Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-08-18
The POTTERY sUaEDULE.

! duction or wages. his IS al oIu ousa-
boo that has about lost its terror to the
American workingman. he has by
slow stages reached the conviction that
the tariff has very little TO do with
wages, and can afford him but NOM
inal protection so long as there is no
provision 10 the protection granted by
Congress to the employer requiring him
to pay anything extra to his employees.
So far as the tariff enhances the prices
of American products, it is all collected
by the employer, and history is yet bar
rem of an instance where the advance
was divided with the workmen.
Now that little Of the large bonus"
so long granted to the protected indus
tries is about to disappear, Republican
Journals are holding over workiDgmen
the club Of wage reduction, accom-
panied with the significant interroGa-
tory, (see Fridays Hltelligencer0 viii
they vote for the party that has made
this necessary? Here in Wheeling it
is in the pottery industry that this
threat is noticeable. In one Of these
establishments there is friction about
the amount of wages to be paid for
making certain new shapes" OF ware.
The trouble has not the slightest con-
nectlon with the tariff question, but
arose simply from a change OF shape
in tho article to be man
featured. THIS unfortunate condition
has been made the pretext by con-
sclenceless Republican sheet to
threaten a reduction of wages, in the
hope of stampeding voters over to its
party. 1t is g dastardIy piece of politi-
cal trickery, too transparent to infu-
ence Intelligent workmen.
The pottery industry in the United
States has been one of the pets OF pro-
lection. 1t has flourished and waxed
fat, aud yet the fact stands out boldly
that the moro protection the manufac-
turers got for their wares the less money
the potters received for their wages.
| This is no idle statement, but is verified
by the truth OF history.
The pottery Industry was firmly es-
tablished in this country during the low
tariff period from 1850 to 1860. In spite
of this fact and the fact that every
tariff bill since then has increased
the duties on pottery, l0hite the
,r1qes Of the IoborerS hare been
steGduu EFT do,0N, the Mckinley
law laid several stones on the pottery
tariff wall around US by increasing the
duties on some kinds Of ware and by
putting duties on packing and other
charges. The pottery manufacturers
Immediately put up prices ten to fifteen
Der cent. The wages of laborers were
not increased, but, on the contrary,
soon thereafter commenced to 60 down.
When the Mckinley law became opera
tive a new wage list was prepared by
the manufacturers in Trenton, East
Liverpool aud Baltimore, cutting down
the wages Of workmen from ten TO forty
per cent. The woFkmen refused TO &C.
cept the reduction and strike
ensued, lasting until May. 1891, when
the workmeu were forced to yield and
accept reduction of about fifteen per
cent in their wages. On the 1st OF
April following, when the defeat of the
workmen was assured, the manufac-
Jurers issued a revised" price list,
making an advance in the price OF their
goods.
Now, mark the fact: The tariff was
increased; prices OF pottery went up;
wages went down aud again the
price of ware went up. How did the
tariff 10 this instance benefit
the workman? Is it not plain that the
prohibitory schedule of the MCKINLEY
| bill gave the manufacturers d monopoly
OF the home market" saud thus rem
dsred it possible for them 20 reduce
wages, a condition of which they very
promptly took advantage?
The alarmiSts tell US that the wages
Of American potters are 126 per cent
higher than English wages. 1t is hard
" probable that such a statement is
made for circulation among intelI-
gent people. Anyone who will
! take the trouble to consult
the consular reports will readily ascer-
tain that this assertion has no fouuda-
ton in fact. Take, for example, four
inch plate. The English workman re-
| ceives IA cents for making them. The
American workman receives IS cents.
Add to this the 80 per cent. duty i'm
posed by the Senate bill and We have 81
cents. less oue-ffth of a cent. To
this must also be added the ex-
pense OF 8, 600 miles of ocean transpor.
tation. How, then, can this grade of
| English ware come into the American
market and be sold at profit?
A new ghost has been conjured up by
the high protection witches. 1t is
ghost from the land of the rising sun
| q japanese ghost. The workmen are
told that Japan is preparing, since the
passage Of the new tariff law, 10 pour
into this country pottery ware az such
low prices that it will be impossible for
the American manufacturer to compete
and ne will have to smut up shop unless
wages be reduced. The poor japanese
only gets twenty-five cents day,and IN
less The manufacturing gets more protec.