Gilpin observer., 1912-01-25
WASHINGTON NEWS

lOAN, SdL go l(TlNSu
from pillar to post for explanations
to justify the Payne-Aldrich tariff
tax, stand-pat protectionists long ago
waived the theory that the foreigner,
pays the tariff and now stand or the
assurance to the people taat pro.
hibftive tariff is for the protection of
: American" workingmen.
When Schedule K, which places a
heavy tax on every article of wooden
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
principal motive in levying tax on
these articles was to protect" the
American" workingmen in the wool
en- industry.
Schedule X became a law, the
prices of all kinds of clothing, made
wholly of wool or partly of wool have
advanced and the combinations of
manufacturers who contributed heav-
lily to the Republican party to have
Schedule X framed and passed, have
made millions. But how have the
American" workingmen been "pro-
tected?"
The strike of $1,000 textile work
: ers at Lawrence, Mass, one of many
similar illustrations which might be
t given, throws some light on the sub
: ject. 1t puts the lie to the state
ment that Schedule X protects the
h American" workman, because the
0 any American" workers left in the
r woolen manufacturing industry to
protect. The mill owners have PRO
l. tected" the American workingmen
b by driving them from their employ
= ment with low wages and unbearable
: working conditions, and by filling
their places with contract laborars
from the south of Europe. Fifty-two
= different nationalities are represent
! ed by the strikers at Lawrence, and
| forty-five languages are spoken there.
Bayonets and decreased wages for
the men, women and children work
ers, instead of the workmans para
disc pictured by Aldrich. Lodge and
Smoot, is the definition of Schedule
K that the mill workers at Lawrence
Il are learning by actual experience.
Bringing in Cheap Labor.
In view of the strike of textile
!" workers at Lawrence, Mass, it is
interesting to know how the woolef
their mills. Congressman A. P. Gard
ner of Massachusetts, while speaking
one day in the house on the subject
II of immigration, contributed some val
liable information to the subject Mr.
Gardner is stan1pat protectionist
Il OF the Aldrich school. For -ex-
ample" said Mr. Gardner, suppose
am Syrian conducting a Syrian
y boarding house in the city OF Lowell
Mass. Perhaps some mill sends down
to me for hands. l furnish them at
a somewhat lower rate OF wages
u than is expected by ordinary citizen
II help. l advance the money for Sy.
= rian emigrants to come over. | tell
them that if they do not pay me
back the money l advanced | will
have them arrested; that they must
. hand over the full wages that they
get in the mill. They are held in ter
ror of the police. Meanwhile | take
all their wages while | feed them
end keep them alive just as would
feed and keep horse alive that
had imported fer use in a livery
l stable
Protecting American Labor.
Whenever the steel trust has ask
ed fer a high tariff it has based its
: plea on the benevolent excuse that
its first wish was to protect the
American wcrkingmau." Always, when
the Republicans fixed high tariff
tax on steel their orators ard lead
ers shouted that it was done to pro
tect the American workingman."
Louis ID. Rrandeis, citing figures
from the Federal Bureau of Statis-
tics, says: Under the guise of pro-
tecting American worklngmeu ]. p.
Morgan and the owners of the steel
trust have subjected the laborer to
grossly excessive toll, and deprived
him of his liberty. In England steel
laborers work only 55 hours n week,
while in this country they average ~
hours week. About third work
more than 72 hours, and fourth
work twelve hours a day and seven
days 4 week, with an occasional 25-
hour day when the shift is made. To
work men this way not only makes
| hon Il ~