Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-07-30
HALE'S RESOLUTION
On Protection" and Tariff
for Revenue Only"
Carlisle Speaks Against and Proctor
in Favor of Protection.


Carlisle ad iressesi the Senate ON Haie's re-
solution as 10 the relative morris Of PRO
lection" AMI tariff for revenue only
He said in part: The Senator from
Rhosle Island has laid down a proposition
First, prices OF commodities and cost of
living has decreased during the period
covered by the investigation; which
meant (aceortling To that senator
conclusion a saving To the people of the
United States of s325 900 900 per annum.
during the lpariod covered by the investiga-
iion. Thirj the cost of living in England
has increased ! $40 per cent during the
period. Foarti the decline in prices of
commodities and increase in rate OF wages
in the nite,i States were the result of the
Republicans policy OF protection"
He Carlisle admitted that on single
day, after the passage Of the Mckinley act,
during the perlod covered by the investiga-
ton, tht. r,-ail prices of 2l5 articles en,-
braced in the list given by the committee.
taking iliem all together and giving each
the same Importance, were G+-l00 of | per
cent lower than at the beginning
Of the period, and on single
day. the last day included in
the inyvs stiga jon, the cost of living in the
nited States tinclnding rent had fallen
ii-I00 of / per cent. from the rate prevail
ing at tbe beginning of the investigation.
He submitted that no just or valuable con
clusion could be drawn from the calcula-
tions based upon prices which prevailed in
single dav during the - months. That
was the very last day ON which the inyesti-
CATION VAS made
Carlisle stated that the committee made
no investigations whatever concerning the
cost of living in England, and made no RE-
port on the subject. The committee caused
retail prices of certain list of articles 10
be taken in England June 1859 and Sep
tcmber /, s:il and had caused no investi-
CATION to be made as to the proportions in
which those articles entered into the con-
sumption of the people.
As to Aldrich's statement that prices
were found to have declined in three cities
of the United States, Fall River. Chicago
and Dubuque, Carlisle stated that as far as
he knew. no such investigation was made
lie learned of it for the first time when he
had seen the state ement in print
Carlisle said that he would endeasor Ia
show that prices of commodities in the
I Hlttu Ntatts NuttHtT NbuitsaH OF retail
were enormously increased by the passage
of the Mckinley act and by the agitation
which proceeded it; the cost of living in
the lnited States was increased during
the period covered by the investigation
more than S9Sj .g0a. 900.
He proposed to show in the second place
that the rates of wages in Ii unprotected
industries in United States had increased
during the period covered by the investiga-
ton; while the rates of wages in Il highly
projected industries in the l'uited States
had fallen since the passage of the Mckin-
ley act.
The Is general occupations in the pro-
tected industries are bakers, blacksniths.
briekayers. cabinet makers, carpenters,
common laborers, farm laborers. maehin-
lists, masons, iron moulders, painters,
plumbers. stone cutters, tailors and tin
smiths. The average increase of wages in
these occupations has been 15-l0O of per
cent
The II highly protected occupations are
Bar iron, boots and shoes, cotton goods.
cotton and wooden goods, crucible steel,
Hint glass. green glass, lumber. machinery.
pig iron. steel ingots. steel blooms. steel
rails. window glass. and WOODEN goods. In
these occupations rates of wages have fallen
(since the Mckinley act an average of
$500 of per cent. against rise of 1J-loo
per cent in the II unprotected industries.
Carlilse then went into q detailed state
ment as to the cost of imported goods and
tin plate. On the latter point he quoted
Aldrich as saving that the people of the
/ n;teI st.,es ra;d tho weIsb rim Mate man
nfoc,urcrx in i.4I ~ cants a., hoy mnra
than tbev had be,.n payiny h. fore that time
'rbo, undopbte,llv was tno truo
Tho Mckinley act had been bonanza to
tho W.l.h tin ,i,te manufacturers /, had
enabled them Ia take from the peonIe Of
Ella. I+r;,.1 Stats mony millions oyar and
al,,va th,ir normal prntit.
The Mckinley act nail NOT Ia the i'm
nnrtor mot tho ,royernmeut not tn tho deal-
ers I'm, lirnctly 10 the Welsh rim plate man
ufac,nrers 81 e9g 80 or more than half
tbe valua NJ the n,apt of the 40 Tin nlate
work. of Vale.
Carlisle closed his speech with some
.pecifc statements a. tn wooden goods aud
with the assertion that American wool
will he WILING IN olive mn the
tariff on in,ported wooden goods if Congress
,youh only give them free wool.
He was followed nv Proctor. who had
read fas A response 10 some of Carlisle's
,rguments) A newspaper interview with i
II Rogers. MANAGING mariner of the Sonth
Wales and Cambria Tin Plate Works. Af
ter the reading Proctor repeated with EN-
phasis Rogers answer TO the question AZ
10 what Womb be the efect Of Cleyeland's
pol;cv if he was elected. that duties would
be gradually lowered. and wages conse-
1uentlv fall: that wages in america were
about double what they were in England
that If America adonted free trade. wages
would nrobsblv ba reduced half. and he
rome abopt canal to the wages in England.
A. to labor strikes in the nited States.
Proctor said he womb not insi., that they
ha,j nothing TO do with the Republican policy
Of protection, Strikes would no, occur If
The greater the prosperity of the country,
ne m ,nn,ar',,s @ ~ -. ;ndT.,r;ai ,,II.hmerts