Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-04-29
THE YELLOW PERIL.

/ A@As'
There has been much of joshing
and frivolity in the papers in ref
erence to the tariff on various
things, chiefly about the item of
hosiery. The women Of the coun-
try, it was said, were up in arms
against the tariff, and were ready to
march on Congress and demand re-
lief. Congressman Scott puts. the
question straight back to the coun-
try, and his words are SO clear, his
logic so conclusive, that even a free
trade democrat can scarcely deny
the force of what he says. After
mentioning the 100000 name Pc
tition from Chicago against the
hosiery tariff, he says: "The wife
of a member of congress, who was
in Chicago while the petition was
being prepared, wrote her husband
that upon entering the store of
Marshall Field, the petition was
put into her hands and she was
ask to sign it. AS she went on with
ner shopping from one department
to another the petition was thrust
at her at every counter, so that by
the time she had left the store she
had signed 1t twelve times. And
careful consideration Of the petit
ton shows also page after page
written by the same hand and bear
ing strong evidence Of having been
copied from a city directory.
ION top of all this comes the in
formation that the Marshall Field
Company owns seven or eight no.
siery mills in Japan. These mills
are operated by men and women
who work from eleven to twelve
hours a day for wages equivalent to
about 20 cents, so that their pro-
duct represents mere fraction OF
what it would cost at an American
mill where American wages were
paid. 1t is not strange that the
company which owns these Japanese
mills should wish to have as low
duty as possible on hosiery. But
is 1t quite fair for that company to
manufacture petitions to Congress to
have this duty reduced on the plea
that 1t is all done for the benefit
Of the American consumer?
1.-THE truch OF the matter Is that II
is no longer the "pauper labor" OF
Europe which threatens the employ
ment and high wages of the American
operatives, but the starvation wages
Of Asia. Until a few years ago the
anti-foreign feeling in China and
Japan was SO strong and the govern
ments were SO weak that American
capital would not risk investment
in manufacturing enterprises In eth
er of those countries. Conditions
have changed, however, so that such
investments now are as safe as they
were any where else in the world,
and they are being rapidly made. Not
only are these hosiery mills estab-
lished by American and European
capital but there are factories for
making electrical appliances. for the
manufacture of glass and for many
kinds of cotton goods. have my
self seen glass blowers in Japan
where the most skilled blower work
ed eleven and one half hours a day
for seventy-five cents, American
money. l have seen cotton mills
where the workmen stood at their
machines the same number of hours
with an average wage Of about
twenty-five cents a day. 1t is per
fectly clear that goods manufactured
with labor at this price can under
sell similar goods made in Europe
or America in any market Of the
world. Unless all the signs Of the
times are wrong it is the output Of
the Aslatic mills built by American
capital which constitutes the great
est menance to the prosperity Of
the American worker in the coming
years''-Lawrencs Gazette.