The times., 1894-02-16


II am,Y says ne, IA convinced free trader.
Protection is to me an economical heresy,
the fraud and follyn-how like one OF our
own dear southern statesmen he soundsl--
s'the fraud and folly of which are capable
of mathematical demonstration And yet
throughout the leugth and breadth OF this
vast continent one is almost daily Brought
face to face with solid, indisputable facts
that seem to give the lie to the soundest
and most universally accepted axioms OF
political economy."
Yes, not only do "solid, indisputablefacts
seem TO give the lie TO the soundest and
most universally accepted axioms OF point
ical economy but they do give IL, and SO
does the whole history of this country. II
what he calls "the soundest and most uni
versally accepted axiomsp had been axioms
atall, this country ought TO have been per
lnanently for 30 years in the situation which
it is now in temporarily after IL months OF
this free trade nightmare. We ought to
have beea.halting in every branch of manti-
lectures, we ought tohave stopped progress
and faliered TO the rear, for we We're wasting
both capital and labor in Improbable en-
ployment.
Protection Raises Wages.
Our workmen penned up in our little
country while Englishmen reveled in the
markets of the world ought TO be impover-
ished beyond all the experience of history.
Instead of that. the Aldrich report, which
deserves the high encomium Of the gentle
man from New York (Mr. Cockran), with
the approval of the distinguished secretary
of the treasury" even If it does ''emanate
from g Democratic bureau of statistics,
shows that since 1860 money wages have
risen GO per cent. Or il you say-and you
would be right in so saying-that wages
should be measured by what they will buy,
the result is still more striking
With wages rising, prices of manufac-
tured goods falling, with lessening hours
of labor, what more do you want except
more of the same sortS
The truth is that this very question of
rising wages is what makes good many
men free traders. People with fixed in
comes think that anything which raises
wages is inimical to them. Manufacturers
who have foreign markets are naturally
anxious to have wages on the foreign stand
ard, and when a great cocoa manufacturer
In Boston and a great agricultural tool
maker in Philadelphia proclaim themselves
on the side. of free trade we. find in both
cases a large foreign trade and along with
IL a desire for foreign wages for their work
ingmen.
l confess TO you that this question of
wages is to me the vital question. TO in
sure our growth in civilization aud wealth
we must not only have wages as high as
they are now, but constantly and steadily
increasing This desire of mine for con
stantly increasing wages does not have its
origin In love for the individual, bat in love
for the whole nation in that enlightened
sel6shness which recognizes the great truth
that your fate and mine, Mr.. Speaker, and
.he fate Of your descendants and mine are
so wrapped mp in the fate of all others that
whatever ohsributes TO heirprogressg gives
TO us all a nobler future and higher hope.
Wages the Great Question.
The increase of wages which the service
seller ought to have and the only useful in
crease he can ever get will be by the opera
tion of natural laws working upon the OPP
portunities which legislation may aid in
furnishing. The increase will never come
from the outside, will never be the gift of
any employer. Can you get carpenter or
bricklayer TO work for 25 cents day9 He
did it in England in 1725. Today in the
United States it is n poor place where he
cannot get 10 times that sum. Why does
he have TO have 10 times as muchP Be
cause the carpenter of today could no more
could live in cave and hunt snakes for
food. The difference in wages means the
difference in living, and the $50 is as muck
a necessity today as the 25 cents was 15e
years ago.
This question of wages is all important as
bearing upon the question of consumption.
All production depends upon consumption.
Who are the consumers? In the old days.
when the products of manufactures were
luxuries, the lord and his retainers, the
lady and her maids were the consumers, q
class apart by themselves but today the
consumers are the producers. Long ago the
laborer consumed only what would keep
him alive. Today he and his wife and their
children are SO immeasurably the most val
uable customers that if the shop had to give
up the wealthy or those whom it is the Gus
tom to call poor there would not be a me-
ment's hesitation or moments doubt.
Unfortunately the gentlemen on the other
side have persistently retained the old idea
that the producers are one class and the
consumers are another, and hence we hear
on all hands such stupidities of speech as
those which sum up the workers in each
branch and compare them with the whole
people. One hundred and fifty thousand
workers in woolens--you ask what are they
compared with 100000 900 consumers; 300
600 workers in steel, what are they COM
pared with 70,000,000 consumers; 100000
workers in cotton, what are they compared
with 7O,0O0,OO0 consumers, and so on all
through the long list. forgetting that all
these people added together make the whole 4
100000 themselves.
1t so happens that America is filed with
workers. There are idle people, but they
are fewer hero than elsewhere, except now,
when we are living under the shadow of the
Wilson bill. IL those workers are all get
ting good wages, they are themselves the
market, and IL the wages are increasing the
market Is also increasing. The fact that In
this country all the workers have been get
ting better wages than elsewhere is the
very reason why our market is the best In
the world aud why all the nations of the
world are trying to break into it. We do
not appreciate the nature of our market
ourselves.
Englishinan, 81; American, S1.6O.
have given you already the glowing tes-
timony of Englishmen who have seen us
with their own eyes-"Amazing prosperi-
fv - sCregte3t market in the world ~ "Par-