The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-08-22

| OF It's Ndiue mas Dceh Pdiu out "
wages.
Our manufacturing. agricultural.
mining and forestry production Is
now on a scale Of s65.00O,000,000 in
value yearly That sum was our to-
tai wealth In 1890.
| With the cost of transportation
distribution our labor bill, that is,
wages paid In 1918, will be over $780,
00O, 900 900.
This is an average Of $1,000 a. year
or $40 week, or over So day for
each of our 5O,O00,OO0 people engaged
in gainful occupations ION whom
more than 100000 more are de-
pendent for support; the basis and
maintenance of our prosperity.
Exports.
We are now exporting merchandise
to the value of about $4,000. 100000 a
year. But we are loaning a large
part Of the money to Great Britain,
| France, and Italy to enable them to
buy our goods. When the war IL
over these loans will cease. and our
sales will fall off to less than our
purchases, leaving US with an adverse
balance of trade, unless we change
our tariff law
After the war Europe will be poor
and her purchases confined to neces-
| saries. European workmen will again
| be at work In the mills at half and
quarter American wages, and we will
not be able to compete In those mar
| kets, unless we reduce our wages to
| their level.
And while we are unable to COM
pete. In their markets, they will be
successful In our markets. unless We
have protection to American labor
| and industry.
imports.
Our imports during the fiscal year
ending June. 1918. amounted in value
to about $4,000, 100000. This is double
the value of our imports before the
| war, and yet the great producing
countries of Europe are sending us
comparatively little.
The imports come from Japan,
Asia, Oceanica, Canada and South
America. Goods to the value Of hun
dreds of millions are now produced
and sold In our markets at labor
| cost Of 20 cents day. Do you want
to compete against such labor when
the war is over and our ports be-
come the dumping ground for all that
is now coming in, together with the
billions worth that will come from
Europe when those mills start up
again? There is only one way to
prevent it--a change of tariff duties
on products Of foreign labor.
And the time to change them Is
now or as soon as possible.
Cheap Times.
The things we buy may, after the
wan, become cheaper. They may be
| real cheap as compared to the high
prices of today, though that is all
uncertain. But If goods do become
cheap then workers must become
cheap and it will not matter how
cheap food and clothes are II there Is
no money with which to buy them.
We have had cheap times (and
cheap times always mean hard times)
under low tariffs. We have gone
through that experience again and
again.
If wages are to be kept up. we must
have good market, good prices and
a purchasing power to keep things
| going, to keep up demand for all
products Of the factory, farm, mine
and forest. That is the only way to
maintain prosperity-by full employ
ment and good wages, and good
wages do not come with free trade.
How to Vote.
When your wages cease, then you
must draw on your savings. and when
they are gone. the home must follow.
Isn't 1t worth while to give thought
and consideration to all this, and do
what you can to prevent business and
domestic disaster?
Vote for the man who will protect
your wages, your savings and your
home, and then get your friends and
neighbors to do the same. Talk II
over with your employer and fellow
workmen.
In every state there viii be an elec-
ton of representatives In congress
this fall, and in many states an cleo
ton Of United States senator.
Vote for the candidate who Is In ia
vor Of protection for American labor
and industry. Vote for the candidate
who Is for America first, last and all
the time. and for the workers Of AM
erica.
Patriotism and Protection.
Protection means patriotism. The
words protect means defense. We
should protect and defend our indus
tries (Which is the same thing as la
bor for labor cost is over 30 per cent
Of all production) just as we would
protect and defend our homes and
ourselves against foe. An indus