Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-21

Inc great city O1 NC" -
IDENTIFY wide awake on the subject OF re-
venue reform. As will be seen by re-
ference to the letter of our special New
York correspondent, elsewhere pub
lished. this subject is regarded in the
great commercial metropolis of America
as the most vital question of the hour,
and, as our correspondent says, ''if the
Democrats make this the leading issue
of the campaign-and this they have
already set about to do-they will secure
q strong point, and prepare the way tor
a strong fight in 1884" All classes are
taking a lively interest in the matter, and
the recent tariff reform meeting at
Chickering Hall was characterized by an
enthusiasm similar to that attending q
political campaign.
This is conclusive evidence of the fact
that our political leaders cannot longer
ignore this great question. The people
are beginning to realize the fimsiness of
the old stale cries about protection being
needed to protect the American laborer
from the pauper labor of Europe, and to
foster American industries. They have
seen with their own eyes that the effect
of prohibitory tariff has been to make
a few immensely rich, while even the
many American laborers who are en-
ployed in the factories of the monopolists
are still poor. The protected capitalist
has. it is true, been enabled to erect for
himself lordly mansions, but the factory
hands, by large majority, have
to be content with humble cottages.
aud. after struggling against poverty and
want for years, find themselves, as a rule,
still no better off than the pauper Ia
borer of foreign lands, whose condition
they have been taught to believe was
one of the most pitiful and abject pow
erty. When the masses OF the people
reflect on these things-and the truth
cannot longer be kept from them-no
wonder they conclude that all these years
they have been deceived. And when
they realize further that, during the time
they have Leen laboring under the delu-
sion that they were being protected, and
that their interests were being fostered
by a prohibitOry tariff, what slight in =
crease in wages over those of their Euro
pean brethren they may have received
has all gone back into the pockets Of the
protected manufacturers from whom
they have been forced to purchase the
necessaries of life at exorbitaut prices,
no wonder they are convinced. at length.
that they have been imposed upon. mere
" to advance the selfish interests Of a
few favored sons of fortune.
The labor troubles now gong on in
the North have doubtless had much to
do with thus opening the eyes of even
the protected workingmen of the coun-
try They now understand, from personal
experience, that protection does not
mean protection to them. They see that
when the home market, which IS fenced
in by the wall of prohibition from the
outside world, becomes Overstocked-ss
it must inevitably become whenever
there are not enough home buyers to
| purchase the accumulaticns-reduced
wages naturally follow. Then come
strikes and lock-outs; and what is the
effect2 Simply to check production and
keep up prices until the accumulated
stock can be profitably disposed of. Then.
perhaps, If to the manifest advantage
of mill owners to do so, the mills may
esume work at old prices. In the
meantime, however, while the protected
manufacturer has been regularly pocket
ing his profits from the sale Of his &C
cumulsted stock at the high prices in
sured him by the protective tariff and
the check in production by the strike,
the so-called projected employees have
not been earning a dollar, but are out Of
pocket, not only to the amount of wages
which they have not earned during Their
idleness, but also to the extent of the
Indebtedness into which they have been
forced so that they might live while un
employed. This ought to convince ever
protected" laborers that protection is Of
no real advantage TO them, aut
if they are not benefited thereby
what possible advantage can be derived
therefrom by the hundreds of thousand;
of American laborers for @hom its bene
fits are not even claimed?
1t would be strange indeed if, under
these circumstances, the people of the
whole country, and of all classes-savC
the privileged protected class were no
a unit in demanding reform in our tariff
system. 1t is also encouraging to SEE
that the New York Democracy and bust
ness men all agree that tariff re
form can be effected without waiting fol
the report of any commission organized
for the sole purpose of giving the mo
nopOlists as long an enjoyment as pos
sible of their protection bonanza. LIE
the voters of the country make this re
form an issue at the polls during tht
coming Congressional campaign; le
them elect to the next Congress mem
bers who they know will advocate, worI
and vote for the needed reform, and al
the commissions which the present Con
gress can create VIII prove powerless tC
delay very considerably the consumma
ton of so desirable an object.
Our exports continue to fall off from