics leave out of the computa-
ton sums paid for clerical service, for SUI
perintendence, for taxes and insurance, for
labor in repairs and materials and all the
great mass of incidental expenses which go
to make up the cost of doing business and
the ultimate cost of production. These all
represent labor or services. The sums col
lected for taxes, for instance, go to pay
school teachers, fremen, policemen, tax
assessors, collectors and various other en-
ployees in the public service. All the es-
sential elements in the cost of production
can be reduced to an expenditure for labor
or services in some form, and labor cost of
production and total cost of product are
equal terms.
Among the many remarkable statements
made by the senator from Missouri in his
speech of June %, l find the following:
81 am prepared to show by irrefutable
testimony that never in the history Of this
country has there been such disturbance
of labor, never such hostile and inimical
relations between employer and employee,
never such prostration of agricultural in
terests, never such limiting and narrow
ing of foreign markets, never such disaster
brought about in so short time as by this
infamous legislation"
ITO support this he presents list of al
legged strikes, lockouts and wage reductions
compiled by Hon. John De Witt for the
New York World, covering the time from
Dec. 4, 1890, to June IS, 1892. He says
seventy-seven strikes occurred in that time.
Here is q list furnished by the commits
sioner of labor for each year of 1SS0-9O, in
clusive]: