The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-25
AMERIoAs new LEAD.

What has become of the pauper labor
Of Europe which was for so long a time
held UP as a scarecrow before the
eyes of the American workingmen? :?
Has the condition of the foreign labor
er and mechanic been raised to the
American level, or has the American
wage scale been reduced to the Euro
pean standard? Certain it is. that
America is competing successfully
with the manufacturing nations in the
worlds markets-not only competing,
but getting a large and growing share
Of the business.
Attention was called recently in The
Journal to the fact that the locomotive
works of this country had received or
ders for Sc locomotives from nine for
eign nations in short time. LocOmo-
tives are not the only articles of Amer
lean manufacture sent abroad, though
the business in that line is assuming
vast proportions.
The Westinghouse people of Pitts
burg have recently received a contract
for a complete electrical equipment of
the entire street railway system of
Glasgow, Scotland, and the street rail
way system of Sydney, New South
Wales. The A .&s p. Roberts company
Of Philadelphia has just received a
land for a bridge costing s474,OOO over
the River IsseI, near WestevoOrt; the
Erie City Iron Works of Erie, Pa. is
now building several sets of engines
and boilers for the government of
France. and the bridge works of Potts
town, Pa, are shipping two locomotive
turntables to Korea.
A report from George Horton, the
United States consul in Greece, an
nounces that the government there
proposes to purchase 10000 Oliver
plows from South Bend. Ind, to dis
tribute among the Thessalian refugees,
in order that they may return to culti-
vate the land they abandoned at the
approach of the Turks. Thessaly was
practically deserted and devastated
during the recent war, and the inhabi-
tants are still a burden upon the gov
ernment. King George has a commit
tee at work testing agricultural imple-
nents on a farm near Athens, with the
expectation of supplying Thessalians
with tools and sending them back to
their former homes. The committee has
ascertained that American plows are
much better than those made in
Germany, England or France, but their
cost is greater because of the exOrbi-
tant profits demanded by the dealers.
Consul Horton suggests that it would
be a good thing if American manufac-
turers Of agricultural implements would
send agents with samples Immediate
ly to Greece. He is also creditably in
formed that the minister of war is in
tending to re-arm the entire military
service, and will soon be ready to pur-
chase large number of repeating RI
hes.
In addition to the foregoing the Rog-
ers company has received an order
from the Chinese government for eight
locomotives within the last few weeks
the Brooks works an order for twelve
mOguls for Japan, the Porter works
of PittsbUrg for twenty-eight engines |
for Porto Rico, Hayti, Finland, Guate-
mala, Mexico and Venezuela.
A tariff may be a desirable institu-
tion for many reasons. but we might as
well be honest about it. It certainly |
does not seem necessary for the pur-
pose of protecting the American labor |
er against the pauper labor of Eu- |
rope.
All the manufacturing nations of /
Europe are hustling to devise some |
plan by " which they can save their mar /
kets from capture by the Yankees. !
Clearly. they do not believe that it can /
be done by levying a tariff on imports, /
else they would try it quickly enough. |
The fact is, we have the raw mater |
ial and the necessaries of life at our /
very doors and can and always could 4
uuderseu any nation on the earth not |
similarly situated.
=z1a1s11=ag=