The following table accurately compiled by Editor Philpott of Iowa, from the National Census, shows in remarkable figures the relatively slow rate of progress of the Nation in thirteen essential items of growth under the Morrill Tariff, as compared with the rapid rates of progress in the leading lines under the Walker Tariff. The comparison lies in the per centum of increase over the previous decade of the period 1850-60 relatively to each of the two periods 1860-70 and 1870-80: the average of the last two periods is taken for the sake of an easier comparison of the progress of the one decade (Walker) with the average of the two later ones (Morrill).
| Lines of Progress. | 1850-1860. | Average each Ten years—1860-1880. |
| Population | 35.5 | 26.2 |
| Wealth | 126.6 | 61.0 |
| Foreign commerce, aggregate | 131.0 | 45.6 |
| Foreign commerce, per capita | 70.3 | 15.2 |
| Railroads, aggregate | 240.0 | 69.0 |
| Railroads, per capita | 150.0 | 34.0 |
| Capital in manufactures | 90.0 | 66.0 |
| Wages in manufactures, aggregate | 60.3 | 58.2 |
| Wages in manufactures, per hand | 17.3 | 9.4 |
| Products | 85.0 | 69.6 |
| Value of farms | 103.0 | 23.6 |
| Farm tools and machinery | 62.0 | 27.7 |
| Live stock on farms | 100.0 | 17.3 |
The State of Massachusetts has been diligently and scientifically taking the Statistics of everything relating to Laborers as such for many years; and we take now by way of confirmation of what has just been written a few statements of fact from the official Reports. One-third of Massachusetts wage-earners were out of work one-third of the time under the benign influence of Protectionism [1887]. Wages went down in Massachusetts on the whole average 5 per centum 1872-83, while in the same interval of time they went up 9 per centum in Great Britain [1885]. Wages in Massachusetts advanced in 1830-60 (Walker) 52 per centum and in 1860-83 only 28 per centum (Morrill). What is called the needful cost of living increased in Massachusetts between 1860 and 1878 (Morrill) 14½ per centum in spite of immense cheapenings in costs of production and transportation [1885].
The U. S. Government has been gathering for a long time important Statistics relating to Laborers and their Wages and their Costs of Living, not only in the decennial Censuses but also in Consular Reports and in the Reports of a national Commission established for that purpose. We excerpt a few relevant statements from these almost at random. Wages in free-trade England are from 50 to 100 per centum higher than they are in any protectionized country on the Continent of Europe. The aggregate Values of this country increased 1850-60 (Walker) 126 per centum, and in 1870-80 (Morrill) only 80 per centum, after reducing the census values of 1870 to a gold basis. Vessels American-owned and American-built controlled three-fourths of our foreign carrying trade in 1856, and less than one-sixth of it in 1886.
The Census of 1880 gives the total number of persons employed in the great subdivisions of industry in the United States as follows:—
| Trade and transportation | 1,810,256 |
| Manufactures, mechanical and mining | 3,837,112 |
| Professional and personal services | 4,074,238 |
| Agriculture | 7,670,493 |
The following table compiled from the censuses of the last four decades will be found to yield food for thought in the light of the present paragraphs. It relates solely to manufactured goods at the four successive epochs.
| 1850. | 1860. | 1870. | 1880. | |
| Value of products | $1,019,109,616 | $1,885,861,676 | $4,232,325,442 | $5,369,579,191 |
| Value of materials | 555,174,320 | 1,031,605,092 | 2,488,427,242 | 3,395,823,547 |
| Wages paid out | 236,759,464 | 378,878,966 | 775,584,343 | 947,953,795 |
| Materials to products, per cent | 54 | 54 | 58 | 63 |
| Wages to products, per cent | 22 | 21 | 18 | 17 |
| Average wages earned | $247 | $289 | $377 | $346 |
| Capital to products, per cent | 52 | 53 | 50 | 50 |
| Number of establishments | 123,029 | 140,433 | 252,148 | 253,852 |
| Average hands each | 7.79 | 9.34 | 8.16 | 10.79 |
Our manufactures were put down in the Census of 1880 as in value $5,369,579,191. But this sum contains $1,670,000,000 that does not strictly belong to manufactures, such as flouring, lumbering, blacksmithing, sugar-refining, coffee-roasting, slaughtering, and a few others. This sum being taken out, there is left in round numbers but $3,700,000,000. This is not a great amount for 50,000,000 of people, and for a land with such natural advantages for manufacturing as our own.