The Dickinson press., 1912-09-28
THE TARIFF AND LABOR,

We are told by campaign orators
that a high protective tariff was
framed to uphold the dignity Of Am
erican labor" Is that a fact? Or has
the tariff. in operation. brought about
the very conditions in labor that the
tariff a framed, in theory, to obvi-
ate?
The principle of the protective tariff
here and abroad, that it subsidies the
manufacturer and ~reimburses him for
the higher rate Of wage he has to
pay over his European competitor.
ct us see how it works out under
the Payne-Aldrich tariff, "the best law
ever written" in the opinion Of Pres
fdent Taft. The answer deals with
facts, not with theories.
Take iron and steel, which are pro-
tected up to As per cent ad valorem.
For the benefit Of labor? or course.
Raw material is cheap and capital
plentiful. But wages are high, they
say. The American laborer lives at a
higher standard than his European or
Asiatic competitor, and the dignity of
American labor must be maintained. "
We have been told that this as per
cent tariff wall was erected around
iron and steel to keep the dinner pail
full. How does it work out?
The Steel Trust employs 200, 900
men. Native Americans? No! They
are Slovaks. Magyars. Syrians. Sicil-
ians. Italians - the scum Of southeast
erD Europe. Sixty per CEN are for
eign born, two-thirds are Slavs. one
fourth can read and write one Ian
guage or another. A very small num-
Der are citizens. One of every three
Immigrants goes back home with his
savings. Last year $4,000 returned
home.
And these men are paid-American
wages, subsidized by a IS per cent
tariff wall? Not much! Twelve to II
cents an hour is a good average for
the year around. And they sleep 90
In a cellar, four in a bed, saving non
ey to go home and end their days at
q trife higher standard of living than
they find possible over here.
And the corporation hat employs
them calmly pockets the Is per cent
which it holds in trust for "maintain-
ing the dignity Of American labor"
In the recent strike OF textile work.
ers at Lawrence. Mass, there were
$4,000 strikers representing 81 nation
alities, especially imported. The av-
erage wage for each adult is 1925 per
week. Three out Of ten male adults
are citizens and one out of three hopes
to return to his native land some
day. Children Of Schedule X"
But even these ignorant Children
Of Schedule K" have awakened and
are crying out for something beside
macaroni paste and garlic to fill their
dinner pals, to the great annoyance
of the manufacturers.
It now develops that there is a new
stream of immigration to Lawrence
from the Cape Verde Islands. On these
islands dwell a race Of people who are
descendants Of the early Portuguese
settlers, crossed with the dark skinned
natives who were reduced to slavery
by the early discoveries.
These dark skinned and docile saw
ages are cheaper than the 81 alien
tribes previously brought to Lawrence
to work in the tariff protected mills ;.
They don't know about sch things as
strikes and are not troubled about
maintaining the dignity Of American
labor" which has proved such an in
spiration to the politician on the
stump defending the American high
protective tariff.
II you wan to ind a self respecting,
clean living American laboring man,
you will have to look for him in rail-
reading, t~elegraphing, the building and
printing trades and on the farm. You
will have to look for him in industries
which. no matter how highly they may
have become vested with special pri-
Filege. at least never have been subsi.
died in the name Of Labor - and
etolsQ the gate %rscaintai