Year: 1878

Two weeks ago,in conversation with
a gentleman residing in my district,
engaged in the manufacture of glass, he
he informed me that he had Just re-


turned from business trip of many


hundred miles, in which he had been
attemptin to dispose of his goods at
80 per cent of their cost, but that his
trip was entirely fruitiess and that he
had not made single sale. In answer
to the query as to whether the market


was supplied with his wares he an
swered, BY no means;' that there were
few wares of his line on the market,
but dealers were awaiting the result of
the Wood tariff bill; that Belgium was
understood to have mountain OF
glass ready to put upon our market in
the event this bill became law. Such
has been the effect of this bill upon al
most every industry of the country
affected by its provisions.


Mr.. Speaker, it is not, in my judg-
ment, mainly question of revenue
that is contained in this bill, but it is
almost entirely question of labor. l
| have said that the main cost of the
standard articles affected by the bill Ia
the cost in labor of their production.
do not believe it the desire of any con-
siderable portion of the people of this
country to reduce or attempt to reduce
American labor to the condition of the
! foreign libOrer. I have shown the
vast amount of capital invested in
manufacturing. The Indebtedness Of
this c0uotry rests largely and heavily
upon that branch of business. In the
| last five years there has been an hon.
| aSf nff tho vN1rf nf thnln Annann6
! in the various branches of business al
luded to to give labor such employment
as will enable those engaged in it to
support their families in decency and
| comfort. II has been severe strug
| gle, and hundreds of establishments
throughout the land have snccumbed,
while thousands of labOrers have beer
thrown out of employment. / firmly
believe the passage of this bill will ruin
hundreds of others. do not desire to
see such a condition of things In this
country as will reduce the wages of our
working people TO the standard of Eu-
rOpean countries, and unless we offer
them protection against the cheap Ia
Dor of foreign countries they must be
reduced to the same circumstances Of
life.


The matter of freights is a small
item. Ocean freights especially are
cheap, and do not in the main amount
to more than the difference in the pri-
ces of capital in this country and Eu-
ropean countries; so that if we are
compelled to manufacture at cheaper
rates than we do at present it must be
by reduction of the wages of the Op-
eratives. Take, for instance, window
glass, now manufactured in this coun-
try at rates far below those of twenty
years ago. The labor engaged in that
branch of industry has been reduced to
the very lowest point that en- Ameri-
can laborer Can maintain his family at;
yet if he is repaired to come in cOmpe-
| titiOu, with the ltborers of Belgium he
must prebir to work ~ neOmmO Ian
bOrer'a at $40 month and board him.
self. His wife and his laughter must
be prepared TO go into tii' factories and
do the drudgery and h,ivy work of
common laborerS in Erd' r 10 exc out
an existence for the family. Such is
the condition of the lahore 'ngaged in
the manufacture of wina v glass in
Belgium. Yet this bill reduces the
tariff on glass, Oh the average prO,luc-
ton OF a factory, % per cent. This re-
duction must come off the price IF Ia
bor. And so with this average reduc
ton that the chairman of the commit
tee speaks of, of 10 per cest; it must
come off the price paid for labor. The
capital eng aged in manufacturing is
making little or no returns at present,
and whenever we talk of reducing the
tariff it means reduction of the wages
of those no do the work.


Now, it may be very well for the
gentlemen on the other side OF the
House to talk of their friendship for
the laboring man, and | hear appeals
made every day for the oppressed la
borers of the country; resolutions are
offered, speeches are made supposed
TO be in the interest of the labOrer. If
you look through the country from
Maine to Texas, you will find that the
labor that to-day sends its complaint
up to Congress is the labor that is to be
affected by this measure.


have already said that the farmer
in the main is in comfortable condi-
ton; the price of his products is fair;
Re buys from 80 to 30 per cent cheap
er than be did before the war the me-
cessaries of life, and the want and the
misery among the labor of the coun'
try is confined almost exclusively to
those of our mining aud manufacturing
centers.


Now, Mr.. Speaker, this bill is said to
be bill for the relief of the farmers, for
the relief of the people, as against
grinding monopolies. Letus see; there
is upon the schedule of dutiable articles
no single product that is so universal
ly In use as that of sugar; it goes into
everv cupboard in the land. We i'm
ported last year from abroad about one
hundred million dollars worth of
sugar, and yet this bill, framed in the
interest of the people as against mo
nOpolies, retains the tax upon sugar,
and, in fact, increases the rate OF duty
slightly. Sugar growing in this
country is confined almost exclusively
to the low lands of Louisiana; the
plantations are in the hands Of few in
dividuals, and the production consum
Ell entirely in this country. Why, if the
bill is framed in the interest of COM
merce, as the chairman says il is, ii it
be framed in the interest of the con-
sumner ad the gentleman from Texas
and the gentleman from Mississippi
claim it is, why is this article OF prime
necessity and universal use retained at
its present rate of taxation? Is it
bait for the vote of Louisiana in favor
of this measure? do not complain of
the tax on sugar. | believe it is right.
l am willing TO pay it. 1 believe that
the people who are cultivating the
sugarlands in Louisiana should be pro-
tected against the cheap labor of the
islands (West Indies) and | am per-
fectly willing aud shall cheeriully vote
to maintain the present duties on
sugars. But l warn the gentlemen
from Louisiana, who represent the
sugar Interests, that this bill is only an
entering wedge, that when Peunsyl-
vania, Ohio, and Now England have
once seen their industries prostrated
the industries of Louisiana will soon
follow. do not believe the taxes We
pay to the General Government are