La Junta tribune., 1898-02-12
r.r,as a.a w.es..

Tariffs aad wsss&
The silliest newspaper In the world.
which. again we regret to say, is print-
ed in Chicago, on Monday evening dis
coursed thus:
Everybody on earth except q parti-
sak statesman knows that wages and
tarif have no more to do with one an
other than the Elgtn market has on the
effect Of the green cheese in the moon.
Wages are higher In free-trade England
than In protected Germany. and In
both countries wages are much lower
than were paid in this country under
the Wilson-Gorman tarin reform law.
How positively people who know
nothing do speak. The price OF labor.
like that OF potatoes. is regulated by
conditions OF demand and supply. The
price OF labor in England Is higher
than In Germany because the demand
for labor is greater. The price OF la
Dor in the United States Is greater
than In England because the demand
is greater here than there. The de-
mand for labor is greater In England
than In Germany because England Sill
has commercial supremacy In Europe;
and she attained that supremacy ny
hundreds OF years OF rigidly protective
tariffs. and has held 1t Though In
considerably diminishing degree) since
she adopted free-trade policy simply
because Of the immense lead that she
had gained during her protective era.
Germany now is gaining fast upon
England. and in due time the German
rate of wage will exceed the BRITISH,
unless the Increase of laboring popu-
lation shall exceed the rate OF increase
OF demand for labor.
In the United States the demand for
labor is dependent very largely. II not
absolutely mainly. upon our tariff con-
ditions. The Wilson-Gorman tarin
closed three-fourths of our wooien
mills by admitting the products OF the
cheaper labor OF English mills to our
market in large quantities. The con-
sequence was that the demand Tor Ia
bor was lowered. and therefore the
wages of labor were lowered. In all
branches of trade the demand Tor
workmen decreased, and universally
the price OF labor went down. We had
souphouses and free lodging houses Tor
unemployed men simply because the
demand for American labor was d.
minished. and in some trades almost
extinguished, by faulty tariff. 1t is
too early to forget the awful lesson OF
the Wilson law. No sooner was truly
protective tariff re-established than the
demand for labor increased. And
though the demand yet Is not as strong
as in 1892, and consequently the wages
are not as high, we are moving toward
our old condition Of great demand
and fair price.
All except the silliest of silly news
papers understand that when tin cup
or a coat or a shoe is made In Europe
an American is not paid for making
| 1t. All except the most unwise OF the
foolish know that when dollar Ii
sent to Europe 1t Is not spent in the
| United States.
The reduction OF wages in the cot
| ton mills of New Bedford has just this
| degree OF relation to tariff; protection
| has enabled the south to spin and
| weave cotton. as 1t has enabled the
|
| terprlses as yet are comparatively few
| in the south the supply OF labor In
relation to the demand is greater there
| than in the north, and consequently the
southern manufacturer can hire oper-
| atiyes more cheaply than the northern
Moreover. trades unions are not strong
| in the south, and very foolishly have
excluded negroes from membership.
| But every mill and factory that runs
| in the south increases the demand for
labor, and works toward increase OF
wages. And without protective tarih
few mills would be running. We COM
mend to the silliest OF all printed
things consideration Of the fact that
between October. 1897, and January.
| 1898, more than 400 new industrial
plants have been started in the south.
and we help 1t to the inferences that
they increase the demand for labor.
and that they have been brought into
being by the protective influence OF the
new tarifY-Inter Ocean.