The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-04-27
TARIFF EFFECTS WAGES.
Relation of Tariff to Wages
Ably Discussed by Hon. H. 3.
Miller, of Grants Pass.

by a mixed audience, citizens and demo-
Gratis, and large number of ladies, their
wives and daughters, aud the occasion of |
which was an address by the speaker of the ;
evening, Hon. H. B. Miller. of Grants Pass. |
After couple of well.rendered selections
by the band, chairman of the county cen
tral committee, Hon. Geo. Waggouer, in
troduced Mr.. Miller as the Republican
Miller of Southern Oregon" and not the
''populist Miller" who would be at the
mourners' bench, if he was not already
there. Every voters face in the audience
was an index of the purpose that led him
thither, namely: A clear understanding of
the present political issues, and we do not
believe that single citizen there went away
disappointed. The GAZETTE reporter had
instructions to take only the strong points
made by the speaker, but returned a full
transcript, anil it is we'll worthy of publ
cation, but limited space only permits us to
give extracts. The subject of Mr.. MiIler's
address was: ''The relation of tariff to the
wage question" Briefly he reviewed the
present deplorable condition of national
welfare, manufacturing, and lastly but not
least, ldieness of the American laborer, in
quiring into the meaning, cause and reme-
dy, not emitting the important response
bility of ''banishIng wild philosophy and
visionary theories, and getting upon the
foundation of solid facts and practical ex-
perience;" "Wealth is the source of pros
perity and power; industry the creator of
wealth, and therefore if we can,,ssfind the
mainspring to industry. we will begin to
understand the cause of our trouble.
Before following this line of thought,
however, he eliminated false notions of the
day." by basing his argument upon "All
social progress, all improvement in our con-
dition, has for its foundation our industrial
life."7 Among these eliminations were the
theories of intemperance, single tax theory.
inheritance tax, free silver, the liberty OF
our institution, which he referred to as
"Spread. .eagle: Fourth. Of July. philosophy,
but liberty is a result, and not cause;
slavery is result of poverty; liberty the
result of wealth; wealth she result of in
not a cause of wealth, which industry cre-
ates and calls into use.
"The theory that.capital regulates indus.
try and controls wages is likewise false, for
industry is the creator of capital and con-
>troller of wages. II, then, our industrial
life is our source of welfare, whatever helps
that will quicken our blood to increased
activity, aud if injured, it will become slow
and sluggish. Has anything occurred to
iniure or shock our national industry! Yes,
the moment our industrial policy, upon
which it has SO lengl been established and
maintained, was attacked that moment we
} demanded a change.
Better times can only reach us through
renewed industry, not through cheaper
goods and cheaper labor; not buying things
we can produce from foreign nations and
leaving the American laborer unemployed.
It can only come back by consuming and
producing more and that only by higher
wages. Then we have discovered the
broken handspring to our great industrial
machinery and the cause of our distress.
Better wages mean better times. How
shall we secure them? Protect our laborer
from the cheap foreign laborer. That sup
ply and demand regulate prices is another
falsity. bnt prices are regulated by the cost
Of production; the price of labor by its cost,
and the laborers' living is regulated by his
method of living; kind of home he sup
ports; his school; his government"
Mr.. Miller then compared the methods
and cost of living of the American laborer
to the foreign laborer, and brought out a
point which met great applause by saying:
'Then will you learn that when this nation
throws open its gates to the products of
this cheap labor, that your wages must fall
to q level with his; your mode of life must
= come to his level; if he reads no books you
can have none, nor church, nor school; if
his home is hovel of poverty, yours must
be the same; if he belongs to the national
ity where the diet is rice and rats, yours
must be the same. Why have we driven
the Chinaman from America. A protec-
stion against the cheap laborer himself!
Then why not protect yourselves against
theproduct of his cheap labor? There is no
virtue in protection except that required to
protect our wages. Our iaborers must not
compete with the laborers of the world; We
cannot go down to their standard. It is
enough to compete with American labor
only"
And, again, he said: "To the laborers,
your prosperity depends upon the wisdom
with which you cast yonr ballot. While
the interest of the merchant, manufacturer
and farmer is closely linked with yours,
remember the inspiration and force which
moves any class of people, to a better con-
dition of life, must come from their own
concerted action"
'If we are to compete with the English.
man, German, Italian, Belgian, Scandi
navian or Chinaman in his native state, we
can do it only by accepting his rate of
wages and getting down to his food, his
home, his entire mode of living.
<.Tf co,, vote Gov Oh rvoods a