The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-09-21
WAGES AND TARIFFS.
An,mense Advantage Of tho wilson $50
to- VOrISinSmen.

to- "OrkinSnen.
contempocary, whose distinction
!. Chs t,;iisi,si: % things Il don's know.
notes the revival In the manufacture of
pottery in this country. at East Liver.
pool. in Ol,it,: The pottcries have been
idle since the passage Of the Gori.ian
tariff until this week, it says, when
three-fcnrths Of them started up on
full time, and the rect IRE running
part of the time. Anxious to for.tstali
any credit that might be claimed by
the democrats that this fevival Is due
to democratic legislation, it informs
its readers that it is not, but that that
Legislation, gave it. it's black eye. The
pottery men, it says. give Is the tr"e
reason that, ''in order to renew opera
lions Mt ali, and prevent their factories
froh Remaining isidcf1ite!y idle, they
were compelled to cut prices to the
level OF those OF those of imported
go1ds rndHr She new reduced tariff.
This shows, says our contemporary.
how friendly the democratic rcrcnac
rcful'ticrs tire to tho American work
inrnan.
We are Of one opinion with our con-
temporary IL It. Inst statement. The
American vvorl1ingmcn, who VASTLY ex-
coed In numbers the manufacturers of
pottery; will certainly not regret the
reduction of the cost Of tEeir pottery.
Bat tile fcatly interesting part of this
duct;o,, is the rca son assigned by tho
pottery men for rcsuming. They have
been compcl}ed TO rednac the price of
their wares TO Il point vher. they
could compete with the foreign inl-
ported ware, i1crea sad in cost by the
duty imposed. The average :d va1oTc1l1
tariff on their products under Mc!lin-
leyism was 90 per cent, which was r.
duccd by the present act to IS per
cent, making a reduction OF n little
over Al per cent. Under the present
law the cost Of every 500 worth OF
pottery imported Is increased $35 by
the tax, making its cost sl35. The pot
cry men, if Our contemporary Is not
giving us another piece of nisinforma-
ton. admit that, for every 500 worth
of their ware. they add this S33 of pro-
lection as to bring their price up to
the level of that Of their competitors;
in other words, the pottery manu-
facturcrs thus admit that they arc
taking. as they have taken. to them
selves the entire benefit of the protcc
ton afforded.
Apropos of this. and illustra til, & the
''paralyzirg effect" of the latest tariff
act, we have the case of 4 Trenton, n.
j., pottery which. on January 10, 1891,
three months after the passage Of the
Mckinley act, proposed to its employees
n reduction Of 1919 per cent of their
wages The men went on a strike,
which lasted until April 20 that Year,
when Il reduction of % per cent. was
accepted, but was followed on May IA
by Il further reduction of per cent
On June l6 of this year, the same firm
under this ''blacls-eyc" tariff, increased
the wages of its employees from 10 to 40
per cent. The effect, then, of the re-
duction in the tariff is only to reduce
the profit of the employers and in
crease wages, while the effect OF the
Mckinley act was to increase the
profits and decrease wages. Wc agree
that the comparison does show ''how
friendly the democratic tariff reform
ers arc to the American worAingmen."
st. Paul Globe.