The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-02-03
A Workingman Downs the
"Reformer."

ssfou sse,7 said the Free-Trade ire
form demagoeue, as he cooked his wise
looking eye upon his listeners, "The Tar
/ if does not Protect American labor, be-
cause it can produce more cheapiy than
the labor ofany other country, DotWith-
standing that it is better paid. To make
my point clear, suppose that an Ameri-
can workingnan who gets 81 day and
en- Eaglish woTkinguan who gets 81,
both engaged in exactly similar work
The two-dollsr man is really chesPer
than the dollar man, because he prodn-
ees, say, 20 Of certain manufactured
article, while the slow, thick witted Brit
on can only produce OF the same sTti-
Gle. Hence the employer Of American
labor can afford TO sell his goods cheap
er than the English employer, since the
former gets his goods made at 10 cents
apiece, while the latter pays over IL cent Is
apieee. When, therefore, the robber bar
on demands Protection 90 that he can
continue t, pay the higher wages to his
employees, he is deceiving the public
He wants the Protection 50 that be can
exact higher prices for his products when
he sells them; perhaps. to the very ones
who make them. Protection is a fraud,
q delusion and q snare, and directed
chiefly against the interests of labor"
At this point an telligent-looking
workman elbowed his way through the
crowd and addressed the "reformer" as
/ follows:
THAT is a very nice story to tell to one
who doesn't know any more about It
than you do yourself worked in Eng
land for years, and have worked in this
country for long time, as potter, and
1 know that that theory Of yours about
lower cost of production in this country
is pure rot. In the old country I made
Jus. as many pieces day as / do now,
but got less than half the money that /
get now. happen 70 have in my POck-
ct the list of prices used to get at Stat
fordshire, and viii give side by side
with them the prices get now for max
ing similar goods"
But the mere mention Of price-lists was
too much for the theory-loving Tariff re
former" and while the speaker paused to
search for the lists among 3 handful Of
papers he had drawn FROM his pocket,
the theorist quietly slipped through the
crowd and hurriedly disappeared around
the nearest corner muttering something
about being obliged to hurry to Henry
George meeting, where the sinfulness Of
private property in land was to be
discussed.
That is my usual experience with
these Free-trade demsgogues," resumed
the workingman when he looked again
but in vain, for his opponent "They
are mighty plausible in discourSing o.
theories and supposed cases TO the unin
formed, but they run from facts and fg
ures every time. However, as you whC
congregsted here seem anxious to heal
me to the end shall continue as though
our Tariff 'reformer' had not run away
Here is the list of prices paid for making
cups, saucers, mugs and plates in Eng
land and this country, with the per cent
of difference in favor Of American labo
given in a separate column. All othe
: kinds Of labor, skilled or unskilled, b.
the day or piece, and in and about tn
: American establishment, receive wage
proportionately higher than the rate
! paid in England"