The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-25
PROTECT AMERICAN
 WORKINGMEN'
How It Has Been Done at Lawrence, Mass.-Cheap
 Labor Imported

(By c. H. Tavenner, Special Wash ington Correspondent)
 Washington, Jan 24-DrIven from pillar to post for explanations to jus tify the Payne-Aldrich tariff tax, stand-pat protectionists long ago waived the theory that the foreigner pays the tariff and now stand on the assurance to the people that a pro- hfbitive tariff is for the protection of American working gmen-
 When Schedule K, which places a heavy tax on every article of woolen clothing worn by every man, woman and child in the nation, was up for discussion, Aldrich, Lodge. Smoot and other special privilege servers of the House and Senate. declared their 0rin- cipal motive in levying a tax on these articles, was to protect the Amer ican'' worklngmen in the woolen in dUstry
 Schedule K, became a law, the prices of all kinds of clothing, made wholly of wool or party of wool have ad- vanced, and the combinations of man ufacturers, who contributed heavily to the Republican party U have Schedule framed and passed, have made millions. But how have the American workingmen been pro tected.S
 The strike of 15,OOO textile workers at Lawrence, Mass, one of many sim liar illustrations which might be glv en- throws some light on the subject. It pu s the lie to the sta tement that Schedule K protects the American" workman, because the information shows there are scarcely any Amer ican'' workers left in the woolen man. ufacturing industry to protect. The mill owners have ''protected,' the American" workingmen by driving them from their employment T"it!- low wages and unbearable working condi- tions, and by filling their places with contract laborers from the South of Europe. Fifty-two different national ities are represented by the strikers at Lawrence. and foTty-five languages are spoken there.
 BayOnets and decreased wages for the men, women and children workers instead of the workman's paradise pie tured by Aldrich. Lodge and Shoot. is the definition of Schedule K that the mill workers at Lawrence are learning by actual experience.
 Bringing In Cheap Labor
 In view of the strike of texc.Ie work CTS at Lawrence, Mass, it is interest ing to know how the woolen mill own CTS attract cheap labor to their mills. Congressman A. P. Gardner of Mas sachusetts, while speaking one day in the House on the subject Of imnnigra- tion contributed some valuable in- formation to the subject. For exam pie" said MT. Gardner, suppose am a syrian conducting a Syrian board ing house in the city of Lowell, Mass. Perhaps some mill sends down to me for hands. I furnish them at a some what lower rate of wages than is OK
  vance the money for Syrian emigrants to come over. I tell them that if they do not pay me back the money I ad- vanced I will have them arrested; that they must hand over the full wages that they get in the mill. They are held in terror of the police. Mean while I take all their wages while I feed them and keep them alive just as I would feed and keep horse alive that I had imported for use in a Iiv- cry stable.'
 Protecting American Labor
 Whenever the steel trust has asked for a high tariff tax it has based its plea on the benevolent excuse that it's first wish was to protect the Am erican worlSingmsn." Always when the Republicans fixed a nigh tariff tax on steel their orators and leaders shouted that it was done t., protect the American worISingman.''
 Louis D. Rrandeis. citing figures from the Federal Bureau of Statig-