The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-04
HOW VERY SOLICITOTS.


The Milwaukee Sentinel signalized
the ending of the old year with a
spread Of the business of the city dur
ing the year, tabulating the various
Der of establishments, the number of
employees, wages paid, capital invested
and value of product The figures, of
course, are those voluntarily given by
the heads of the various establish
ments. and. human nature being quite
as weak in Milwaukee as elsewhere,
they each and all probably put their
best foot forward" in making their
showing. We can we'll assume that
nothing was understated, and, making
all due allowance, the exhibit is very
creditable one for that city, considering
that it. like all the rest of the country,
is still staggering back to convalescence
from the breakdown of '93.
But attention is diverted from the
fine totals of establishments, employees.
capital and products by a series of
interviews accompanying the exhibit.
AS the tariff is again with us in a
condition of relapse into its most ex-
IRENE state of debility, the Sentinel
obtained from representatives of the
leading Industries their views upon
the tariff and what, if any, degree of
protection it should afford them; or,
to conform to the customary Smile
of the advocates of that policy, what
it should afford their poor workmen and
workwomen. We will do what the
Sentinel omitted to do, and annCtate
some of these interviews with illustra-
tive deductions from their industrial
showing in the tables. The question
prcpounded was: do you regard a
high protective tariff preferable to the
present system, and, if so, for what
specific reasons?"
The Cream City Woven Wire works
said: Yes. When our labor is pro-
tected, our labor is employed, and when
our laborers earn wages they will buy
goods that We are manufacturing; if
our laborers earn nothing they sleep on
the floor instead of on woven wire
mattresses" The table shows that this
establishment pays it's workmen an
annual average wage of 1857, and the
total wages paid are Is per cent of the
value Of the product, while the latter is
m G6 hXy TO ri of nnT7f
The Milwaukee Worsted mills said:
Yes, to enable spinners of fine worsted
yarns and knitters and weavers Of
the same to compete with European
competitor. This is impossible under
the present tariff" The Phoenix Knit
ting works replied: Yes. We need a
protective tariff, but not extremely
high, to give employment to American
labor to produce what is now being
made by cheap European labor for this
country, working night and day to do
it, The average annual wage paid
by these concerns is shown by the
table to be SITS, which is but % per
cent of the value it produces, while the
protection given it's product is 40 per
cent.
The Standard Glove works, with en-
phasis: Yes, by all means. We are
Americans. Give the workingman a.
chance to earn fair wages and the
manufacturers will be taken care Of"
This concern pays 1854 a year with
protection of 40 per cent to give it's
workmen chance to earn fair wages
that are only IS per cent of the value
of their product. A firm of box makers.
who pay their workmen the munifi-
cent wage of 1916 a year, say yes,
because the past four years have proven
that free trade is the ruin of our coun-
try" A soap maker says: Yes, for
protection to American industries" No
cant about workingnnen here. He
pays an average of 1920 a year, but his
workmen get but 105 per cent of the
value of the product which revels in a
protection of 50 per cent.
Turning to other interviews, we find
the Gugler Lithograph company, which
pays an average annual wage of $3.50
saying that 100 per cent would not be
enough if it's work were protected. ''vet
we seem to hold our own in this conn
try all the sams" The Milwaukee
Brewing company thinks a high tariff
would increase the necessaries Of life
and wages would not increase fast
enough The average wage in that in
dustry is $455. The Kempsmith Ma
chine Tool company, average wage $500
do not fear competition in our line
outside the United States" In the
building business, incapable of being
protected, the average wage is $50.
While blacksmithing pays $685. 1t is
thus shown that the industries most
sClicitous for high taxes to protect
their poor Workingmen pay the lowest
wages, that their wages are but from,
10 to 20 per cent of the value of the
product, and that the protection now
given the latter, is from two to three
times the percentage Of wages in if
1t also appears that the average wages
in unprotected Industries exceed those
in the lines whose representatives are
clamorous for higher rates, solely to
enable them to pay higher wages to
their poor employees. We find the usual
pprcepta ga of cant and ccif9a ox,o.,.