The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-10-25
Franklin Pierce Shows That La
Dor Is Not Benefited by
Unjust Tax.
MANUFACTURERS KEEPS PROFIT
Proof OF Democratic Platforms Sound
ness Cited In Reports Of Wage In
vestioatlons.
BY FRANKLIN PIERCE.

ihle pretexts for imposing increased
prices upon the necessaries OF life Al
first they said that industry in oui
country was in its infancy and needed
protection. When those Industries haC
become strong and needed 10 aid the
manufacturers invented the theory
that the foreigner paid the duty. This
theory was exploded and they declar
ed that cheap clothing meant cheap
men and was not blessing
Driven, from every one OF these inde-
fensible positions, their final and only
argument left today Is that the tariff
is imposed upon foreign imports to en-
able the manufacturer TO increase his
profits apd pay higher wages.
The Democratic platform declares
that;
In the most highly protected indus
tries, such as cotton and wool, steel
and iron, the wages of the lshorers are
the lowest paid in any Of our indus
tries
Proof OF this statement is found in
reports OF many recent Official investi-
cations Of wages in the United States.
Wages In Cotton Industry.
Under the existing Payne-Aldrich
tariff law actual imports OF cotton
cloth paid in 1910 average duties of
s6.4 per cent.
In 1905, when work and wage eondi-
tons in the cotton industry were ex-
ceptionally good the wages OF 2,211
cotton mill operatives in the United
Statesmen, women and children-av.
eraged only s647 a week The average
wage for men was but s771 week,
for women $3.50 and for children. 1921.
AS TO the profits, seventeen leading
cotton mills, with total capitalization
of s25,11oooo and total surplus of s2l-
963.50l, paid in nine years dividends
averaging % per cent.
The cotton manufacturers turned out
In 1905 s442.451.21S worth of goods and
paid in wages therefore s94, ,337, ,695, or
n per cent. OF the value of the finished
product
Extortlon OF Wool Tariff.
outside of the duties on two or three
commodities Of comparatively little i'm.
portance. the duties on wooden cloth
are the highest Of any in the tarih
schedules According to Senator Reed
Smoot, owner Of wooden mill at
Provost Utah. and chairman of tho
finance committee 10 charge of tariff
FlegisIation in the senate, wearing ap.
parel valued at 80 cents a pound now
pays 206 % per cent duty.
This and other correspondingly high
duties on the manufactures of wool
are made to enable the manufacturer
TO pay his labor an increased wage
over those OF foreign countries But
the duty on wooden goods is nearly FIVE
times the entire labor cost, while the
American manufacturers in 1908 paid
II wages only is per cent Of the total
value Of their production.
At Lawrence In this most highly pro
tected industry the laborers were
obliged to strike even for a living
wage Thousands Or adult males were
receiving only from SO to SO a week
and many only S. to s6 week. As
result Of the strike the American
Woolen company gave its employees
slight increases in wages
The wool tariff bill vetoed by Presi.
dent Taft reduced the duties on raw
wool from 42.20 to 20 per cent and on
of wool from S7.65 to
1895 per cent. Mr. Taft said he We
toed IL because the proposed rates did
not comply with the findings of the /
tariff board Senator La Toilette con /
tradicted the president, saying that
the proposed rates varied from 1 per
cent lower to Il6 higher than the |
tariff boards findings justified
Low Wages In Steel.
Manufacturers OF iron and steel in !
1905 paid ia wages only is per cent.
Of the total value Of their production,
while the duty then would average
about 45 to A. per cent. and on all
metals it now averages 3451 per cent.
American wages are really the
cheapest wages In the world when you
lake into account the amount Of pro-
suction per man.
An illustration of this appears in
ne STANLEY report Inv esugating the
steel trust. as follows
"The labor cost of producing pig
ron In Pennsylvania fell from s1.25 a
on in 1902 TO So cents ton in 1909
ret the realized value OF the pig iron
,utput was sf564 in 1909, whereas 1t
vas $1744 in 1909 In other words,
in 1902 got 1925 for pro-
ucing only $15.64 worth of pig iron
nd in 1908 only 81 cents for produc-
ng s1744 worth.
While thus treating labor the indus
rial combinations that have grown up
nder the protection OF the tariff have
xed the prices OF commodities at the
ighest point the home market would
tand For twelve years they have
cen unjustly transferring through the
rejection tariff billions OF dollars from
be earnings of labor into their own
ockets
When viii the laboring men of The
ountry cast of this delusion that the
arlR is for their benefit and with
heir votes strike down this monstroua
niustice?