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Show THE STRIKE AND THE TARIFF. The tariff has always been defended aa being tho protection of American labor as against the cheap labor of Enrope. of Mexico, and of tho isles of tho seas. But destructive light is being thrown upon that idea by tho great strike at Lawrence, Massachusetts. Massachu-setts. It is fouud there that a largo proportion of tho mill operatives, many of whom work for $.1, .u, aud $6 a week, are .foreigners, who cannot even speak the English language. They have introduced inAo Lawrence a standard of living which is described as "the lowost scale of JCuropcan working-class working-class existence." Aud in ovory way it appears that tho wages, the living, and the employees themselves, are on tho lowest scale of European operation. opera-tion. But, under the tariff, wc arc given lo undcrstaud that Abe American workman work-man is paid wages which enable him to support his family and to enjoy a standard of living which is far and away above that which can bo attained, at-tained, lo by tho pauper labor of tho world outside. But wo find, as in this case, which is said to be duplicated in some of tho siccl mills of Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, that the employees arc foreigners foreign-ers who cannot speak English, and who have introduced a st3'lo of living hitherto unknown in America, and matched only by tho lowest scale of living in the dregs of Europe. We then may well pause and ask what is the benefit of protection to American labor? There appears to be no benefit whatever, but American labor, as a matter of fact, is ousted in favor of European labor, which is working in this country on the same basis and on the same style of existence that it works and exists' on in Europe. What, thcu, becomes of the benefits of .the tariff to American workmen? Undoubtedly these are absorbed by the manufacutring concerns themselves. The great combines of the cotton manu-facturcrs, manu-facturcrs, of the woolen manufac-facturcrs, manufac-facturcrs, of the steel makers, grind down labor to the lowest possible notch, oust American laborers' and employ in their stead the lowest priced labor of. Europe. What can be Kaid, then, in advocacy oT a tariff which shows results re-sults liko this Surely nothing. The United States has clearly allowed combines com-bines and vast corporations to step in and nullify so far as labor is concerned, con-cerned, the benefits of Abe protective tariff. American labur docs not "get those benefits in the cases cited; in fact, American labor is not considered at all, and does not get employment. None need apply, save those who are willing to work on the basis of the lowest wage paid in (Europe, aud none do apply on tha.t basis of small wages except European laborers, for whose benefit the tariff was never imposed, and to whom the tariff brings no relief. re-lief. On the other hand, the mill owners who pay, such low wages, receive enormous enor-mous dividends through the control of the American markets which the tariff gives them; they close their mills 'whenever .'.hey consider the markets clogged with goods, so that thev can maintain their immensely profitable scales of prices; they advance the prices of fabrics on the artificial scarcity which they thcmsolvos bring on; fhey build enormous new factories to forestall competition, ami by those moans enhance enormously ,hc value of their slocks; the holders of Pacific M.ils stock, for example (wcquole The Independent), tho par value of which 13 $1000 a share, refusing ipSiJOO a share for it. It issurely time, when it is so cleurly seen that the huge combines and corporations cor-porations are able to nullify I he tariff legislation, that .'.here shall be a division di-vision aloug the whole line, :jo that American labor . will indeed bo protected, pro-tected, and the protection which the tariff aims to give shall not bo utterly destroyed, as it is in the cases cited. I., would be well indeed, to so frame the tariff law. where it i found on investigation (and investigation should always be alert and thorough) that any corporation or combine is griuding down its rates of employ., as in the Lawrence case, that the tariff, provided pro-vided for the . benefit and protection pro-tection of American labor. shall not apply lo the products ot rtuch factories or mills, but should apply ap-ply only as .'.ho tariff is designed to npply 'where American labor is employed em-ployed and is paid a fuir wage very largely in excess of the wages paid to pauper labor abroad or at home. |