Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-11-26
TIE SUBSIDY BEGGARs' OONVEN-
TION.
from the Chicago Times, N.y. II. ~ !

! From the Chicago Times, Nsv. II. 81
| The morning Session Of the tariff
anu subsidy baggsra' cOnyention,yas
terdsy, was devoted wholly TO talk
AS the committee on resotutlous W =!
not ready to report. tue different ln
tsrests represented had their hear
iugs. For convenience, these interest.
msy bs separated iuts two classes
First, the .pretected manufacturing
Interests second, the ship-buildinS
interests. The representatives. of the
former of these interests were, a.
| usual, most Gemonstrative in rheil
expressions ot so!icitude for the wei
fire OF American laborers. Their
own welfsre as manufacturing cap
iIaliss was matter of secondary
concern. As Que Of them expressed
it. let the government look out foi
the interests OF labor in its tariff leg
| islatiou, and the capitalists will tax
care OF themselves. Mr.. Henry Clay
put it somew bat differently whsn ht
asid: "Lei the government take car.
Of the rich, aud tie rich will take
care of the poor" The latter-day
beueficiafies ef the tariff system are
more nterested friends Of the la
| borer tIsn.Mc.- Clay professed to be-
Mr.. Joh.r L. Blair spoke for the
Bessemor steei-rail interests. Hi
affirmed t:;at it cost the American
m.nuiacturer $50 per ton more to
nlsi steel rails than it cost his Brit.
ish competitor. Hence this alterna
tive: Either there must be a high
protective du;y on steei rails, OF
American wages must be reduced a,
the rate OF $20 per ton, or Ameri.
cans must stop making steel rails. Oi
course, The last Of these was net te
be thought of for y momeut by any
friend os "home industry" no mat.
ter how much moro it might cost to
make ton of rails in this country
| than in Great Britain. II it should
| cost 5000 a ton to make rails here
when they could be obtained abroad
for $40 ton, the duty shOuld BE-
| raised 30 80 to enable the American
manufacturer to get more than $500
atom for his product. Mr.. Blair did
not say this in 30 many words, but il
| is the unavoidable inference frem
| what he did say. 1t would bs Al
reasonable to say that there should
| be q dntY of So pound OIL tea, sc
that hotas-srowsrs might supply the
thome market, and 80 that American
lahorers might earn good wages iu
| masking tea.
Mr. hartshorn, who represented
the ax-insau'acturingi interest, wa,
also solicilous about American labor
He declared that fax manufacturers
| must be protected now later ou they
| might be able to compete with theil
British rivals. Ii the wages Of labor
could be reduced 60 per cent. in this
country, then, and not other W ise,
they might be able TO compete. Ol
| cours. such a reduction OF wages
was not 10 be thought Of for mo.
| neut. Mr. Hartshorn. like Mr.. Blair,
| omitted 10 state why we should man.
| ufact ure i'll this country that which
SAN be had So much cheaper abroad
notwithstanding the high wages puid
| i'll :he Uni;ed States, We are nbie to
produce many things cheaper than
HE people of other countries eau, and
| un'isrseil thcm III their own markets
it is affirmed, i'll substance, in the
preamble to The resolutions adopted
by the convention yesterday, thai
the destruction Of British agricul.
tarsl Industry. Tnis affirmation may
| not be quite true, but it 10 unqaes
| tlonahiy trGs ,ast we are able to eel
| oetWesn ak and seven hundred mil
hons worth OF the products Of oul
,'sar labor ANNUALLY to- the "pauper
laborsrs" OF other cuantriea, and
make soed profit at the prices these
same ''p.upor iaborers'' are able to
pay. La spite Of our dear labor, We
sfe able to compete with the cheap
| Foreigner 10 his own market. Thit
| unaeniable fact would seen to indi.
cate uhmistskably that labor 10 dear
| IN Ameyics because it is enormously
productive when it IS properly ap.
piled, aud not because of our artificia
ecohonlc arrangements. We are abls
;c compete to The eX tent stated not
because OF protection, but IN spite OF
ii: We sell to foreigners chiefly cot.
'ea, bresdstufs, and provisions. The
merlcan pToducera of t:iese thinss
sic not protected by cur tariff laws,
AID they can not be, for the simple
| reason that the prices of the surpiu,
"hich they sell to Foreigners are de.
termined 10y natural laws Of trade
which sre quite beyond the reach oi
our tariH enactmeuts. The Ameri.
csh FARMER does not get cent more
.ur his wheat. his corn, his meat, or
ass cotton i'll consequence Of any
auties on imports which exist or can
e1iet. Bat on the other baud TO has
In pay more for every manufactured
'F'icta,h ,he buys. Ho 10 handicapped
'hen ne en'ers the foreign mark ct
VITA us products by tie duties be
haa 10 pay on manufacturer. Aud
ysi, not oiwitsstanding this great dis.
acFspsag", and otwishstauding the
as7rness of American labor, he 10
aoie to coup. to successfully with
.orelg" 'rauper labor" From tins
;eci can 1t rot ke seen that the diver
sinti OF American industry from the
us!a' ia when Ii can compete against
ne world into olksr folds in which
eau not compete, without taxing
tie profitable .employments for its
support results III Az enormous waste
or energy This, il would aesm,
'hshf TO DC apparent to every intel
" Il mind.
Hut ii may be said that protective
5u'ieS :e not raise prices, and there
ieis thSt they do n0t handicap the
pfoancors of sxpOrtabje articles.
oi'ie oi The msmbers of the conven-
Sentton have asserted this and in
sisted upon ii. Upon this point one
NJ 'hoir own humber may be called
10 the witness stand. Mr.. Shesrd. Of
h't'lc Fa'!s, Now York, representing
~ woalen interest, said that il he
cru'i have frH, trshe IN building
n'tsri Is, machinery, and raw mater
lis, so thar lie could buy these thugs
'vil"ro l.e could get them for tho least
mohey, he could make as much as he
no| tan II shefe were no duties on
Wo"ien goods, provided he could dis
pose Of his product. He claimed that
Ii" had Investigated this subject and
$ r"ke nnderstan(iingiy. Whit was
that out an adnssiou that duties do
cal prizes? 1t amounted to an All.
nis non hat the duties on wool raise
'h- price Of wool, that the duties on
""Hi"i goods raise the prices of
woolen goods, that the duties or
tuill!"g materials and machinery in.
ele"ee lie ainon": of capital which it
IS necessary II iEHcsi III a riauufactu,-
ihs establishment. Fineliy. aud mcot
l'hpoi ta'i. oi ali. 1t amounted 10 all
adnh'-s'"n that tac industry which is
now protected as much or more than
an; other IL ihia country could DO as
ii a. 1t Is now doing under ab,o-
iute free trade. These admission.
VIII dn To Offset tn unsupported as
sci t;"ns oi those who say that duties
di aot ralse prices.
Iae presen:atIves Of the shin.