The morning call., 1894-08-02

cheap labor.
II is true the temptation 10 foreigners to
reach for and control The American markets,
and for foreign cheap labor 10 Supplant Ameri-
can dear labor, is great. This Is so because the
resources OF the United States are illlmtable.
The whole world is cOntesting for the indus
trial prizes of our country. Shall we surrender
these prizes to them, or retain them for our
selves and for our children? This is the prob
lem of the hour. The might OF our civilization
and the sleepless Industry of our people have
done much toward holding American labor
markets. but the question now Is. Shall there
DE brake put on the wheels of American
progress by adding to it foreign load that we
cannot carry, or shall we move on in the lines
OF American civilization by sustaining Amerl-
can producers ana promoting American enter
prises?
The Republican party is the party OF the
people. Ii stands for right and justice, for law
and order, for home institutions for protection.
II Is opposed to anarchy. Ii is for protection
In Its br0adest sense. 1t would protect the
lives, the property and the labor OF our country.
In It's infancy 1t stood for free LABOR against
slave labor, for hOmesteads for the people, for
liberty and the rights Of man. Now, in the
fullness of It's age and strength, II stands for
good wages against low wages. 1t is law
abiding and a God-fearing party. II would
protect with equal devotion the man who runs
the wheelbarroW, the cart or the rallcar Re-
publicans believe In The American system OF
government because 1t is a government OF the
people. They believe in the purity OF AmeTi-
can home life, in American free schools and in
American freedom. In word, the Republican
party Is for America and all that Is American.
Above all, we would give to American labor
steady work and good wages. II this makes
ours paternal Government we thank God we
have Just such Government.
The Republicans are for protective tariff. The
Democrats aud Populists are for fee trade
The question Is Can American prices for
labor be maintained without protection to
American products?
This problem Is now confronting our people,
and IL mus soon be met and answered. And
further. materially lowered
our civilization maintained? Can we European
iZe the American natiOn-cOme down 10 the
European modes OF lving-and sustain the
Amer lean institutions? Il member European
prices for labor and Euro can prices for
products mean European modes of living.
My friends and fellow-citlZens: These are
not partisan problems pre- -eDted To further
partisan interests. They are great questions OF
state policy affecting, in a high degree, the
safety and the peTpetuity OF the republic. The
reason why these questions are important is
that IN this age, and cOnspicously in this
republic, more money is necessary TO
maintain personal and political independence
than with any other people, or during any other
period IN the worlds history. Political inde-
pendence cannot exist where there Is financial
dependence. Once make class distinctions be.
tween the rich and the pOOr-between those
who work and those who do not. and the gov
ernmeut cannot stand. Place money before
intellgenc and character and the government
cannot stand.
Americans cannot remain free unless they
are intelligent; education is not luxury in
tended only for the rich; 1t is a necessity OF
our American citizenship. Our children can
not, as In European countries, be taken from
The cradle to the factory. They are fed and
clio he'd better aud educated differently from
those of other countries Five years OF their
young lives must be spent In fitting them to be-
come fathers and mothers OF American free
men. The free public schools of our country
lay The foundation for their future usefulness
as citizens and their enlightenment as men and
women. The public schools are the cradles OF
American liberty and the cornerstone OF repub-
lican institutions.
Money has to be earned by labor and labor
must be we'll paid TO earn il. The price OF
labor and he price of the products OF labor fix
the amount The parent can eXpend lG fitting his
children TO become good clliZens, and so ait
follows as the night the day" that in Republic
can America good wages for labor and good
prices for The products OF labor are necessary
TO sustain good government. II is true economy
must be pTdcticed In every department of gov
eminent, yet freedom Is expensive. Our Gov
efDment is an expensive government. Our
people are an expensive people. And il We
change our mode OF living we must change our
form OF government. III you lower wages or
decrease the prices OF the products of labor
you attack free government. The working
people must then live on less. This creates un-
resi- and thus dIstuTbs the peace of society.
And so IL is. that steady work and good wages
are necessary TO good government
1t is selfevdeut that the more we make at
home aud the less we buy from abroad the
more WORK there will be to do here aud the bet
Ter VIII De our nome maj keI. AUQ tue more
there is 70 do the greater will be me demand
for labor. When America makes what Ameri-
cans consume all our people viii prosper. Ii
is fact that labor and capital must be on
friendly terms, and the two cannot be on
friendly terms unless, labor is justly rewarded.
To be Justly rewarded our home life and The
necessities OF our people must be considered.
Nor can we forget that every American citizen
has voice In governmental affairs He is one
of the units of the body polite. Lower the
standard OF that unit aud you lower the stan
dard of the Government. He is one of the peO-
pie, and as our Government is government OF
the people, when you lnlure or d base the peO-
pie the Government falls. And so, il we want
good government, we must have independent
manhood.
The prosperity of the laboring people Of
America under Republican rule has never been
equaled In the history of our own or any other
country In the presence OF this universal
prosperity the Democratic party declared that
protection was fraud and unconstitutional
and the Populists sustained and &C ed with
them. For nearly year and half those two
political organizations have tried TO carry out
that theory. They have talked tariff reform
until the Industries of the country have become
paralyZed aud The people are hungry. They
have forgotten that any reform which brings
want to the people is failure and not reform
and that you cannot reform hungry man with
out feeding him. In a word. the country was
PROSPEROUS. 1t Is now in distress What caused
that prosperity? The answer Is, continuous
and well-rewaIded labor. This was the direct
and inevitable result OF protection.
For thirty years we maintained a protective
policy. That is, we legislated in favor OF the
worker. The ,lue OF labor under hat policy
was largely enhanced. The undeniable result
was that wealth never accumulate ed so fast our
population never increased so rapidly, and
peace good order and cOntentmenJ prevailed.
Look at the map OF the Republic and note the
changes which that prosperous period has
wrought The great West has been settled,
new States have been admitted into the Union,
our educational opportunities have been multi
piled, most OF our cities nave treDIeQ their
population, our commerce with foreign nations
has more than quadrupled and our position
among the great powers OF the world has ad-
vanced from the second or third TO the first
class.
tectiye policy OF our Government Is more ap.
parent when we observe that the number of
persons employed in the manufacturing indus
tries of the United States increased from 2. .73z,
595 in 1880 to 4,711,S32 in 1890; and The
amount OF wages paid increased from 81 ,334.-
S69,47O in 1880 10 $2,282. .823, ,265 IN 1890.
These statistics tell their own story.
Nor is there shadow OF truth in the state
mpnt that the present business depression Is
due TO the acts of Republican Congress- Pro-
lection IS now and always has been the creed
of our parry. Under Republican rule good
wages were paid TO labor and fair prices for
products. Under Democratic and POpulist rule
labor is poorly paid business depression exists
and social unrest prevails. Our foreign and do
mestc trade Is largely decreased; strikes and
lock-outs are Of daily Occurrences; One.fOurth of
the manufacturing enterprises OF The country
are closed down, and more than third OF our
coal and iron mines are closed or running on
half time.
Who is to blame for all this? Is 1t the party
which is not in power and cannot provide a
remedy, or is It not rather the parties which
are in power and which for year and half
have been trying 10 secure free trade for Euro
Dean products In an American market and
free trade for European labor In the same mar