Street Corner Talk

A young taan living in this city, who istened to the speeches made at therepublican pole raising last Saturday, reniarked to a companion on tris way tome: "I have always been a republi:an, but I'm going to vote the demo eratic ticket this time. They needn't teil me that those speakers are over friendly to the poor man." It is stated, that a man living uear Delhi Mills, one day last week requested his wife to go out to work in the harvest field with him. Upou her refuaal to do so he became so enraged that he picked upa stone and threw at her, hitting her on the head -and senously injuring her. So badly did he. feel wueti le found what he had done in the heat of passion that he went out to the barn and hung himself . ÏS'eighbors cut him dovn and prevented a suicide. It is safe to say that the man has learned to keep a tight rein on his temper. Not much talk is heard on the streets excepting concerning the tariff queation, upon which the people appear to be waking up. Mr.B.F.Watts,thejewer er, made an excellent point in the hearing of the Argus, Monday afternoon. He told of an Ann Arbor lady who had come to him to see about buying some solid 8ilver ware and inquired if she could buy it as cheaply of him as of any one else. He told her yes, he vvould buy it for her at the wholesale price and she could pay him whatever proflt 3t. The wholesale price of the GorhamManufacturingCotnpany ware would be SI. 35 an ounce withonly one per cent discount for cash. "But," said the lady, "[ have a letter from Montreal telling me that a jeweler there will furnish me the Groham silver ware at SI. 35 an ounce less wenty per cent discount and have the ame shipped to Ai.n Arbor direct from he manufacturar. " The upshot of the natter was that the lady bouaht the Iver ware of the Cauadian jeweler. 'he Gorham Manufacturáis Company ras selling to Cauadian jewelers t wenty er cent less ihan to jewelers m this ountry because the tariff enabled hem to keep the price up in this " ;ry, although they could really mauuacture the goods for a proflt at tweuty er cent less. ' This seemecl to the Argus to be a great way of encouragng home industiy to give foreigners heaper goods than our own couutryrnen. Continuing the argument Mr. Wi.tts tated that the same Elgin watch movement that is now sold to dealers for $17 or SIS a few years ago cost tliem S52, with about tive per cent and afterwards twenty five per cent discount. The difference ia the cost cannot be in wagés fot sürely WágéS ars L0t CUt f ülly one half. It is simply that competltlofi has lessened theprodt on each watch . The diiïerence between $18 and $38 wa3 the profit which the tariff enabled the watch maker to make, owing to the shutting out of competition. Even now in spite of competition, the 'atch maker was making large proflts for the $18 movement ouly cost him about $8. You can see, suggested Mr. Watts, how the tarift has robbed the people in the past. n How many republicans in arguing for protection make use of f acts which ought to prove the democratie principies. For instance last l'riday, one of as consistent republicans as we have in these parts, told how much higher wages were in this country than in Germany from wheuce he carne and attributed the raise in wages to the tariff. He said he had worked at his trado in , Hamburg where the highest wages in Germany were paid. 'Tes" we said "but Germany has a high tariff, and that ought to keep wages up, according to your theory.1' But Hamburg hasn't" he replied, "that city' has free trade." We suareested that if ilambius paid higher wages than the rest of Germany, which had protection, then it looked as if protection didn't raise wages. 11e replied that it was because ot Ilamburg's export trade that wages were higher. Here we have the whole matter in a nutshell. Take two Germán eiíies, one highly protected, the other a free city withfreetracle. The free city has the largest export trade and pays the highest wages. Being in the same country, it is fair to presume that protectiou failed to increase wages in Germany. The large export trade was gained because Hamburg was free to exchauge whatit manufactured for what it wanted. Were the tariff greatly lowered in this country, our export trade would very largely increase. When Eugland adopted what is term free trade, her exports at once enormously increasecl and che conditions of her wage-workers and was very materially beüefited.