"T.l V IjgflW U V'f( 4 '' 't!WW. fl'ljl. I'f JiMMrV-
I?""1!
The Commoner.
JUNE 12, 1903.
i5
Slf ''
- The Evils of Protection
W. D. Washburn, jr., of Minneap
olis, son of the ex-senator from Min
nesota and himself a well-known re
publican and business man, discusses
existing political, financial and com
mercial conditions in the columns of
the New York Evening Post as fol
lows: "Besides the surface causes there
are deep-seated and radical reasons
for the present unsatisfactory state of
things. These involve the tariff and
the trusts which have developed un
der it The prptective tariff was
erected by the republican party for
the "legitimate purpose of defending
our industries against European laboc
and capital until these industries
could hold.Jtheir own without assist
ance, and with a fair profit, against
the outside world.
"It was oxpected that this would
render us independent of the Europ
ean markets and develop a large and
thrifty class of American wrrking
men, capable of sustaining a govern
ment on our basis. It was expected,
too, that this body of well-to-do la
boring people would afford a large
consuming market for the products of
another intelligent class, the agricul
turists, who in turn would draw
wealth from the soil in regions' not
adapted by nature to manufacturing
enterprises.
"Incidentally it was supposed that
competition among home manufactur
ers would provide all the people with
good articles at a price assuring feir
profits to capital and lair wages to
labor.
"Of this system a republican might
have boasted seven years ago that it
had admirably accomplished its pur
pose. The people of the United States
could compete -with the world in tho
manufacture of all staple products,
and that with little or no protection.
There had been no general consolida
tion of interests to defeat competition.
Small manufacturers could still do
business in the open home market.
What are the facts today?
"There is no longer competition,
either in production or in distribution
The intelligent independent ctizen,
without whom no democratic govern
ment can survive, has been largdy
eliminated by combinations of Individ
ual capital, which have crowded him
aside. He is now, really or practically,
only a clerk. His place has been tak
en by a gigantic organization in re
straint of trade.
With a tariff to all intents pro
hibitory of outside rivalry and no
home competition, such an organiza
tion raises the price of all manufac
tures from SO to 50 per cent above
fair and normal profit. Not content
with this, it capitalizes its enormous
profits in billions of inflated securiti3
"wheh hang as a constant menace over
the financial and industrial markets,
"Today many staple articles manu
factured in the United States are sold
as cheaply in England, Japan or Tu
dia as they are supplied to our peo
ple. Jron rails have been shipped to
England, returned to the United
States, paid the duty, and been placed
on the market at $2 less than rails
which have never left the country. An
iron manufacturer informs me that
he sells his surplus abroad at cost, so
that the prices may not' be reduced by
competition of these articles in tho
home market.
"By a fair price at home he means
a price that will pay 30 per cent on nl
real capital, or 10 per cent on his
stock and bonds, whoso face value is
three times what the property id
worth. Competition under the pro
tective system is a dead letter.
"What of the American, working
man, whose woll-beihg was to be pro
tected against cheap foreign labor?
Puritan New England is no . longer
American. It swarms with Italians,
Bohemians, Poles and miscellaneous
mixed races, whoso inheritance of bad
morals and bad government is a men
ace to democracy.
"In one of the manufacturing cities
of Connecticut a leading manufacturer
told mo that ho had largely sup
planted American laborers with Ital
ians. He said that, though they were
treacherous, they worked chean. At
I New Haven I saw twenty Slav work-
lngraen escorted from the New York
train, all tagged and numbered, .n
care of an interpreter, who was tak
ing them to some smaller manufactur
ing town. I was infornjed that such
convoys passed through thero once or
twice a week.
"In North Adams, Mass., one hcavn
all the languages spoken from tho Po
to the Bosphorus. In Maine one mav
ride through miles of deserted farma
to reach small manufacturing vil
lages, whose inhabitants are chiefly
French-Canadians. Paterson, N. J.,
is largely an Italian city. Nearly ev
ery manufacturing town within 100
miles of the Atlantic coast is overrun
with low-class European labor, most
of which has been introduced within
the last ten years.
"The Pennsylvania coal fields are
filled with hordes of Slavs, whose low
intelligence and still lower standard of
living depress wages to tho margin of.
bare existence, and is rapidly brutal
Izing the social condition of the com
monwealth. The coal magnates plain
tively remark that there is a surplus
of labor in the coal region.
"This surplus exists largely because
it was brought -there in defiance of tho
contract labor law to supplant Ameri
can labor and reduce wages. Of what
value is tho high tariff in supporting
the standard of wages paid to Ameri
can labor?
"The manufacturer has secured the
double advantage of cheap labor and
exorbitant prices for his product The
occasional advance in wages bears no
relation whatever to the enormous ad
vance in profits. All this polntfPto
tho gradual absorption of the profits
of the land by a handful of men.
"It means the upgrowth of a class
of working people totally unfit to sus
tain our rorm of government, it
means the aggrandizement of a small
upper class, whose idleness already
leads to the licentiousness and the
waste of wealth which has now
reached its climax In certain eastern
cities.
"What of the agriculturists and the
non-manufacturing classes resident iu
the Mississippi valley? It may bo
admitted at once that times are now
apparently good in that region. Why
not? It contains 60,000,000 people
who produce three-quarters of all the
natural wealth of the United States.
They have done well since the hard
times, but they could have done bet
ter. They have received nowhere
near the amount of profits to which
their enterprises and their natural re
sources entitle them. They are now
waking to the fact that their energy
produces the wealth upon which the
commercial prosperity of the nation
depends.
"Under tho present tariff system
they pay exorbitant prices for manu
factured articles, but sell their own
staples at prices made in the cheapest
markets of the world; they must com
pete with the cheapest labor in the
world Commercially, they are 'caught
both coming and going.'
"While they have always supported
protection, they now see their for
eign markets gradually closed against
them in retaliation for a tariff whh'h
shuts European manufacturers out of
the markets of the United States. One
may not have commerce -without ex
changing commodities. It is ridiculou3
to suppose that Europe will indefinite
ly submit to our present prohibitory
tariff and still give us freo accoss to
her own markets. Sho will not indefi
nitely trado gold for food products.
Sho could not, even If sho would.
"Although reciprocity lias boon
promised to the Mississippi valloy iu
every party platform for ton yoavs,
I am informed by a well-known and
vory practical politician in Washing
ton that the -protective element of the
party has not tho remotest intontlou
of passing any reclprocly treaty what
evor or taking any step toward the
reduction of present duties.
"Our flour aud corn, hogs and ba
con may bo gradually excluded from
European markets, out nothing is to
bo done toward reducing the tariff
which leads to these restrictions.
"In a nutshell, the Mississippi val
ley gives everything and gots nothing
under the existing system. It sells
cnoap and buys high. It produces tho
wealth without which the east could
not sustain itself for one day. Bu:
for its colossal railroad earnings and
its increasing development of natural
wealth, the Wall street operators
would havo to put up their shutters.
The Mississippi valley should not sub
mit indefinitely to the yoke under
which, by the aid of the present high
protective tariff, its riches aro poured
into tne coffers of eastern speculators.
"It Is this sentiment that over
hangs tho money markets at present
like a dark cloud. Its meaning should
not bo misunderstood. Tho people
will no longer buy industrial stocks
at Wall street prices. Tho west will
no longer lend its money to keep up
inflated values. Thousands of mil
lions of 'securities' earned by eastern
banks and trust companies will havo
to be nursed, at home. This means
call money at high prices, small
squeezes at any time, continual dull
ness till a largo share of the poisonNof
fictitious valuation is sweated out 6t
the commercial system.
"That this must be done is incvit
able. It is only a question of how anl
when, and accompanied by how much
trirulation. The heyday of prosperity
has passed, even in tho west. Neither
railroad nor industrial securities will
rule or high as hitherto. The indus
trials must slowly decline until thej
reach the point where they will pay a
fair dividend in average times.
"This means the absolute oblitera
tion of some stocks and heavy loss-b
in others. Bad crops next fall would
surely bring harder times. An attach
upon the protective system at the
next session of congress would shakfc
to their foundations such of the trusts
as depend upon exorbitant profits to
pay interest on watered stocks. Al
together we can hardly escape com
mercial depression within the ne;ct
few years.
"Notwithstanding the opinions of
seme senators from eastern pocket
toroughs, the people of the Miss!.?
slppi valley stand almost as a unit;
in favor of radical tariff reform and
real reciprocity, which they have been
promised, but have not yet obtained.
Reading out of our party all republi
cans who demand tariff revision anl
reciprocity would mean reading out
three-quarters of the republicans of
the west
"Were this done there would be no
republican party, for there would be
no western republican states states
whlci. have elected all of the republi
can presidents since the time of Lincoln."
Speaking of Peace.
The democratic party wants peace,
and Mr. Bryan persists in throwing
a stone at it. Atlanta Constitution.
Tho democratic party does not want
peace now, any more than it did in
1693-4-5 and 6 when the Constitution
was stripped to the waist and covered
with gore, In its war upon Grover and
his pie-eaters, including Hoke Smith.
Then the corporations and the gold
bugs were using the party to further
their schemes to secure the demone
tization of silver and the Issue of hun
dreds of millions of government bonds
in order that thoy might make moro
money. Then tho Constitution did not
want peace. It wanted war and wlUt
tho aid of an outraged nnd prostituted
party, It drovo from party direction
a horde of political oandlttl who have
since made billions of dollars through
combinations of corporations and Uio
watering of their stock. Now the Con
stitution wants peaco on a compromlnc
with theso combines. What does Hoko
Smith say about it? Creto (Neb.;
Democrat
Hastings (Nob.) Democrat: Thero
isn't the least danger that tho demo
crats of tho country will bo stam
peded by republican cheers for Gro
ver Cleveland.
On Juno 4 It was reported from
Kansas City and Topeka that relief
work was still going on with vigor
nnd that great need still existed. Sev
eral moro bodies were recovered at
Topeka, tho list of known dead now
reaching 71 persons. It Is feared that
many moro bodies are still In the
wreck. Everything posslblo Is being
done to aid tho sufferers.
i
The Bankers Life Insurance Co.
3 Ter cent on your money while you
are pnylnc your premium.
PACII of your bond if you live.
RIJ1UKN In jo ycar, more money
tlmn you have pniriTn
THAT'S THU HOND POMCY of the
OLD UNI? HANKKRHUFIJof Lincoln,
Neb. Write giving ngc.
P A Df MO I.'ko fctoors aud narrows bring raluirt
UMrlNo bent prices. Triumph Capon Tools t3
poktpald. i upon book Iroo for lUiop, ALLKKTON,
(IA.), CAI'OMZKU CO., IJoX M.
Angus Bulls
for sale at just one-half regular lint price, to close
out the lot of four, 181024 months old. A few bar
gains iu females also.
John F. Coulter
Exccllo. Mo.
GO MMWATION SECTIONAL CADI NET.
cjdbciciacJp I
gaoraac3a
Acers Filing Cabinets.
Made with our patent sliding
door fronts and locking device.
You can't mix the contents, and
one lock locks each section sep
arately. Positively the only sectional cab
inet that can be locked.
Styles and sizes to fit any availa
ble space.
Our sliding door fronts do the
work.
Ask your dealer or write
The Acers-Reifrow Cabiiet Ct.,
Room 507-234! Salle St., Chicago, 111.
I
VI
-fi
I
I
i'l
1
tl
4
''1
n
Ul
tt