Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-23
A pfInARY rARIFF LEssON.

The Chicago Tribune has run across
a reuort of CARROLL d. WRIGHT insti-
tuting comparison between the pay
and expenditures Of wsgeworkers in
Massachusetts and Great Britain, WHICH
it thus summarizes:
ole finds that for every dollar the aver
age British wOrkmen pays out for family
necessaries the Massachusetts worker pays
out 81. II for equal quantities Of like artl-
cles. But the Massachusetts wage-work-
err receives Sl.10 for every dollar paid TO
the British wage-wOrker. II we divide
l7O by III the result is nearly 40 ana
from this comparison IL appears thaJ the
Massachusetts wage-wOrker, in a state
where the industries are mostly protected,
has net advantage Of - per cent over
the one in Great Britain.
The Tribune proceeds to draw its own
lesson from these fgurs in this fashion:
'After making every possible allowance
for the fact that the surplus Will not BUY
as much as 10 would if expended IN Eng
land. there still remains clear gain OF
fully 40 cents on every dollar. The ratio
of comfort derivable, ana in most cases
actually derived, from the compensation
paid for labor is as 100 in England to l4O
in Massachusetts, on as five to seven. This
is snCh q vast advantage that the Amer
can people might well hesitate to give 1t
I'D I'm exchange for the theoretical liberty
To buv in the cheapest market which is
held up delusively before them by the
APOSTLES of free trade as one thing needtul
TO their happiness; for no one can deny
that the ratio above deduced holds good
approximately in the other States OF the
Union, since in all of them wages ofIaoor
are much higher than abroad"
Here we have the assumption that
this difference is due to the tariff, when
it always existed, and, because it did
exist, the capitalist and not the la6orer
asked protection. Tariff reduction
would not reduce wages, but it would
Increase the purchasing power Of
wages.
UItra-protectionists assume that all
labor is protected, but Mr.. EDWARD
ATKINSON, asserts that only fifty in a
thousand, that is per cent, Of men at
work are actually protected.
In the Boston Herald Mr. ATKINSON
has an elaborate fve-column review Of
the census statistics, in the course Of
which he says:
"There can have been no great change
in the relative proportion Of those who are
now occupied for gain since 1880. The dis
tribution I'M each one thousand at that time
was as follows:
I. I'm Lurelv mental or individual work,
cIergvmcu. lawyers. etc ....-............. 90
e. I'm distr,hutiye work merchants, sales
men. ....-. %
g. Iu personal service, railway, draymen,
domestic service. etc -. ..-.... .-....-.-... III
T. In manual rather than mechanical
labor
rtrm iaoof-.---.- ..-.......-.-' '..-'- IN
Labor not speciled.....-.. ......~lOl
Miners. ..... -........ .....-......... IA OLE
. I'm agriculture. not as farm LABOR, out
stock ralsers. farmers, gardeners ......... 200
g. I'm mechanical pursuits OF the iudlvid-
ual. rst hpr than the collective kind, car
peuters, uasous, painters ETC.. ......... lOl
e. lu collective or manufacturing pup
Suits iron and steel works textile fac
tories. boots and shoes, clothing, ma-
chine shops, ..-..... luV
A'OaL...-... -'s'ss t'v