The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-12-22

IHdb tuebe NuBeS Hft " Pip-
lection against lower wages of foreign
countries can hardly be successfully ques-
toned.
If in the United States there are higher
wages and a higher cost Of capital there
must be such barriers against goods from
abroad as will equallie these higher costs,
or the products of the United States can
not be sold except at loss. Sales at
loss cannot long continue. There is also
a constant demand for lower prices, which
demand has to he listened to in country
always striving toward higher plane Of
civilization. We have, therefore, before
us always three problems-wagcs to be
maintained, hours of labor to be lessened
and prices to be lowered Not one, but all.
II is true that invention at once keeps
pace with and regulates the demanl for
higher wages and lower prices and fewer
hours, which are the conditions of our
higher plane of civilization, but it can
not do more 1t can not meet, in addition,
the lower prices of lower level of civiliz-
alton. Our inventions are too quickly alb
Horhed by foreign countries to permit this.
Hence the result of a refusal to protect
our labor at its present rates must result
in lower wages.
The New Bill VIII Lower Wages.
Our goods are now met by foreign goods
on our own shores at price made up of
raw Materials plus labor and plus the
present rate Of tariff on very nearly equal
terms If the tariff element be lowered
then something must be lowered on our
side, and in the last analysis 1t will he
I labor and capital, and in the long run the
! loss Of capital is also loss of labor, for
capital employs labor, and lost capital
sets no machinery in motion. We must
then meet the reduction Of price of for
eign goods, which are our competitors, by
reduction of he price of labor,
Time was when lower prices and higher
wages were secuted us incompatible and
absurd, and ns things that could not exist
together, hut today both are recognized as
reasonable demands when reasonably linn
tied. Lower prices will take care of them
selves, and so will higher wages if they
are not intcrfered with by competition
f, from regions where the different social
status causes laborer3 to be content with
lesser results.
4 The consumer will take care of himself
, II you look after the producer, for he is
one and the same individual.
4 But while this bill in its principle if it
has any, is Ii 4 unpro'rCtivc, it will be alb
snlutaly so in practice, not only in its
direct reductions but also in its indirect
reductions. sure to come from the change
from specific duties to ad valurem, which
is n marked feature of the bill An ad
valnrem duty, us he name implies. is one
which varies according to the price II
prices could bc exactly determined moth
ing would seem to he farer than an nd
valorpm duty. But unfortunately, prices
are very much mat tiers of opini on on which
honest men may differ much and rogues
much more.
A Blow at the Wool Industry.
! In discussing the wooden question the
minority say this schedule, AS proposed in
the committee bill. is in some respects tho
most rcprehenSihe 1t proposes to de-
stroy at blow the great industry Of wool
growing. which now ranks as seventh in
the value of its products, among the sew
eral branches OF American agriculture
and which has heretofore been recognized
as an agricultural product deserving and
requiring projections, under every admin
istration and by every taritf act since that
Of May 81, 1894, Nothing short Of the
total destruction of this important indus
try can be counted upon as the cOnse-
quenCe of fplucing both wool and mutton
ON the free list. The depreciation in the
value OF this species of agricultural prop
erty from the two sources may be con-
I The bill deals with the wool manufac-
turc In terms scar ccly less radical than
those accorded the wool growing industry,
upon which il 50 largely depends.
The metal schedule is described MS Hog
zeal in its disregard of the rel atiOns 1 hat
exist between more and less finished pro-
duets aud the totally inadequate duties
named upon cert ain leading articles The
report proceeds
The bill proposes to put into Compefi-
tion with American ores foreign ores.
Bome of which are produced nj II labor cost
one tenth, and none of them at a labor
cost greater than one-f0urth Of ours.
Having sacrificed over half IA mi lliun dol
lars per nnnum of revenue to the vagary
Office trade the tariff bill for revenue"
proposes to effect another large source of
revenue by serious redu ction of the duties
ON pig iron. That d uty now is $d72 per
ton The duty proposed is ~ per cent, ad
valorem, or about from Sl6O to 81 90 per
ton, n lower tariff than was ever before pro-
posed on this article.
why Conl should Pay Duty.
The sectional character of the bill Is
referred to in the placing of cotton ties on
the free list, while in preparing the cotton
manufacturers schedule the majority are
accused of lack of know ledge ON the sub
ject Regarding coal the report says;
One OF the most amazing propositions
of the bill Is that bituminous coal shall
be put upon the free list aud the million
of dollars per annum lalmOst1 that we re-
ceive from its importation by way of reve
nue absolutely thrown away Coal has
very little value save as it gets it from
labor. II is worth almost nothing in the
hill; would be worth absolutely nothing
We're it not for the prospect of being mined.
1t is not n raw material, for it is not
worked into any further shape but is con-
sumed and done for Mt once Except for a
short period it has always borne duty.
Now il is proposed to make it free. 1t is
difficult to imagine why. 1t Is the most
universally prevalent of all the subjects
of American industry. There are few
states or territories that an interference
with 1t will not affect
There is no more splendid illustration
of the benefits of our protective system
than is to be found in the manufacture of
plate glass We have now in operation in
this country twelve competing plants.
having capital of al. .OOO, 600 and a cnpac-
ity OF lS,000,0O0 square feet annually.
Every material used III the manufacture
is of American production excepting only
soda ash. Eight thousand men are di-
rectly employed, and probably, with their
families 10000 persons are interested in
the maintenance Of this industry.
Sent to an Asylum.
ATLANTIC CITY, N. j., Dec. 52--.Tohn
Parker, the ex.polieeman who became
Violently insane on the subject OF religion
few days ago has been committed 10