Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
A tariff advocate seeks worker support, 1880
Workingmen and the Tariff. An address to the Workingmen of Bay View, delivered in Puddler's Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Mr. John W. Hinton, before the Bay View Literary Society
Tariffs were a key political and economic issue throughout the nineteenth century, with industrial interests generally in favor and farmers opposed. High import tariffs, paid by overseas manufacturers who wanted access to U.S. markets, gave U.S. manufacturers an advantage while providing revenue for the federal Treasury. Critics of tariffs argued that consumers paid higher prices because tariffs established high base prices that increased profit for manufacturers but did not help workers. In this speech, delivered in Bay View, John Hinton refutes this criticism, arguing instead that tariffs actually protect American workers. Hinton cites as evidence the increasing number of European immigrants coming to work in American factories, fleeing the free trade, tariff-free countries of Europe.
| Related Topics: |
The Progressive Era The Birth of the Labor Movement The Rise of Skilled Manufacturing |
| Creator: | Hinton, John W. |
| Pub Data: | Milwaukee, Wis.:Bay View National Bureau, 1880 (pamphlet 90-4389) |
| Citation: | Hinton, John W. "Workingmen and the Tariff. An address to the Workingmen of Bay View, delivered in Puddler's Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Mr. John W. Hinton, before the Bay View Literary Society." (Milwaukee, Wis.:Bay View National Bureau, 1880); Online facsimile at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1237; Visited on: 4/20/2024 |
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