Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-10-15
REPUBLICANS S1ANO
BY Wage carriers
STATE PLATFORM CONDEMNS
THE UN0E7-@ coo LAW, WHICH
E...-- t...-...~ > JCGLEGS,

Milwaukee, Oct 14-"Every man
and woman who works, every manu-
facturer, every other employer, and
every jobber and merchant should
read and carefully consider, the tariff
plank in the Republican state plat
FORM said Alvin P. KIetzsch, chair
man of the Republican State Central
committee today. although the tariff
always is referred to as a national is
sue, the Underwood tariff law has
been attended by such direful results
that it is a local issue in every COM
munity in the United States"
State Platform Tariff Plank.
The tariff plank in the Republican
state platform is as follows:
Business is stagnant. Thousands of
working men are out of employment
A still larger number of laborers are
working but a few hours a day and
consequently have greatly reduced
earnings. The cost of living is in
creasing. Though they now need pro-
lection the farmers of Wisconsin are
exposed for the first time in half a
century to competition from Canada,
Australia, Argentina and China. The
revenues OF the general government
has fallen off so that special war taxes
have been proposed. All this has been
brought about principally by unwise
tariff legislation.
1--WE therefore reaffirm our belief in
q protective tariff limited to the differ
ence in the cost of protection here and
abroad, to the end that business may
be encouraged, our workingmen pro-
tected, agricultural interests safe
guarded and prosperity again restored
upon safe and firm basis.
''To accomplish these results we ia
vor the establishment of a scientific
nonpartisan tariff commission"
Tariff and the Unemployed.
Why is the tariff issue important in
the present state Campaign
For several years preceding the en-
actment of the Underwood tariff what
might be called full employment was
given to all our wage earners; in
other words, with the exceptions due
to illness, worthlessness and strikes,
and other rare exceptions which must
always exist everywhere in the coun-
try, all who wanted work and were
worthy of it could obtain It,
Immediately upon the operation of
the new tariff, October 8, 1913, condi-
tons began to change, and in a few
months it was estimated that from
three to five million had been thrown
out Of employment. 1t is, of course,
difficult to get an exact census of the
unemployed but we can obtain an ap-
proximate idea of the situation. For
instance, we know that about 200,O00
railroad employees are out of work;
we know that some 100000 men usual
ly employed in the lumber industry
are now idle; we know that over
100000 textile operatives have been
thrown out of work, and as many more
in the iron and steel industry; in fact,
1t has been stated that over one-haf
million iron and steel workers and
those of kindred industries are idle
Fully 100000 miners are idle, and
many thousands engaged in car max
ing and locomotive shops.
Female Workers Also Affected.
From day to day during the past six
months figures have been given show
ing the closing of shops in every part
Of the country. First, it would be
thousand, thrown out of employment
then a few hundred, until newspapers
which have followed the figures as
sumo that some 100000 men are idle.
But this by no means tells the whole
story There are thousands and thou
sands Of female wage earners idle in
every phase Of industry; there have
been thousands upon thousands Of
clerks and clerical employees laid off;
there have been thousands Of day Ia
borers thrown out Of work; and many
in the trades, such as car
penters, masons, bricklayers, plumb
ers. painters, decorators, and so on
through the list,
Five Millions Out OF Work!
According to a recent census report
g.. 900. GOO people in the country were
engaged in gainfuI occupations il
1910, and that number was largely in
creased during the following three
years. Let US, however, take that as
a basis and assume that only 10 per
cent have become idle under the new
tariff; that would give US 100000;
but we know that In many occupations |
and industries fully one-ffth, or 20
per cent, have been thrown out Of en- |
ployment. If that proportion covered
the whole country, it would make |
T, 100000 idle It seems, then, that we
may take a middle ground between the |
two extremes and safely assume that
at least Is per cent Of our people have
been thrown out of employment. That