The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-06-25
The iabor Cost of Article Deter
mines Whether II Is Cheap or Dear

some plain facts from Mr. nngley, of
Maine, IL tonyrcsS-Now, Mr.. Chair
man, The gentleman from Nebraska
asked me whether goods are lower
WOODEN goods worn by the masses of
the people, especially those that are all
Nooi-thau III Great Britain.
/ answer him that white the chea DER
grades OF goods that are not all straight
wool goods are as low here as in En-
gland, yet al straight wool goods are
not as low here when estimated in
money, hut that they are much cheaper
when estimated III labor or service, in
which most men ultimately paw for
their supplies.
! viii illustrate what ! mean: The
Gh'naman gets l0 cents q dav IN money
for his labor. while the American work
man gets sl.5o pc. day for his labor.
Mr.. Scott: Or fifteen times as much.
Mr.. hinglcy: les. Now the China
man will take his labor and buy in
China with it less than one-half of that
kind of product which may be bought
Ill this country ny the labor of an
American, Notwithstanding the money
price of the article Is much less IN China
than here. We all, or the most of us,
unless we happen to have bonds to clip
ultimately pay for everything We pur-
chase IN what? In our iabor-in our
service. IS that not true? Now, if We
paw ultimately in service, the function
of money aud the part that it plays in
the TRANSACTION IS Simply to make the
medium OF exchange. 1t Is the medium
or exchange between the labor and the
product which the laborer seeks TO pro-
cure. Money is used for that purpose
as matter Of convenience; that Is all
that il does.
Now, when you say that a coat which
costs III Cork IS is cheaper than one
which costs $40 in Iowa, Won have got
to know another fact before YOU can de
tcrmIne it, and that Is how much does
the man who has 20 buy the coat get for
his labor or service in the two countries
Respectively. An article costing 80 cents
in China at 10 cents dav for labor. is
much more expensive than one costing
81 here with labor at Sl.50. There was
a bright iIlbernian in my state once who
illustrated this point in way that |
trust my friend from Nebraska will ap-
preClate.
lie was Republican and a protec-
ZIONIST, by the way, and he had been
over In this country for fifteen years.
lie had not been able to get ahead any
III the old country, but he came here 10
this country to improve his condition
this country where peOpie are taxed so
much, where such burdens are imposed
upon them. He came here to improve
his condition, as he did improve it. He
secured himself Il little house and paid
for it. He had little money in the
savings bank. and was getting along
prosperously. lie went back to pay
visit 10 Cork, and while he was gone he
bethUught him that as he had TO get Il
new coat he would puy one there. He
did 50, and he paid - for it. and when
ne returned some of my Democratic
friends, having heard that he bought
the coat and paid 5 for it. and that the
price of the same coat was 81 here, un-
icrtouk before a crowd OF fellow Dem
ocrats, one day, to rally him on the
point. 80 they said: Mike. you are q
protectionist. yet see what you have
done. lou have paid 81 more for that
coat on account of protection than you
could have got it for if we had been uE
der free trade" "Ah, not so," said
Mike: Il can buy that coat i'll this
country for six days labor, and in Cork
il Will take twelve days labor TO buy
it," Applause on the Republican