The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1893-04-14
PAUPER LABOR.
MOST or THE STATEMENTS CON
oERNlNe IT ARE AuMBUG


Not Tend 70 Lower Wages Hish Psieea
Cripple Commerce ana Retasd the
GFewth of Nations.
Do the high wages Of the laborers In
new countries render their product any
dearer, or do the low wages in old eoun-
tries make sheiF products any eheapers
The answef to these questions will de-
eide whether on not a new country, or in
fact any country where wages are higher
than in competing countries, needs pro
lection against foreign imports in order
to maintain its higher rate of wages
The wages in free trade England arc
neither 40 low as those in protectionist
Russia, Belgium Germany, France,
Italy OF Spain, nor, by far, as low as
those IN India, China or Japan, Yet, u
the free exchange Of commodities be-
tween high and low wage countries
really tended 70 bring down wages, it
follows that English worhingmen would
receive az little as the Chinese cooly IN
his native land But this Is net all, Ae-
cording to Mr. Andrew Carnegie'a rsa-
soning ia aTriumphant Democracy,
China, with its low wages, and not Eng
land with It's high wages, ought to have
the worlds carrying trade But how is
it possible for free trade England 10 pay
much higher wages than its protectiOnist
competitors and how, again, Is isitpossible
that England, and not China, nor even
Spain, Germany Or Russia, aided by low
wages, dominate the commerce and the
carrying trade Of the world9 All Of this
is done with British capital, under tile
Brisish dag while the ships are manned
for the major part with Britishers from
the captain down 70 the cabin boy,
%, contrary to Mr. Carnegie's asser-
ton, the fact remains that Britain, the
only free trade country among the larger
and older nations, pays the highest
wages has the most extensive coma
meree the greatest commercial Aeet, the
largest establishments Cor shipbuilding,
the most magnificent industrial edifice,
while British capital "a sspahundant that
while paying higher wages than any
other old country, although the Feat are
highly 'protected,N Its capitalists arc
even looking around for new opportuni-
ties TO invest their surplus capital
According To Mr. Carnegie, this very
desirable condition Of affairs ought Il
exist in China, Or TO stick to the eau
casian family, let rs say Spain, because
wages there are so very much lower than
in Britain Why, now, Is Great Britain,
'the wise old bird able to distance all
It's protectionist Competitors Ia the race
for pra-eminenoef simply because the
business men Of all CLASSES and oceupa-
tions in free trade Britain San buy what
they need where II is cheapest, and be-
cause it's facilities for production and
transportation have become superior to
those OF other nations, It is on this ao-
count that the wages of The English may
be many times as high as those Of other
Dationalities whose methods Of proauc.
ton aro inferior and whose laws favor
domestic rings and monopoliea.
Where, then, neither the lahoring inen
nor the industries of new pountry need
to ba protected against foreign competi-
tion, what are protective laws good fori
The answer Is, tFor the purppse of al
lowing owners of mines, forests. oil sup
plies etc, ta GET q higher price for the
raw material they produce and to enahle
manufacturers Of protected interests BY
MI sorts Of combinations to form artiti-
cial monopolies and thereby to raise Tie
prices of their goods on the ono hand
while on the other they are able 10 pay
less to their operatives than they would
he obliged to II there existed no impedi
lnept 10 the free importation Of com
modities. This Is one of the prineipa
reasons Of the almost fabulous gTowtl
Of large private fortunes in pFotectionis
new countries.
The protection allows protected en-
| ployers not only to tax their fellow eiti
gems, but also enables them 10 cut down
the wages Of their laboreFs and 10 xii
Of provoke strikes at will and declari
locl0uts, because tho tax upon good
coming from abroad is SO very high thai
the domestic producersi d, the em
/ ployels, have the domestic market all Il
| themselves, and thus can, BY producing
| as little as they please, make certain
commodities as scarce Us they like, al{
! therebg carry up prices to Just within
The limits of the protective wall gallef
| the tariff The consequence of all thi
10 that the laboring men IN protected ia
/ dpstFies are IN many cRses entirely q
the nercy of their employers, and thai
strikes u such Industries, while putting
Q stop W production and raising prices
| are more often unsuccessful than IN I'M
protacted industries.
II Is not the question whether ths
wage earpers Iii new ceuntries receiyi
4 higher wages than their fellow work
men in cid countries, but whstheF theg
! receive as large q share of what thas
/ produce as would bs the case if tho an
sence of certain conditions favored {
more equal division og the product he
tween laborers and capitalists Whal
1 IN older countries goes to the laudlarl
/ N the shape Of high rents ~ new cpuH
triea, where there Is hardly any rent L
| 20 paid, ought 10 30 To the lahager
And where 20 artificial legal inopppo
/ Hes enable certain classes of producer
/ 70 levy tax upon other producels as wei
as upon all copslapers, II must Ne plgii
that the composition of capital Wit
/ capital fen tBe services of laborer
! will be 40 active thar tl3e proats npei
capital remain normal, while thC Wnsa
wiil steadily rise and priees pa All c0m
il0dittes wfll Father tend to fall thnn T
] 50 up Then also L Wiil ie abssrFai
/ that the eFgWth "a t1a wcalth % AZ
cqnptry Will have - lia ifaiF aad aa
patqfql consequences, srqWAi i1 t1i
aafniHa ata YiH@ a tlp it
eIS anil p6k ptinfsf4Ilg sn ua9a8e q
/ ihs aqapeF qn4 tae f'eq q Aiie Hia
1Ae am aHi4 If