The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-02-09
REED ON The TARIFF.
Great Speech of the Ex-speaker Against
the Wilson Bnl-What Protection Hat

0f0ae speech OF the Ex-Speaker Against
the Wilson Brl-whar Protection Has
Done for Labor.
WASHINGTON, Feb. AIN closing the
debate in the house yesterday in op-
position to the Wilson bill Mr.. Reed
(Nle.) said:
In this debate which has extended over
many weeks. one remarkable result has al
ready been reached-a result OF the deepest i'm
portance to the country. The result is that the
bill before us is odious to both sides Of the
house. 1t meets with favor nowhere AMI COM
mands the respect Of neither party On this
side we believe that while IL pretends to be for
protection it does not afford it. and on the
other side they believe that while 1t looks to-
ward free trade, 1t does not accomplish it
Those who will vote against this bill will do
so because 1t opens our markets TO the de-
structive competition Of foreigners and those
who vot for 1t do it with reservation that
they will instantly devote themselves to a new
crusade against whate er barriers are left
Whatever speeches have been made in de-
Tense of the bill on the OF er side, whether by
gentlemen who were responsible to their own
constituents, or by the gentleman from West
Virginia, who onght to have been steadied by
his sense of responsibility 10 the whole country,
have one and all. with but rare exceptions,
placed their authors uncompromisingly. except
for temporary purposes, on the side of unre-
stricted free trade.
After quoting authorities to show
the prosperity of the country. Mr. Reed
continued:
These quotations also are reminders for you.
Mr. Speaker. ard all who hear me- to know
that the American who has been long enough
here to know his opportunities has found the
best place for wages in the world Is there
any example in the history of the world OF any
nation situated like ours who has taken the
perhaps, are h1stening TO say that England af-
fords us the needed example that we have but
to turn to her history and find al that we need
by way OF examples, just as in the statements
Of her political economists we shall find all that
is necessary for advice, for guidance and in
struction
After giving statistics as to the rise
of wages, the speaker continued:
The truth Is that this verv question of rising
wages is what makes good many men free
traders People with fixed incomes think that
anything which raises wages is inimical to
them and manufacturers who have foreign mar
kets are naturally anxious to have wages on
the foreign standard 1 confess to you that
this question of wages ~ to me the vital ques-
ton. To insure our growth in civiliZ alton and
wealth, we must not only have wages as high
as they are now, but constantly and steadily
increasing. This desire of mine for constantly
increasing wages does not have its origin in
love for the Individual but in love for the ma
ton
Mr. Reed eulogized the American
market as being the best in the world,
owing to high wages paid, and declar-
ing that it was now proposed. to lessen
the market and lower wages, and con-
cluded by saying:
To add to the interesting imposibllitiss of
n Rnnton he at m q
say they are going TO maintain wages How
can that be possible? All things sell at the
cost OF production II the difference between
cost of production here and cost OF production
in England be not equalized by the dutg then
our cost Of production must go down or we
must go out Our laws have invited money
and men. and we have grown great and rich
thereby The gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Black, hls noticed that men come here. and
he does not want them to come: hence he is
willing that our wages shall be lowered to
keep people away. Well. this is not the time
to discuss immigration: but while people are
coming am glad they have not yet imbibed
the genteml MS ideas ana nave not yet begun
TO clamor for lower wages
But what do you say about the farmer? Well
on that subject / do not profess any special
learning but there is one simple statement !
wish to make and leave the question there II.
with cities growing up like magic, manufacture
ing villages dott ng every eligible site, each
and all swarmipg with mouths to be filled, the
producers are worse OF than when half this
country was q desert 1 abandon sense in favor
of political economy
II the hope Of agriculturists Is in English free
trade they had bett-r ponder on the fact that
while the wages Of artisans have increased in
England say az 43 per week since 1870 the
wages OF agricultural laborers have only in
creased - cents and while the Lancashire ope-
ratives in the factories live as well as anybody,
1.fN.N
hardly better on than the continental peas
antry. Englands example will not do for ag-
ricuture.
Here let me meet one other question and let
me meet IL fairly. We are charged with having
claimed that the tariff alone will raise wages
We have never made such a claim in any such
form Free traders have set up that claim for
us in order to triumphantly knock it over.
What we do say is that where nations have
equal skill and equal appliances and market
nearly equal so one OF them can hire labor at
one half less, nothing but t~rin can maintain
the higher wages and that we can prove.
We are the only rival that England fears for we
alone have in our borders the population and
the wages, the raw material and within our
selves the great market which insures to US
the most improved machinery. Our constant
power to increase our wages insures US also a
continuous progress II you wish US to follow
the example Of England, say YES, with all my
heart, but her real ex nipple and nothing less
Let US keep protection. as she did, until no
rival dares to invade our territory, and then
we may take our chances for future which by
that time viii not be unknown.
Nobody knows so well as I do how much I
have failed TO present even of my own compre
hension of the great argument which should
control this vote. Ihlve said not word of the
great fall of prices which have always come
from the competition of the whole world rem
dered possible by protection and substituted
for the competition Of single island have
said not word OF the great differ
ence between the attitude f empl yers
who find their own workmen their best custom
ers in their own land and who are, tn refore,
moved by their own best interests to give their
workmen fair wages, and those who sell abroad
and are therefore anxious for low wages at
home and on whom works unres trictedly that
pernicious doctrine-as wages fall profits rise.
These and much more have omitted, for there
is limit to all speaking.
We know my friends that before this trib-
unal we all of US plead in vain Why we fail
let those answer who read the touching words
OF Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural and re-
member that he pleaded in vain with these
men and their predecessors Where he
failed we cannot expect to succeed But
though we fail here to-day, like our great
leader of other days in the larger field
before the mightier tribunal which will finally
and forever decide this question, we shall be
more than c0nQuerorS; Tor THIS great nation,
shaking OF as IL has once before the influence
Of q lower civilization will go on TO fulfill its
high destiny until over the south. as well as
over the no tn. shall be spread the full measure
of that amazing prosperity which is the wonder
of the world
VIII Pool Business
NEW YORK, Feb. 3.-The North Ger.
man Lloyd line and the Hamburg
American line have agreed to pool
their eastward and westward passen-