The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-09-03
THE TWO LAWS COMPARED
A Study Of Their Effect on the
Nations Industries.
Nearly Twenty-Five Thousand Mill
Hands Thrown Out of Work on
Wages Reduced in the First
Year of the Mckinley Law.
Results of the New Tariff.

There IS nothing more Instructive.
md for that matter it would BIO inpos-
sible to conceive of anything moro use
full to the American citizen than u care
Sul study of the effects upon the indus
tries of tho country of the new tariff
law, as compared with the Mckinley
Law. Ifthe Republican newspapers are
60 be believed, the tariff question will
be the issue of the next presidential con-
test, and if that be true every voter
ought to be ablo 70 pass upon it intelli-
gently. A great many men support one
party or the other because the success Of
the one to which they attach themselves
will put some friend i'll Office and they
feel that they haven much personal in
tereSt i'll the matter beyond that. But
there is less of that kind of voting every
year, and the time will soon come, if it
IS not already present, when men will
vote according to what seems to them
best for the interests Of the whole coun-
try. This being tho case, any reliable
data which will aid them to a knowl-
edge of the effects of high protection IS
compared with reform tariff must be well
come.
In this connection the New York
Herald recently presented to its readers
some interesting facts and figures. It
says:
"When the Mckinley tariff became
law, in October, 1890, disastrous results
soon followed, especially i'll Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio and Illinois In December,
1880, ut Bethlehem, Pa, 1000 iron
workers We're thrown out of employ
ment. In January, 1891, wages wero re-
duced 0 per cent mt the large steel
works at Homestead, Pa. and in tho
following February 1900 men wero
thrown out of work. Roverses followed
IN April by second reduction of wages
% per cent?, and i'll July 1899, by the
great and bloody strike of $500 men
against wage reductions. on Jan. 30,
1891, ut Youngstown, o., 10, 600 men
were thrown out of work, aud tho wages
or 5000 were reduced ut Johnstown,
Ia. In less than year after the Nc
Kinley law took effect 24,IO0 mill
hands were thrown out of work or had
their wages cut down. In March, 1899,
one western steel company had $500
men idle, and in July of that year or
dered . reduction Of 40 per cent in
""SS''' 1bAihcS, sllutuON1lS, WORKING on
Hhort time, reduction of wages were
quite i'll order in these times (from 1890
to 1899 of 'humming activity and
booming Mckinley prosperity of Amer
lean industries. -
The results which followed tho opera
Zion of the new tariff law are SO recent
that it is scarcely necessary to enumcr-
ate them. Almost instantly there was q
revival of activity in all branches of
manufactures. First, mills that had
been idle for several years began prep
arations to resume; then railroad earn
1ngs increased, and after that old mills
were enlarged and new ones built. FL
naliy wages began to increase first in
one section and then in another, and
flrst slightly and then in greater
amounts, until now it may be safely
SAID that industrial prosperity is entire
ly restored. The Republican papers have
resisted the Improvement at every step
and to considerable extent retarded its
progress But they were unable to de-
feat the effects of the improved eco
nonic conditions. If tho people will
carefully examine the facts, thew will
have no trouble i'll determining how TO
vote when the question to be determined
Is the preservation Of the present tariff
law or the restoration of tho Mckinley
1niquity. kansas City Times.