Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-06-23
TARIFFS AND WAGES.
DUTIES PROTECT THE MANUFAc-
TURER NOT THE LABoRER.

Fallacfous Arguments and Absurd State
ments Of Observation-Disclosures
tect the Worker, Not the.Products of His
Skill
The American Economist, the organ
| OF the protected manufacturers, has for
three months been publishing letters
criticising the proposed tariff bill of the
Reform club. These letters were solic-
tied by The Economist from manufac-
turers, worhngmen and from members
OF the American Protective Tariff
league. The letters from workingmen
were sorry lot. Not only were the
criticisms puerile, but the writer's are
| mostly unknown and without influence
in labor circles. Indeed there is in some
of their letters internal evidence that
they have been used as mouthpieces Of
their employers.
There is one letter, however, from
workingmen which merits attention. It
is from Mr.. George E. Murray of New
York city. Mr.. Murray is chairman Of
| the board of arbitration of District As
sembly No. 40, Knights of Labor, and
has been master workman and statisti-
| clan in this district. He is a painter by
trade and is recognized among laboring
| men as an honest, conscientious man
even when he is advocating protection"
and other theories and measures not in
| the interest of the laboring man.
Mr.. Murray sees a great bugaboo in
the increased importation-nearly $780,
600, 900 worth-which the Reform club
estimates would occur the first year I'M
der lower duties. Then, upon the as
sumption that "labor represents 90 per
cent of the cost of all articles that man
uses" (Which, however, to be liberal he
estimates at 70 per cent?, he says that
'every $4,000 worth Of goods brought
here from another country means that
81 800 worth of labor will be done in
some other country; 81 800 worth of la
Dor at q fair average represents the labor
of three workingmen for year,
| This is the foundation for all of Mr..
Murray's criticism. He is full blooded
protectionist who regards all importa-
tions as curse, because 80 per cent Of
their value is just so much lost to the
laboring men of this country who are
thus denied the privilege of making
these goods. He entirely loses sight of
the fact that we pay for imported goods
with the products of our labor, and the
sole reason why we import some goods
and make others is because we can in
this way obtain more for our labor.
| We import tea, coffee, sugar, rice, lem
ons, ETC., and export cotton, corn, beef,
pork, agricultural implements, hard
ware, ETC., because it is in this way that
| we can get more of the necessities and
luxuries Of life.
| All men and all countries are not
adapted alike to the production Of the
same articles, and if they were it would
still pay some men and some countries
to conline their attention chiefly to GER
tain industries and products, and to ex-
change to obtain other products. Mr..
Murray evidently would stop all Of this
exchange. He is SO anxious to do all Of
| the work himself that he will not trade
with man in Canada or Europe. who
can produce the required article for one
half what it will cost to produce it at
home. He prefers to make it himself
and to save the labor cost, even though
in doing SO he must neglect the making
of some other article, where his labor
would produce twice as much value.
But let us follow up the application of
Mr.. Murray's theory. He says that
under 'Earthenware,' etc., the Reform
club by their own figures admit that
| 81, 873, 900 in value of additional goods
will be imported into this country.
This means of course that just that
much goods will not be produced at
home, and that on the basis above named
| (75 per cent of the importation represent
ing labor over 1900 people will be
thrown out of employment, and this re-
suit is attained by the Reforms clubs
figures. Do potters at Trenton, East
Liverpool, O., Baltimore and other
points want to see 1900 of their number
thrown out of employment"
Let us examine these statements. Mr..
Murray omits to notice that under
"Earthenware, ETC., the Reform club
includes not only all kinds of china and
stoneware, but also bricks, tiles, etc.
| Our manufactures of these articles will
probable exceed 100000, 900 in value.
The value of imports is S., 727 900 under
an average duty of 57.65 per cent. The
Reform club committee thinks that I'M
der % per cent duty the imports
would increase to $3.50, 900, O0O-a fright
full showing, thinks our protectionist
friend. But as most of the imports are
of china and stoneware we will accept
Mr.. Murray's figures. Suppose that the
potters would lose nearly 100000 in
wages, what would the people gain?
They would save about 25 per cent on
the cost of their pottery wares. AS they
purchase yearly over SEQ, 1000, 900 of these
wares, the saving would amount to S.
100000. Hence it would be better to pay
the potters their wages and support them
in idleness in order to give the people
cheap wares. We will test this in an
other way.
Twenty-Five dozen of assorted white
granite ware (see Tariff Reform, volume
4, No. g. cost at wholesale 1912 in
England and $50. 01 in New York The
labor cost of making in Trenton is S. SO.
The duty on the imported English ware
is $10.51. Mr.. Murray will observe ~
that the labor cost is here less than 20
per cent about what Porter's present
census figures will show and not IS or
80 per cent, as Mr.. Murray says; (2) that
the duty is about twice the labor cost,
leaving a considerable margin for the
pottery trust; 81 that by aboliShing du-