"Our system now tends to foster
home monopolies rather than to
protect the wages of the working
man." Protection and Waecs.
Dally Orejoniiui, Mar 1M1-J
That the value of capital in the two
countries is substantially equalized is
.... t.m iin fu, f that money can
(whero exemption from cxircssive tax
ation is assured) at about as low rates in
American as in England. It use. to be
Mid that Americau capital couM not
compete with British capital, and hat
protection wan as necessary for American
capital M for American labor, Ibis
part of the argument ia substantially
overthrown. But the doctrine that our
labor mut be protected by utiea yip
tually prohibitory, persists still, it is
the stronghold of the advocates of pro
tection. And yet we conceive it to be
an entire fallacy-a fallacy lurking in a
one-Hided and partial view of the
subject. . , . , ,.
'Ine more foreign goods we take, tlie
more labor we must employ at home.
To the protectionist this may apear a
paradox; and yet it is one of the most
certain truths of political science. We
must pay for our Imports by 0111 exports.
We can pay for them in no other way,
ir rt,riH r created by home labor.
Tlie more we buy of foreigner!,, the more
home labor, therefore, we must employ
to create the article to pay for what we
buy. If free trade increases our nn
puts, it must therefore increase our ex
ports, and by consequence munt stimu
late the demand for home labor. In
ntiii.p word, everv foreign purchase
ncceeHiiates the employment of doim-s-tic
labor to create that with which the
purchase is made. We have the advan
tage of Kmdand in variety and abun
dance of raw materials, and in food.
We are substantially on an equality with
her in the matter of cheap capital.
Since nlie lind food to import. laamir
Philadelphia Iteewd, anti;prn or-
, son did when tout y --i" .
jlheiignfllcf the admiral
'.I, (mm fiction: ho put K'BSStO
his blind eve and swore he com nor, see
he siiiial.' Blaine don't wl l0. " and
shelter himself behind his bl.ml eye.
II, th. up.ratlons of Prt" t.. Iff,
-II.. Oov.rnm.nt oii.lrrt. to mk.
e...loy...nl rr r.rt.ln Jaw ' peo
ple by taalnf ' "'"
Hard Times In Pennsyl
vania. Dallf Orcfonlen. April 1M-J
Although Pennsylvania enjoys more of
the alleged benefits of the protective
system than any oilier state in the union,
it contains a greater number of unem
ployed or underpaid workmgmen than
any other. Its coal and umber and
' manufacturing interests all enloy the
advantages, such as they are, of a high
tariff; and yet its miners are working for
starvation wages and many or the mills
are Idle. The farmers have also been
instructed by the advocates 01 protection
that it would make their business profit
able. But a Pennsylvania paper says
that there is hardly a farm In the county
where it is printed that would sell for
more than the improvements in buildings
and fences would cost. To this the Ver
mont Watchman adds: "Cut it does
not tell its readers how it is that funning
falls so low, in the midst of great indus
tries that demand high protection in or
der to live. These are things that ought
to set men to thinking, for if neither
agriculture nor manufacture are doing
well uuder the coddling syntem of tlie
last quarter of a century, perhaps it
would he best to try a more bracing
system."
Having become accnsiomeu w aepena
r-lllLH ri'o w ...,. r - , D , ,
much of it from ns, and larger part of, upon the Uoveinment, be Pennsylvania
her raw materials also, man wo, ami statesmen now ueinaim n mo roiec
1 I ... . ...... .... 1.. ..n..l-
since tier out auvaniago over u m un
tal is virtually at in end, we need not
fear her comietitioii. Our system now
tends to foster borne monoiolios rather
than to protect the wages of tlie work
ingman. It is admitted too, that it bean
hard on a people situated as we are on
the Pacillc slope. It at once restricts
our trade with the only customers who
take our pioducta, and forces us to pay
higher prices for goods which we
are compelled to buy. fcince the
adoption of free
liniain, wages
forence of the neither with building
operations. Wilo in Jindon there are
estimated to be 25,000 bricklayers, 4oy
000 biicklaytvs and masons in Paris and
10,000 brickJayers in Berlin, the esti
mated number in ew York is 4,000.
There is, says the Boston Herald, "in
proportion to'the number of inhabitants,
a much larger amount of work performer!
in Mow Yoilc than either of the three
named Kuropean capitals; and, while it
is said that in London, I'm is and Berlin
quite a proportion of these mechanics are
out of work, in consequence of stagna
tion in the building trade, it is probable
that the New York bricklayer who earns
14 per dav performs, in the course of the
day's work, verv loneiderable more ser
vice than wonlJ be required of one simi
larly engaged on the other side of the
Atlantic, This would rot only in part
account lor the immense difference in
wages, but it would also account for the
fact that 4,001) men seem to be able to
do in New York what it takes 8,000
men to do in Berlin, a city of less size,
and 40.000 men to do in Paris, a city
certainly not three times larger than tlie
metropolis of A mcrica. "
The argument of the hide-bound pro
tectionist has always been that the higher
wa es of the operatives in the cotton
and woolen mills of America compared
with those of England have been due to
the tariff ;'that if the tariff was taken off
our cotton and woolen goods, wages
would be as low here as in England. The
fallacy of this reasoning is shown by the
fact that the bricklayer, who has no
tariff to protect him, maintains his
wages at a higher point relatively than
the operatives in protected industries
and so does the unprotected carpentei,
plumber, plasterer, sluter, blacksmith,
etc. In Germany, a country with a high
protective tariff, wages are lower than
in free trado England. According to
Consul Warner, of Coloque, in Upper
Silienia a workman in one of the pro
tected industries earns only 47 cents a
day, and if a skilled laborer he gets 80
a day. Women earn from 24 to 30 cents
a day, am) the laborer works from 6 to 6
in summer and 7 to 7 in winter. The
is
dreu I null women are coming over to
work in a otton mill at Nashua, New
liauipiihirij. An Hgent for the mill went
over to recruit this little army of laborers,
and the board of guardians of the poor
contributed to the outfit necessary for
tnoir voyago. The bonificent laws of our
country impofs a duty averaging thirty
five per cent on cotton goods for tho
beuent of tl owners of this Jiashua
mill and of oiliers in the same business.
Those manufacturers say they must have
protection or the Manchester made trooda
will bo thrown uon our market, fo cing
mum in on u i up muir nuns ana His
cbarge their well paid and contented
oierativea. Not for their own greater
dividends, but for the mke of these help
less laborers, tlieya.sk the boon of thirty
five wr cent protection. But these men
must be hypocrites, for they leave the
American laborer to starve while they
run their mills with "paupers" imported
from Europe by the aid of the poor law
guardians. This is protection for the
master and not for the man. If what the
mill owners have to sell bears a thirty
five per cent duty, why should not the
article the laborer sells, that is, his la
bor, he equally well taken care of?
Amorican industry will profit very little
by these defenses that don't defend.
"
live principle shall be further extended. ! laborer in that protection country
To relieve the prevailing distress a bill I sparingly supplied with clothing and
ban been Introduced in the state senate linen, and a white shirt is to be seen
authorizing cities to "establish public
improvement industries, under a board
of managers, whose duty it shall be to
give employment to legal residents who
are in destitnte circumstances, and with
out remunerative employment through
no fault of their own." This proposition,
as the Philadelphia Tima stys, "would
take money out of the workingman's
trale by Great i right hand pocket and put it into his left
in that country hand pocket, and say: 'bee what I am
only on rare occasions. For such articles
of luxury he has no money to snare, and
he is frequently compelled to bargain for
old ana east-otr clothes. 11 is meals con
sist principally of vegetables, the dinner
being of potatoes, peas, beans, common
pork and black bread.
have none uu on the whole aveniire more doing to help you.'" And yet it des
than one-quarter, and in some depart- cribes very exactly the workings of the
mr nts tully one-nail, r.iiienence nere protective tanit, oy wnicn mo uovorn
comes In aitainst theory in the matter of
alleged reduction of wages. But grant
ing that wages might lie somewhat re
duced, thers would be compensation for
it iu cheaper goods, which working peo
ple, u well as others, must consume.
Moreover, wages are not a great ele
mnt in the cost of manufacturing. We
have not the figures of the census of
IKKdand hence we draw from those of
IH,'(), for Illustrations on this point.
These llgiire show that wages then were
111.40 per cent, of the value of the pro
duct in the manufacturing, mechanical,
mining and lisli industries of the United
States, The value of the material used
was 54 111 per cent, of the product, while
the remaining 23.41 per cent, was due to
biiilillng, machinery and so on. If we
call wages 20 per ceut. of, the whole
value of the product and admit that
wtge are 40 percent, higher here than j
in Knglaml, then the dillerence is hut 40 '
per cent, of 20 per cent., or 8 per cent, i
of the whole value. Nothing could j
show more convincingly that the Inter-;
com ui uuiiipiiiic moor are not at stake
hers to the exient which the protection
ists claim. England lets in raw mate
rial. W tax all raw material from
abroad to "protect" one Interest or an
other. The conseuuence is an advan-
take over us in free materials, which
equalizes, if it dues not exceed, any ad
vantage which ile can have in cheaper
labor. We can manufacture is cheaply
as hhe can, if we would avail otirfelves
oi an our opportunities and tint without
ment undertakes to make employment
for a certain few of the iieople by taxing
all the rest to enable an industry to be
conducted, which it is claimed could not
exist without protection. It would not
be right to attribute the prevailing dis
tress among the laborers of Pennsylvania
to tho tariff alone, But the fact that
there is so much distress shows that the
tariff alone cannot prevent it. The
situation is another Illustration of the
truth of the lines which Dr. Johnson put
into one of Goldsmith's jioems :
How imullot ill the Ills tlmt men endure
Tint pirl which Unci or lawicsu came or euro,
OrogoiiUn. Daremlier 16, ).
The fact is this destructive policy is
maintained as part of the whole scheme
of protection, which rules our laws for.
the benefit of the great eastern manu
facturerB. Conscious that the whole sys
tern would fall if the false foundations
on which It stands were exposed, they
band together and refuse to allow it to
be attacked in any part. We want to
sell to Great Britain, but our tariff pro
hibits Great Britain from selling to us.
The laws cannot compel our citizens to
Din id snips at losing rates, but they can
and do force us to pay enormously high
prices for nearly all manufactured goods.
This is the direct and sole object of a
protective tariff. In other Words, a pro
tective tariii is a tax levied on imported
uoods with the design to raise the price
of home commodities. Protection is set
up as a barrier to trade. Iu object is to
make goods dear. True, it professes
that its object is to favor home labor.
But it defeats itself, because its conse
quences reappear in tlie higher prices of
all commodities which the workman, as
well as all others, must consume. In
the long run, in the general scheme of
things, the policy does not benefit our
mate " ! S m r,hat T """?et SnTtTe'more SS Z&
home labor to pov for it. Free inter
change of commodities is the policy to
"Among the false claim of pro
tection It (the census of 1880) ex
plodes Is the pretense that our
almost prohibitory tariff . makes
work plenty and. keeps wages
high."
Protection and Wages.
IPally Orvfoiilau, Aii(mt2, IHtti
The census of 18H0 Is full of excellent
reasons why tariff revision should be
both immediate and permanent. Of
course it does not discuss the question,
but it collects and presents facta which
with their relations carry their lessons
to all who will study them. Among the
fulse claims of protection it explodes is
But at least we can let It be
known that we are not so gullible
as to acoept without protest, and
as If we were perfeotly satisfied
therewith, the sophisms and the
resulting Injustice and loss of the
policy of protection."
Shipbuilding and
tlon.
Protec
, Mill tariff Uxes, like oiiicr taxes, must i,ftriff makes work plenty and keeps
u .cv,,, ipin ar in mgner commo-1 wages high. Hardly any formal answer
ts needed to that assertion. Tlie
Uitiei, of what avail Is It to the working
nun to keep up liis wages by artillcla
lul tiLimniutin rund'uina nf Ittluir nn.t i.atiltul
Jtiinulants, when at the same time and in those sections whono industries aro
uy ma Mint process th manulactured j most strongly protected would be a sulll
goodi which hi must consume are kept ! cient reply, but the census report makes
UP at hitjh rat loot ! a more elaborate one though in the same
i direction. The man whom tho itovorn
stimulate home labor. It is true, nl
course, that a protective tariff may stim
ulate a certain branch of manufacture,
and may even increase for a time the
wages of labor in it. But is there
any real gain in concentrating capital
mm mrior in one employment bv arti
Protection of Wool.
Dally Orcgonlon, January 12, 1882.
"In Oregon and Washington Terri
tory," says the Salem Stateiman, "there
is produced annually at least a million
pounds of wool. TLia sells at from 20 to
30 cents por pound, yielding to the farm
ers annually the sum of $2,50(1,000. The
tariff on wool of the quality raised here
is about 10 cents per pound, that is ten
million dollars. Those who, like the
Okeoonian, advocate free trade, claim
tha. the tariff on an article adds that
much to the price ; thit is, the tariff on
wool increases the price in Oregon ten
cents per pound, giving to the farmers
ono million dollars annually. Absolute
free trade, then, would take from the
farmers one million dollars each year."
The cluim that the farmers of Oregon
derive great benefit from the "protec
tion" of; their wool is urged bv our
protectionists on all occasions.
They who urgo it seem to imagin
that it fully answeis all objections to
the tariff system as an oppressive one to
our section, inasmuch ns the advantages
we receive from the protection of our
wool exceed tho losses we suffer
through the obstruction of trade and
tho enhancement of prices for the benefit
of Eastern manufacturers. But the fact
is that our wool here is not protected at
itooioi u quainy equal to ours is
all
worth moro in Ixuiilon than our wool is
worth here. Latest London quotations
show prices ranging all tlie way from 12
cents for the poorest to 45 cents for the
best. The averago is better than the 20
to 30 cents a pound which the Statesman
boastingly says our farmers receive.
We send our surplus wool to the
Eastern States. The route is a long,
slow and expensive one. This, in spite
of a protective tariff, gives foreign wool,
on the whole, an advantage over ours.
So that all the benefit our farmers get
from the protection of wool is infinites
simal, if it is anything. We suppose
that no one would imagine that wool
from foreign countries would be shipped,
under free trado, in any considerable
quantities into Oregon to compete with
the home product when better prices
might be realized by shipping to Glas
gow or London.
"There U no phase of protection that will bear
examination, Every part of the system U a
weak at the argument for the protection of wool.
The system Is throughout a short-sighted game
of greed, except for the great monopolist whom
It creates and supports."
ion aiignus vni r that if y. cut ment commissioned to make a report on Heial stimulants and withdrawing front
n noi.i.iisAd en the su.e day he the iron and stoel industry is secretary others? Our protective system has, be
asniMii urihi(i,iy .unwed, ntr- j of the American Iron and Steel Assd- vond doubt, stimulated certain manu
uiaes graiend, as to say timt tariff elation and not likely to furnish figures factures ; but it is equally certain that it
n ". "'! the roal eomi.iua- that toll against the protection theory, has destroyed others. Thus it has en
itarMtri.tpn,ducti..a,hihreiiue.e!slmply with that end in view. Iron and ! abled eleven mills to monopolize the
iMearaiagt of th miner and artificially j steel are the most highly protected of all ! manufacture of Bteel rails at high prices
ihV "1 i ''rlr ufeo'' ,,,n eiiin- articles in common use. In isso there j and great profits, but it has annihilated
!i . rkl,,,,Hu', fl11' were 805 companies producing iron ore, ship building and the profits of ocean
r """" " ''""" and they produced 7,071, 703 tons, em-1 commerce. While one industry is stim-
Protertlfin h iin- 1 ploying to do the work 81, WJ8 persons at ulated by this system another is de
'n ii n C08t of :n71,l a few l'u"t over i pressed. That is to say, all that any in-
"f ntpi-nunn, Ortubori, pw $1 per day for each person, which is loss terest or any class gains by protection is
it vu mill- ll...,l .i ... .i .1.. .. i. i.. .. i . . . . ' '
-. . u.ouMiiTiiay mat mogreal ui"" me average oi woraeni in any un-1 K'"''u aiwaysai mo expense ot some
coal comHuir, met iu New York ami ; protected business in tho country. The ; other interest or class, livery wave of
arbitrarily tttit un iKa ihiLa ni ... i toUil mi ill 10 r ciuIoyoil in the prouuc ! oo6dn litis n doprvHuion boliiiul it.
iritusBM-l.iii.niii(. . - . . .. i tion ' PH?ndbar ron and steel was i The prosperity of the west and south
... lllri t um now 1 1-10,070, who received 1 1 S-J,0:'3 a day or ! depends on their selling their products
sere limy abl to do it? Ve answer, by ! H-IW each, their service coming more ' to (treat Britain. We do not take her
"during uionoioly of the home market ! un,l,,r lIle '"""'or skilled labor than tlmt goons because our taritl prohibits them,
through a protective tariff .,) i of 11,8 This is certainly a beg-1 out force her to pay the balance in cash,
hininjr to restrict isin 1 T" i ri,tttn,,e ,or ekillo,, ' ll,,ori "! i ()f h "''vantage is this to us when we
nri.wa .rtirt . ii V-7 putting something that is without a parallel in 1 are obliged at once to pay out that cash
suit? -ti i r ""at is the re- mas proieeteu industries oi me country. 'r goods at Higher prices than those at
a Ji'.?i t J"?'1 rrrnt:i for the ! The Free Trade League of New York i which we should lie enabled to buy them
Y,Ziiu , i i . w th ,ewl ' thei'1"8 issiKHl a pamphlet which deals in a ! direct of the customer who takes our
in -J 7t ,' ' mtvt tlie work- loroioio manner with the inlant industry
plea, in this connection it says: "In
the firtt place our infant Industries are a
century old. In the second tho compiler
..( II . ..,.!,l... ...1 .l...l ....I..
,1.. ..' ----- uuk ia ii utwi ui iiiiw Btaimtiia hiiuihii,tb luumiir
IIIO DHRlfl fhiv liu I. ... . . , -II - ., , .. .', . ------
liitflilv ..,,. i ' reason to leel l,nor skiii piaces mo worm at a (lis- sun cnieny ot exporting the surplus of
tulnto,i'.mwl?inil grate-1 advantage with us Thirdly, our coal our crops. What would be the effect
enables the n i , " cohI' w,,il,u ttm' iron Brw K""eratly situated so close! upon that prosperity if Orvat Britain
iiitkliiw;..,. .f-; ,v'""""'iiun to restrict warmer miuiiw lormer can easily be snouui levy such duty on American
proil iiljon, m., r,.,,,,.. ,,. ,... I workwt with tlm l,.it..r P .I.U. . ,,l.i,,ii-. .....w.. i. il ,
r an I . V-n ,, " ' ,, . vi. r,,,,,,- "uu, ii rvuiaoie
resources of
Klliail llliei l lllKruao.l lit.
ay tint if you . t mr , wel
products r Auother tiling. Our policy
makes it distinctly to the interest of
ureal IiriUin to encourage direct deal
ing with other agricultural countries.
The prosiieritv we now eniov is ibu r-
of
tiou
. A
iiiilimtries nl
The Tariff on Wool.
Dally Orcgonlan, June 10, 182
Advocating "protection," the Dalles
Timet says: "The wool growers (of
Lastern Oregon) know fully that protec
tion guarantees a good price for their
clip, while free trade strikes at tlie very
life of the industry."
if this assertion were true still it
would not prove the nrotectivn noli f
be a Just and wise one. ' High prices for
wool make h'urh prices for woolen imoita-
and there are twenty persons who wear
woolen goods to one who produces wool.
Why should the twenty be taxed for the
benefit of the one ? Oregon is boasted
as a wool-growing State, and so it is ;
and yet even in Oregon, there are twenty
persons who want cheap clothes to one
who wants dear wool, here, in a dozen
words of one syllable, is a eamnlnt nn,l
overwhelming answer to all the elabor
ate arguments ever made in the effort to
snow me aiiegod importance of "protect
ing the wool-grower. Iiut even the
email wool-grower himself he who has
a few sheep and whose annual clip is a
iow iiuiiiireu pounus ot wool loses more
by the enhanced cost of clothing to him-
ecu mm lamiiy man ne gains through
the higher price for his wool ; so that
mo actual ooneneianea of the svstem
are the great wool growers and the mo-
u'RiiiBk iiiuiiuiacturers. mere is no
pnase oi protection that will bear ex.
amination. Every part of the system is
as weak as the argument for the Drotec
tion of wool. The system is, throughout,
a superficial and short-sighted game of
greed except for the great monopolist
niiuin u creates ami supports. With
them it is a studied and nrofoiimi
of greed, part of which is to make large
classes suppose they are favored and
protected by a system which either does
not protect thent at all. or actually mhi
them.
"The time will come when men
will find It as difficult to conoelve
that this obstructive and absurd
policy could ever have prevailed as
they now find It to account for the
perversity which once denied free
dom of speech and press, or the
Infatuation which believed In
witchcraft and slavery."
Tariff Policy.
' Daily Oregonlan, April 19, 1882.
The English duty list comprises just
fifteen commodities. They are the fol
lowing : Tobacco, tea, coffee, chocolate
and cocoa, wine (classed as one), dried
fruit, chicory, spirits, gold and silver
plate (classed as one), beer, vinegar,
playing cards, pickles, malt and spruce.
Tina is the whole list of commodities on
which England imposes tariff duties.
The first five are commodities not pro
duced in England; the duties on these
cannot, therefore, be in any sense pro
tective. With respect to the others the
protective feature Is obviated by the im
position of a corresponding excise duty
on the like commodities produced in tlie
British Islands. Thus the English tariff
is strictly and literally a tarift for rev
enue only. It creates no monopoly,
licenses no spoliation, sanctions no prac
tice of reciprocal rapine. It is not the
product of jobbers banded together to
force up prices of commodities in which
they are personally interested, and to
compel the consumer to pay them.
On the other hand the American tariff
list comprises some four thousand arti
cles or commodities, more than two
thirds of which return practically no rev
enue at all over the cost of collection.
The duties are not levied for revenue,
but chiefly for the aggrandisement of a
manufacturing clasB at the cost of con
sumers generally. Under a proper tariff
system me object is revenue lor the use
of the government. Under our system
the object is the shutting out of compe
tition from abroad so that home monop
olies may charge what price they like.
But we are told that our manufacturers
cannot compete on equal terms with
those of Euro. This requires us to be
lieve that the incalculable national ad
vantages of the United States are not
enough to sustain manufacturers. Hence
it is necessary to grant the American
manufacturer the privilege of extorting
an advance over the market price of his
goods. As American manufactures are
not and cannot be remunerative a sys
tem musi be employed to enable the
manufacturer to extort from, the con
sumer a bonus over the natural price of
the goods and so cover his losses and
make a profit. This is the protective
system on tho showing of its own advo
cates. By whom is this bonus paid? By the
whole people, but chiefly by the working
and agricultural classes, who are sad
dled with tho burdens and have none of
the benefits. But if is claimed that the
ter of a century ago. The mass of the
people want now as woll as then, justice
in place of swindling, freedom instead of
monopolies. If just and real reforms are
denied the refusal will only intensify the
irritation which will presently sweep
away a system which, whatever may be
said in favor of its moderate and tem
porary application, is seen to have bo
come the means for gross abuses and
systematic robbery andoppression.
"No Imposition Is too great to
catch stupid people, and herein
the great strength of our
lies
'glorious protective system. ' Pro
tection Is a legalized form of rob
bery, which makes the farmer foot
the bills of the Manufacturer." -
Call for Tariff Reform.
Dally Oregonlan, Feb. 15, 1H82.J
e e e
But these iucongiuities of tho system
are not to be removed. The steel mo
nopoly, intrenched in power, refuses to
allow revision of the tariff in the ready
way ol act of Congress, but proposes a
commission, which may be ready to
report in two or four years hence, or
may never be ready. The object clearly
is, first, to delay action as long as possi
ble and, second, to secure a report from
the commission which would defond the
existing system and afford no relief to
the country. Congress is controlled by
the combined monopolies which are en
abled by the laws to fleece and plunder
the people ; and what is even more dis
couraging is the fact that large numbers
of the people are deluded and misled by
the shallow sophistries put forth as ar
guments in support of the system by the
beneficiaries of it. It is amazing that
anyone should believe that these bene
ficiaries of the system are insisting on its
maintenance out of purely philanthro
pic motives. Their assertion that the
laboring classes are interested in the
malntainance of a high protective tariff
is just wnai might be expected from that
source, it is an essential part of the de
ception. If you are going to rob a man
with his consent, and not only have him
satisfied with it but even enthusiastic
about it, you must first make the worst
appear to him the better reason. Other
wise there will be trouble with him. No
imposition is too gross to catch stupid
people, and herein lies the great strength
of our "glorious protective system."
Judging from tlie census returns, there
are now probably three and a half mil
lions of persons engaged in or concerned
with manufactures and mechanical and
mining industries in the UniUul States.
Now protection requires that fortv-six
and a half millions of liaoola hIihII h
taxed in order that these three millions
and a half should have bettor
That is the theory of protection, not the
imi,. mo iuli is mailt does not
is mat it does not im
prove the condition of the thre millinno
and a half, while it doea i
artisan is turnished with employment " i .i ror example,
uuiii.r. mill ii, ..ii. .:..ii.. . i 11... I ..... ...... 1 ..i i,. ; . . , , . .
.i . . -"" v ""iin 'iriiv mil uu ,u nun uiui r,!ii oi r.umiMi nrrt mr iKia-n in iipvpum in ntrriiMiiriii-ui
ru-e oi bu d ...ik...;i. . . '. i...i....u ....... .' . 7, . . .. . ' . :r . B -
f 1 1... .i ' . . 13,11 'k -ii" eutt ; " "lira arc milium u ,n Aimiruim ana me railway system of Kits-
("U Workllliriiiuii'M In.. I U' ... u........ itt If fil.lu .t. I.... i v .: . ... -
, , . - - .-v., nan iiiiiv- vi nun aim iti Buppi ie -in ( vur largest, customer will not
w 'aiHir. 1 are in clone tiroxiiuiiv la the mark.. I alwuva mj i.,p k,l ittiti in niiol, I.. 14
meeting of operative In the textile I Sixthly, they are .lj,iVm to tlie gr. ai ! .mr interval that she should do'so She
f l , --- ww iiii(i r. ...... -sii. wa ,"o uiuiini wmiie uur HI1U Wfl Wftill II Alii
rained I ;titi..n to Von,,, in whU-b Watea wiii.-h la relied noon to itiM.ly I Hut Hie protectionirt siu aa loll ttatherer
I hey aaid : "It U no longer necesaarv to I the tool eaten by tho inm worWr. at tho ,,d lor liii own T rotlt nro
jrour K nrouo to ftud pauper labor. We ! ' Europe. Tlierefor, without any pro bibila the, exebanvd of nrwlurtx ni
nave u nere in our iron ami coal mine. I tectum at all it is shown our iron man-! courmi we are ohliiroU to submit f
. mu kiikhi i " - - v"...v. v j "' (.-r nKiiiiiiiurni siaiea nave ainiill power
oiieratlve lit our cot Ion and wai,.n I rent mora wait, to their workmen Hum I in tlie. national !...r ... -Ji.
niilU wiirklng lor lea than HO cm tn.r I bey tto mion, Utn eouuietilhn would 1 we ran let it be known that wa am not
lay. lhepauiH-r WW oC Italy ia uk-1 irvt tbem." Hut the rotavli.Nibt do . so vullible s to accept without protest
nil the place th. In-lt In railroail I ,ut J"" f"' deinonatratiou. When the ami a if , weroPperlec 7y JaUsM
building and road work, the I'olei and ' next prudential eamtmitfn ou ' therewith, the aui.hi.m. .i.!l!"u
llllllL'uriillll in II... A..I.I. I ID l h.va I i,.. I I.. , ; . I .. - , , .'. .r . .
v , ,., , wuiKing i in lniuMiee anil loaa oi
Art-online to the teatimony Collected by j "en pouted np in their lurna,-a, factories prut ee tion
the rentinylvatii Ktata Hureau of Statis-1 and mill, Juat ai they diU n ,mj
ties, wbie t-hiel is a piotwtioniat, from no1 ,h lp'o w ho lalnir turn their i
tne in MiKimn miners, th romlitiun ; "'innnir w m acvount, stop atriking , " it h... .. k. arrrrni fur
of the miner l worae in Pennsylvania m' reilrtu their grievancrs by votiiig 1 h, ! th Awrlea i.Wmi. star.
inan in ureal liniain. ine HriUali 1 uey mate ..iiiv advance tii itr r.a ta.ir oiu. ua p.ur.
miner moras iea iioiira in the day, but "'warn uiiirientleiu' ami tu ner rin um- imtwrtmi from Erp Tata U pntm.
mum luyi in mo year; lie uoos nut rrt 1 nre. . una rar Ik nultr aiul s. hr IKs
as high ayea in money, bill be doe not i t
pay MKh rent, hi fiil 1 very cheap; f3Th, laborer In unprotected Irv Current TalK On tho Tariff
.ri.n.m,iw ny company atore. , dutrle In thl country raoelve
i ne
tlie policy of
"Why should our Industries her
be taxed to create an Industry at
Pittsburg?"
The Tin-plate Tax.
Iaily Onyonlsii, January 20, 1S3.
There is an industry here that is very
much interested in tin-plate. It wants
tin-plate to lie as cheap as possible, so
that something may be made out of tlie
canning business. Therefore the pro
position to double the duty on this
article i not a pleasinu one. Portland's
Doani ot tra,ie and Aatoria' chamber of
commerce have protested Similar pro
les' nave been addressed to Congress
from other quarter. Many newspaper
have joined in the effort to prevent th
increase in ine uuiy. ii seem tlie waT8
and means committee have been induced
iu Biivani.- uiq raie ot a statement trom
Pittstmra to the effect that if ConimJa
will utlii iontlv protect th tin-plat jT
duatry "it will provide a livelihood for a
larjrc number ol people." But k.
and the agriculturist with a "home mar
ket." How is the arlisan protected?
The manufacturer is secured against loss
by being privileged to exact high prices
from the consumer; but where is the
protection for the workingman? There
are no customs to keep out labor. Com
petition has unrestricted sway, and as a
matter of fact the mass of toilers in the
protected manufactures are foreigners,
whose small pay in the great manu
facturing states, as Pennsylvania and
Massachusetts, gives them no advan
tage over the sj-called pauper labor of
England. Hence the distress, strikes
and turbulence so constantly reported.
True, wages are somethinir higher, but
only nominally so. The workingman
loses more by high prices than he gains
by the better wages. Again, as to wages,
the protected employer does not oav his
operatives on a philanthropic plan. He
is ruled by the market rates, and he
takes advantage to the fullest extent of
the competition which the necessities of
the workinemen force among themselves.
The "home market" argument is equally
unsound. Though nrotectinn u-ern nhan.
doned wheat and corn and beef and pork
would Btill be eaten. The farmer cannot
lose his market. The "home market"
argument, of which so much is made,
comes to this, viz. : Pension consumers
to buy the products of agriculture; sub
sidize artisans to settle at the farm gate :
pay (hem for making goods at a loss, and
out oi uieir pronts they will purchase
the farmer's abundance. Hut the farmer
gets no more for his wheat in the home
market than in the foreign market. In
fact the foreign market regulates and
governs home market. American grain
sells in the markets of the world on a par
with the produce of the serfs of Russia
and Roumania, and the American farmer
A l -. 1 - L! It 11. 1
cannot ueip niiiiBeu. ne nas no pro
tection, ana u is tie wno competes with
"pauper labor." Hence, also, though
protection cannot raise the price of a
bushel of wheat by a single penny, it can
and does repress and obstruct the export
of our agricultural products. There are
countless points to which the fruit of our
soil might be Bhipped if we were per
mitted to take our pay in the commodi
ties there produced. e should not be
in order that five Eastern manufacturing
U ....... 1 I 1 L , .. O
uiius Buouiu ob uoistcreu up, the price ot
seel, of which immense quantities are
used, is doubled. Iu effect is to make
the shipper Hiid pussenger on all the
railroads pay increased rates and to keep
down the wages of railroad employees;
to increase the cost of the farmer's tools
and machinery, and at the same time to
erect a barrier between him anil tlie for
eign consuramer to whom his surp.us
products must be sold. It must be re
membered, however, that protection
does not protect a tithe of all the persons
employed in manufacturing and me
chanical industries. Its immediate bene
fits are limited to the line of industry
bolstered up by it, and which therefore
employ more hands than they other
wise might do. This is a very small
proportion of the three and a half mil
lionsprobably not more than one mil
lion all told.
It is neither honest nor philosophical
to tell the working classes that their in
terests are all bound up with protection.
.ThusourJaborsuffers
from a'system of." robbery
dlagulsed under forma of
quackeryTfor pretended?pro?
tectlon orAmerlcan'JaboN
The stupldltyTthatTdoesn't
soo It, particularly on this
coast, where the'produclng
classes are so plainly the
victims of It, Is phenominal
and perhaps hopsless.--
DaUii Orefonhtn, iht. ojf jsst,
"Manufacturing Industry la fast
ened a a leech!upon agricultural
proms'" nd " ,0rglng wlth th
Agricultural Statistics.
Daily Oiegonlan, .February 13, 1882.
Tlie statistician (report of the Commis
sionerof Agriculture for 1880) exhibits
the relative importance of agriculture as
a contributor.to our export trade, as fol
lows: , .
lOUU export W3,4ti,3i3
These figures show in a most striking
manner that our vast trade with foreign
nations is the result chiefly of the work
of the farmers. All other forms'of in
dustry in the United Stales are but
trifling in comparison with that of agri
culture, and yet agriculture is not only
not "protected," but is taxed to main
tain other industries which claim the
favor of government. Manufacturing in
dustry is fastened as a leech upon agri
cultural industry and is gorging with tlie
profits. In our eastern states, where la
bor is cheap and the market wide, manu
factnrers accumulate colossal fortunes
under this system, which taxes con
stantly the greatest industry of the coun
try for their benefit. For our manu
factures there is no foreign market worth
naming since other natious undersell us
in every part of the globe. Goods pro
duced under our system can't compete
with those of other countries, and con
sequently can't secure a foreign market.
But they monopolize the home market
at high prices, as the duties are virtually
prohibitory, and tlie consequence is that
the American farmer, who is forced to
nieet the competition of the whole world
in production of grain and cotton, is not
allowed tho benefit of the world's com
petition in the purchase of manufactured
commodities, but is obliged to pay the
prices which protected monopolists
choose to exact. Our agricultare would
be infinitely more prosperous were it
disburdened of this system and its con
sequences. "What doe Senator Edmunds or Mr.
ttlalne tnlnk to-day about their pet
theory that protective tarlflT makes a
'home market' for the American farmers'
wheat, corn and pork by keeping out for
elarn fnoitsT Doe the American farmer
seriously believe to-iUy that he Is
specially enriched by a protective tarlir
which promised to make for him a 'home
market T' It looka very much a If wheat
roe and fell without any reference to our
protective tariff, a If wages were high or
low without reference to a protective
tariff."
Wheat and the Tariff.
Dally OreKOnluu, November 4, lssti.
The Milling World recently said:
"The farmers of the United States would
to-day be getting 20 cents a bushel less
for their wheat than they now get were
it not for the protective tariff of -0 cents
a bushel imjmeed on imported wheat bv
and it is politically imprudc , for t e i Krerrm?nt-':, Tl,i?i8 yn that
reason that tb JLilinmi iu ' ! protection raises the price of American
raises the price of American
mchlargthhemanu tof ..- tariff
mechanical, and that its interests are .'tliW wheat' th.,,s
most assuredly not identical with those f Jl''tf"M'owIor 8, year into the
of the protect onists. The necessi v for T'ke,t8 f our.'a,. estimating the
tariff reform has been Trowin!. ,L Z he't cr.P at 0,00(),000 bunhels. This
for several years to all candid observers
of national progress, and even the uro
tected manufacturers have oBm,l
in not affected at all bv our tariir n im.
ported wheat; the price of our whole
realire that they conld not much tomrer : Z? . I :, Vn "I8 HTllM "' 'tr mrgu -st
hone to fatten upon forced contribution ' , ou,a ,u V'e ,,ee market of J iv-
and confiscations from the eonnt.rv r "T00 11 wmpjtition with the
W ni rrr5 ' mowing conn;
v wvuinrj, oiIJUO OW lilH 1 Oil X
U llAlir. rionnrvt (X !.
..VHV vnuiivk ii A LiiH nriftn ri utinn
i ... w4 nurut in
21la Price in
large. Removal of obstructions to trade
i me natural pnuosophy of all who gain
their living by work, though they are
very apt to mistake their true interests.
Prftrnttsn ia n I it
which diminishes the purchasing power I Zt t uJrtTthitti to-f,uy a,)m,t ih
of the wares of "Drotectd" lnlmr hv or.
pt uiKory mat a protective tariff makMt
tiflcially enhancing prices, which makes ! Liwtml'f 61 for. the American
he farmer foot the lulls of the manufac- i iTZ?'!1 ork. k'P-
turer, which robs Peter to pay S 'itmTKn g08' , 1s tl,e Ale
wh eh restricts production and commerce I ' l lLZnm) b'eve toy that
io.iff .k-T ' ,ou " protective
and n bi,h tl,or.,f,o i .i . 118 IS
........ ...w v..e, upvsou w every , for ffi h;,.h .1 7 " . V
rauonai ana enlightened system of fiscal I : tet? f, i" 8 'r "IU1 .
and industrial science. The question is ua i Ik . 7 , l?,k8 ",,r1
now how much longer will this national !frii . r08e and Ml w'thout any
abuse be upheld? f0 part ol fhe'S j ZV'lJ
forced to nav tbn nnormnna nean f ,!,), i Severely as Ours,
exacted on the wheat we do exrxrt it ves.,.waavRn'aKe8.wPlcu creates, and
sels could carry canoes both wavs. But a:.e no B"are ln lts compensations such '
exchange is obstructed by law ; there is ' y are" . ... I
no iree excnaniie; -protection ' allows
. l I i . . , . '
oniy a partial ana indirect, trade, and a '
our
U. I. ,
noi.iorrrotecting one and all,
TTiT T -and 'unt'essly advocates the
labor miffer from a great principle that w mi T
parUal and indirect trade mean's such "V'n of robbery, disyulm-d mkc- . rich by taxing each other."
costs for freights, insurance and ex.' forms of qmu-hery for n tended , .. .
change that the American farmer is protection of American lahnr iw'nwian.Oetoberao.iiij
ir. jonn ttoacn, tne ship-bmloer was
UiUltl, VI ,UQ tUUH- ' ... '....wjiiwj IfCIIIIO LIIH LMT1 II efllll MllQUli.tt
- i.j . mri r HflMii mi . .... .... 1 ii. ... i ., . . .
try reapieaivu to as proois mat pro- ' ' " """ n c ne mvoreu mat Dour of investigators
tection has been a beniticent policy. All i '"eprodnciiiy chiiwr tire m plainly as well as an excessively "protected'
isaitriDuieu to protection. aoes not tne Victim of it. i i country, wun nis views, wli ch th 'aw
I . ....
Deaten tieiore no Degins tne competition. ri ....;.;.. r.... .i ....
But the progress and thrift of the coun- , , " "; recently before
Of it. ill l!jlllJII Imll I
country, with his views, which th
occur to tnose w no look at tlie subject l and iterliam honele.rk,;iu n' 10,rlt ". has admirably condensed
nn in a amtnrnn a 1 1 . r this Ku - -
inlv in ti a m ivni-fi , t a 1 n-ti t 1 t tkia
."i ,:"zrizi.:".,r.i "v"."": looman. (htjri
ress is not the result of protection, but
has been sained in spite of it. The
wealth of nature is here and all our
errors of industrial policy cannot prevent
its development, w e Have Had slavery.
droughts and pestilence, a great civil
war. and we know not now many other
moral and physical evils. Yet tee how
the country has prospered ! Is it pros
perity due to these evils? Has it not
r.niriiKji miner uel iioiiho. ir,t,.n 1.1., ...,... k .k
... a .... . . ' " nianvr waass riiw, ,.w
............ . ufuuu, .un me : operatlvos
c..niat.y paya the Uica on tlie botiae. ' ,iaa "
He (ji t meili.-al altenilaiice and niedi. .
wmi-i. Ii? Mm,r,e '" nM.iThe Wages In Europe and
W bile it is true a jteneral fact that lb . ,
avetamot waite in the I'nilml MatM la AmerlCB.
Iiiln-r than in tlreat Itritain, and tlie I
romliUon ot tlie working el, a a
Wtirito ia l.ntl. tl t. n... ..... 1. .t I
vety mining diatricla ami indu-tdea a. in IU'I ar tt.MI per day, In Taris
tn rnrelve o heavily to ntvl.
Jol.n i Hiitler, rlili-I eialaiit ol Ui
leiinayivktua tsureau of ln.luatrial 8ta-
i !! i, a, in a rr,nt (. h ,iei lr,l that
k.ltar.llsaie tiijuriou te laleir, an th
in protected Indus
trially Oregonlaa. Pwmh" U, lv
The wage of bricklayer and maaotis
, Ins J
$1 .40, in IWrlm II '.'5, atid in New York
( per dav. In all f.Mir plaoe for a
1 period varyin1 from two to four month
ol earli year, very little, it any. va-ea
ar earne-l, ia ruiie,iin ul ia iaUr-
Question.
tUy OfvconUtt, M.rrk U
It i grnaing rlerer every day that
th American laborer will never be ade
quately protected until the pauper la
borers ol th old world, a well aa th
prcluct of hie Uil, l kpt mit of lb
ciHintry. Not all the biw'h laritf jie-bes
thit conld Im colla te.! Irora the rite of
the (.'oncn-afional Kevord wiwiVl fir
ampler d.-monst ration of tbi truth than
a fie tin paragraph mon th prva
Jiipatcbe frotn Ireland the ottier ly. ; on tin-plat uiaa ean p.:t,lv U
Kiom l.imeri. k, w ar tl., Hire hun- hy iu
Ixuil.l nn. i...l.,r. V.. V. . r"7
. . . . . . . .... . ......... i f unu laxed tn
create an imliiatrv at Ilttahurv 1. u
fair? The t hicaw Time, .tate th. A"
for ... when it Nyt: "If it will not ir
to make tin-rlaU with.Mit protection
i bsH-auae men can do better at son "
thinn ele and for no other reason th.t t
ta pMile to aii:n. It if m.k
better way to let men do the thinJ .
which thev can make a living
taxing their neighbor. To take t
from doing thoe thinir and aei tu. n
thing at which they cannot earn ."I"
ingw.tmmt th belpol Uie 5 "l
their oeigl.lK, la the aaue tWn- bj
t'allv taking them Jrom nsefnl "
ploytnenta and setting them at cL""
bnrket 0 ,at. , fm Uk Mic-hi?11
Lake upertor." A far greater in l0. 10
Wlil be Use.1 hr the in..,Li .. ?Jtnr
....... .. ir.ed
We tax the raw materials of the
woolen manufacturing industry In
a way that protects nobody. It
keeps out foreign wools that we
need to mix with our native fleeces
and by restricting the variety of
fabrics which can be made here,
limits the demand for American
nrrwoered in spile of them and of all the , Wool."
other evils it has ever known? o, too, ! . , . . ,
U has prospered iu spite of "protection." Partisan Views of the Tariff.
No folly of our own can as yet overcome i lDM Or.oi,in, July 7,
our great natural advantage. But here, j .
indeed, is an almost incomprehensible I A wnter who presents the subject on
folly It i Admitted that our people ! rational instead of on partisan grounds,
would trade freely with foreign nations after showing that the annual value of!
"'Mf? T.V . TV" " ,T- tlie wool products of the country for the
would lead them to it. Kecogniung this i Mnma 18lW WM $4i(033,W5, and
fact, in stepe Uie man who wants to ob-1 tht Uie T,,ue of .xp0rt, of dome-
ilruct trde that ne may get niicn price, ; Uc wooleng during the last fiscal year I he frankly avers, no matter ii aa a farmer
and induces mo - WM only o.uaj, suvs witn equal truth i ne na to py a dollar to seenre a an
part. The tine will come when men i; Md forve . Ve Ux the raw material of iron master large molUpIe of that um.
sjt-ill find it diiTicult to conceive tftat i thig industry in a way that protects no- "I believe in protection," he remark.
Uu, obstructive nd lMpoicy cou d bojy j, keepg ou, oniga wooj. that , "not for a single industry, but for one
ever have prevailed as they now nod it we to mix wjtn our nitiv fleece, nd all, because I believe in the princi
i .rcount for the perversity whicn once . bT rMineting. the verietv of fabric pie of protection." Thia ia Kli-.lnn.
prCOfl, or , -.I.S..K ran lw maile here.it limit! the ainr mnet mmwi Kn mm. IuIm , J
demand for American wool. It raiae tariff commission beheve very much in
th price of the manufactured article the protection "for a nnele industry"
. imu iu vuiuuiuu wuu ui ui.tuiws srr aim Jueeeea none at ail OI In penerai
... r h people a jasUee tern of reJuplicated dutiee, ol which it is philanthrophT which make r. Koach"
. . . . . . . . . a nH it nreventa the rv,nw! t i.in nl lilMralitv in.-fn.lu I. : - . .
lie. i. . -. r- ; r - w. .. j .vv vuij uu tiwii in-
ana analyzed. lie swared in fm,e
( characters ; but it was iu his character
as larmer that he most enjoyed tlie bles
sings of protection. As a farmer he en
joyed paying taxes to support himself as
a ship builder, mtnnfacturer and iron
master; but after all It is to be feared
that he enjoys himseir a a protection
tat simply because as a hi-builder,
manufacturer and iron nia- ter he take
more money out ol other people' pock
et than hi own. At least when the
character united in hi person are
divided, it ia the former that pay and
grumble and the ehip-builder an1 the
iron master who receives them and
seems to enjoy the transfer; and tne
farmer who i only farmer does not
perceive the blessings of protection o
clearly aa the farmer who ia also a pro-
lecwu luanuiaciurer. . cull mere la a
aati'faction in tlie old familiar falla-iaa
of Mr. Roach. II ia a protectionist, aa
m1 infatuation whit
rrtH and slavery.
believed in witch-'
,! a.iM.I!;.
.e-relle"-"
en-
A Uve Question.
Pally OrpfnuUn. May I. 14.
. tli an a hunJrel rapitlits
j the IViaanier steel ring make
r"l three hundred pe' nt P1 00
w-ir mooey inveteJ,but they pay tlir
wXkmen only iws..,
A3ienin wooiena in me niariet oi tne a as ine dqi ail the interests with the
world. For our nrplu product, w ' repreeeatatives ol which he can log-roll
have no outlet, and yet for oar own con- ' He is for protectin; "one and all '
umption we cannot opply the finest and danntieasly advocate th great
kind of cloth. Hemmed in on every j principle that we ran ail get rich by tax
id by th restriction which they hare mg ch other, and bv putting np prira
contrived for our own croteruon. Ukpus I on em-h A,H .n "i .i ,.r ' .
- - - - . - -.-a. mti iwuiu uie weaim Ol the
of the woolen manufacturer i an excel- naUon will be Unrelv increaMni tk
lent illii.tr.tinn nl kn linU I .. ru-
w ... .... .. v, . . ' ....... luiiuit uimcii inm
utv
eatisl
hich
; U a bar aubo'.n'.ence. I n ame i
l,wV .i..r tmt-ted Indtiatne. Tb
If Qiieati.i can no mor ha mothered
-cUilJ :vty qtietoo a sj'iaf-
, than
country conai ler that
m ajnunement . .
only protected cla. They w.U be re
leved to hear from Farmer Roach thai
tilt impression ia all rr.n.. i .l .
'W fr?w RTVh jor pnttir,
t hand into hi pork.t on Uha'f of ?LaZ
onuaer Ku,- and Iroma:er to, h.
dutie can help in Uie promotion of ther car Inr .hi. . ; . . "
Tlie market both f, -rJ .n . , ' the
woolen i in a condition that illustrate
once more the urTU-ieotly familiar fart
uiat period of deprein will folio
penou ol -tiT;ty nd iixnUti
price.