Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-30
HIGH TARIFFS MEAN LOW WAGES.
The soIicitude of the Monopoiists for tine
Laborer IL 70 Fraud.


All the dust that the protectionist press
Is throwing in the eyes Of the people on
the subject of the tariff II. its relation TO
work and wages cannot obsc..re the facts
that the Wilson tariff is higher than the
father OF protection, Henry Clay. declared
to be ample, fifty years ago. for the de-
fence of our industries. which then were
really infants: that 1t Is higher than the
Morrill, war-tariff of ls62, for which Sena-
cor Morrill, apologized in Congress as being
justified only By temporary war necessi-
ties: that II lowers the Mckinley tariff
less on the average than the tariff COM
missioners OF lSS2 (all protectionists) said
the much lower tariff OF that year ought
TO be reduced. and that there never was
any allegation or apprehension OF de-
stroying industries or cutting down wages
in any one OF those periods or lower
tariff rates than the Wilson bill provides.
The fact that the protected monopoiists
desperately oppose the Democratic party $
attempt to reduce ne tarin, even though
the Wilson bill leaves the tariff much
higher than Is necessary to Offset the
difference in wages between this country
and Europe. shows that the monopolists'
solicitude for the poor laborer Is all a
fraud. What they really want is pro-
lection for their own excessive 'prohts,
not for their workingmen, whose wages
they are glad TO reduce whenever they
think they can do so without provoking
strike. Protection writer's and speakers
are fond Of sneering at all who differ
with them as mere theorists" But the
high-protection people are the real
theorists in the Objectionable sense OF
that word. They have. or pretend TO
- H.. 4. 1T. tf....
makes high wages, and they coolly ignore
or impudently deny any fact which does
not fit their theory. This is why they
have so much to say about England. and
80 little to say about the other nations
Of the earth. Wages are little lower
In England than here, and the hlgh-pro-
lection people are never tired Of ascribing
this difference To the difference in tariff
policy.
But England is not the only country in
the world. II the theory that high pro-
lection makes high wages is true the
country we should expect To find paying
the highest wages is China. for China has
the highest protective system in the world
yet Chinese wages are the lowest in the
world. Germany and France have high
protection. and England and Belgium
have what is commonly called free trade.
If the protection theory Is true we should
certainly expect 10 find wages higher in
the two protectionist countries than in
the two free-trade countries. The other
conditions Of Germany, France. Belgium
and England are about the same-that is
as to their climate, fertility Of soil. and
the general character and intelligence OF
their peoples. So that comparison be-
tween them H. much fairer than between
England and America, where these condi.
tons are widely different
FIGURE FACTS.
The figures we are about 10 quote arc
not taken from any English. free-trade
or tarln-reform authority. They will be
found on page 1883, volume .. OF the re-
port Of the United States Tariff Commits
sion OF 1852. This was a body. appointed
by President Arthur expressly TO investi-
gate the tarif1 question. IL was composed
exclusively Of Republicans and protec.
tiOnists and sat for months taking expert
evidence. Here are the weekly wages cur
rent in these four countries according tc
this Republican report