Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1902 — PROTECTION AGAINST ALIEN CHEAP LABOR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PROTECTION AGAINST ALIEN CHEAP LABOR

** ■ » • > [From Speech of Senator Charles W. ~ • ’ Fairbanks In Support of Chinese • • ’ ‘ Exclusion Act ] * * It is with especial pride that we point to the fact that our labor la better paid the labor' of any other country. Our effort has been to maintain a high wage scale, upon the gen-well-paid labor means better citizens and a better country than we could possibly enjoy if wages were forced to a low standard. A low wage market is most undesirable. It is not in

the interest of either capital or labor, and we shall fail in our duty if we shall open the way to the free admission of oriental cheap labor, which will inevitably result in lower wages to our laborers. • • • • • The Republican party adheres to the wholesome doctrine of protection against unfair competition with alien cheap labor, and the country itself is the amplest testimony as to the wisdom of this policy. The admission of Chinese laborers whose condition is so far below ours is in flagrant violation of the very principle and purpose of protection. If the Chinese would speedily rise to our standard the case would be different But experience unfortunately demonstrates that they continue upon a lower plane, and the inevitable tendency is to bring American labor to their undesirable level. Can it be possible that American labor and Chinese labor can work side by side, the one receiving less than the other in wages and subsisting upon much less than the other? It follows as night the day that thejower paid and lower fed will cause his higher paid and better fed competitor to come down to his unfortunate condition. Against this we enter our protest We do it from no ungenerous motive toward the Chinese empire; we do it out of national self-respect and in our national self-interest and no one can justly challenge the wisdom of our policy.

SENATOR CHAS. W. FAIRBANKS.