St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-27
And All Other Shoes Poporionately Low Prices Come

q ~ " w "a " e II
press in operation, he conceived the
idea of folding machine to be attached
to power presses. He perfected his in
vention, which is in general use to this
day for folding newspapers and books,
and finally sold it for 800. This money
enabled him to become Especial student
under Louis Agassiz, of Harvard, the
eminent Swiss naturalist. who had just
come to this country and joined the
faculty OF the Lawrence Scientific
school. The Young journalists reputa-
ton was such that he was Immediately
appointed as an assistant professor OF
the institution. While
Pursuing His Studies
at Cambridge, he began. i'll conjunction
with George Bliss, afterwards United
States district attorney for New York,
the publication Of an Annual OF Scien-
! tifc Discovery. which they kept going
for number of years. Between 1857
and 1868, Mr.. Wells wrote Il series of
scientific school books which became
very popular. some of them being trans
lated into Chinese. The treatise on
chemistry was adopted as text book at
West Point.
1t was in 1863. however. that he struck
into the line of work that suddenly re
vealed his capabilities as a statlsticIan
and economist, winning honor and fame
by single masterStroke. He was then
living at Troy, Ne York, and, for the
information Of literary and social club
to which he belonged, wrote an essay
entitled: ''Our Burden and Our
Strength"
The occasion for the essay was this:
its author, i'll common with all other
thoughtful observers throughout the
North, had noticed with alarm the gig
antic proportions that the national debt
was assuming. The late war had then
cost the upholderS Of the Union upwards
of 81, 000, 000,0 900, Il sum that appeared
greater then than twenty billions would
today-and the Indebtedness kept on
pilingup in Titanic fashion, while the
people seemed to be taxed to the utmost
limit. In the cabinet, in congress, and
Oh all sides there was apprehension and
uneasinesS. "A forebodlng of calamity
seemed to be in the air, even if our arms
were to be successful. Bya careful and
mastery
Array of Facts
Mr.. Wells swept aside these clouds of
| doubt and vague distruSt like nest #
arguments demonstrated that ''the ma
/ TONS paying power III its harvestS. its
products of mine. and factory, and forest
were far more than sufficient to meet
the war debt, huge as it was. The essay
was printed and in few weeks 259 600
copies were in circulation. One of them
fell into the hands OF President Lincoln
who was so struck by it that he sent at
once for the author to come and see
him. The result of the meeting was the
beginning of his public career by the
creation of special commission, Mr..
Wells being placed at the head of it. to
deal with the entire subject OF taxation
which was then. owing to the various
conflicting laws on the subject, in quite
chaotic condition.
His report led to his appointment in
the spring OF 60 as special commission
er OF the revenue, an office created by
congress for him exclusively, with pow
er to investigate and report upon such
changes of taxation as he might deem
advantageous to the public welfare, AS
result OF his four years sessions with |
the finance committee of congress. every
reform in taxation between 1866 and
1870 was due to
His Recommen dalton.
|
toms or internal revenue was drafted |
in his Office. For instance, observing |
that a tax of 50 a gallon on whisky en-
couraged fraud, he urged a reduction TO !
so cents, change which in two years !
brought about all increase OF $50, 000, 900 |
in this item of reyegue alone.
1t was i'll 1867 that the government !
sent him abroad to more fully qualify |
himself to draft new tariff by studying |
the workings of the customs laws of |
other countries. This trip had much to |
do with his conversion to free trade. |
though other causes contributed to that |
result. Whether one believes that he !
is awfully right or aWfully wrong in his |
theories, no one who talks with him can |
doubt for moment the sincerity of his |
convictions or his vast resources in the |
way OF argument and Illustration to |
justify them.
flames A. Garfield helped make me |
free trader" said Mr.. Wells to the writ |
er not long ago while chatting with him |
in his cosy study.
Garfield Al Free Trader.
Garfield" he continued, twas in !
principle as radical free trader as ever |
lived, except that he believed that eX- |
pediency ought to be taken into account |
and things shaped that way by degrees. |
He was member Of the Golden club, |
elected with Ralph Waldo Emerson |
year before | was, Cyrus W. Field, /
William Lloyd Garrison and Henry |
WadsWorth Longfellow were also in |
three years before me, and Hugh Nc |
CullOgh was elected the next year after |
me-"
''How about that trip through Europe
in 1857" | asked.
well, that's pretty long story, but |
Fll cut 1t as short as | can," was the |
response, Il had wonderful facilities for |
observation. and went over the whole |
continent of Europe. note book in hand, |
studying its industries. | saw them as |
few ever have, visiting every typical |
mine, factory and workshop between |
England anu Russia. | conversed with |
the employers and the employees. Mind |
you, went as a full believer in the |
doctrine of protection, growing out of |
my early training in family of New |
England manufacturers.
las went along | found that just in |
proportion as wages decreased, the de-
mand for protection to domestic in !
dustry, and the dread of British COM
petition increased. This was peculiarly |
the case in Italy and Russia, where |
factory labor was worth 25 or so cents a !
day, and fourteen or fifteen hours con-
stituted days work.
AS TO Wages.
THAT settled in my mind the re-
lati0nship of free trade and protect ion
to the question of wages. The high est
protective duties on imports anywh ere
in Europe are levied in Italy and Rus
STA. found that the taxation in the
United States of the crude materials of
manufactures went far to nelltralize thief