Smyrna times., 1900-10-24
PRESIDENT M'KINLEY
ON THE LABOR QUESTION
HIS RECORD IN SUPPORT OF THE INTER
ESTS OF AMERICAN WORKINGMEN.
For Twenty-Five Years the President Has
Made Constant Efforts in their Behalf.
Champion Of Their Rights.


legislation he has repeatedly shown his
devotion to the interests of the work
ingman. The quotations from his
speeches here given are from public
complete and fragmentary, being in all
cases brief extracts from @peeches and
addresses. They are sufficient, how
ever, to show that William Mckinley
has been at every stage of his career
and on all occasions an avowed, ear
nest and persistent friend of labor and
its interests by every legitimate means.
In a speech in congress on April Is,
1873, Mr.. Mckinley first took a posi-
tion in regard to this question. He
said, in reference to q proposition for
reducing wages:
81 must protest against this or any
other measure which looks to the seal
ing down of the wages of labor. "
Reduce the tariff and labor is the first
to suffer. The difference between the
present and the proposed rate of duty
must be made up somewhere, must be
compensated in some way. As always
has been the case, when economy in
production is to be studied, the manu-
facturer looks to his pay roll of labor
and commences there first. 1t is
our duty, and we ought to protect as
sacredly and assuredly the labor and
the industry of the United States as
we would protect her honor from taint
or her territory from invasion. We
ought to take care of our own nation
and her industries first"
Again, on the 9th of April, 1882, he
said in the house of representatives:
THE fundamental argument for pro-
lection is its benefits to labor. No
worthy American wants to reduce the
price of labor in the United States. 1t
ought not to be reduced. For the sake
of the laborer and his family and the
good Of society it ought to be main
tained. To increase it would be in bet
ter harmony with the public sense.
Our labor must not be debased nor our
laborers degraded to the level of slaves,
nor any pauper or servile system in
any form nor under any guise whatso-
ever at home or abroad. Our civiliza-
tion will not permit it; our humanity
forbids it; our traditions are opposed
to it,"
Wages Higher Here Than Elsewhere.
In the house April 80, 1884, Mr.. Nc
Kinley made this statement:
1--WE must not reduce the price paid
to labor. 1t is already sufficiently low.
We can only prevent it by defeating
this dow tariff bill, and it should be
done without unnecessary delay - the
sooner the better-and remove this men,
ace which hangs over all of our indus
trial life and threatens the comfort
and independence of millions of Amer
lean wOrkingmen."
At Petersburg, Va, he eloquently
champiOned the cause of protection to
American labor, closing as follows:
THE chief ground upon which we
can Justify a protective tariff today is
that it is in the interest of American
labor-American black labor as we'll
as American white labor-and the pro-
tective tariff we want is a tax suffi-
cient to make up the difference be-
tween the prices paid labor in Europe
and the prices paid labor in America"
In a speech at Boston Feb. 8, 1888
Mr.. Mckinley said:
Every yard of cloth imported here
makes a demand for one yard less OF
American fabrication. Let England
take care of herself, let France loOE
after her interests, let Germany take
care Of her own people, but in Gods
name let Americans look after Amer
:ca! loud applause.1 Every ton Of
steel imported diminishes that mucl
of home production. Every blow strucl
on the other side upon an article which
comes here in competition with lik,
articles produced here makes the de
mand for one blow less at home. Ev
cry days labor upon the foreign prod
ucts sent to the United States takes
one days labor from American work
ingmen. l would give the days labo
TO our own first, last and all the time
and that policy which fails in this 4
opposed to American interests. To sc
cure this is the great purpose of a pro
tective tariff"
Labor Must BE Well Paid.
At Cleveland, Oct. 3, 1889:
II do not prize the word cheap. Chea1
merchandise means cheap men, an
cheap men mean a cheap country, an
that is not the kind of government ou
fathers founded, and it is not the kin
their sons mean to maintain. IAr
plause.l IL you want cheap things. 2
where you can get them. That is wher
you belong. This is not your abidin
place. We want labor to be well pal,
we want the products Of the farm; "
want mechanical products; we wal
everything we make and produce I
pay a fair compensation to the pr
ducer. That is what makes good time
that is what protective tariffs mean"
Az Cincinnati In an address on Ser