Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-11-24
Another Definition of Protection.

taxation pure and simple, the phrase
..protection to American labor being
assumed by its advocates solely for the
purpose of deceiving the people and be-
quilting the unwary. There is another
definition for the word, however, which is
equally as true and no less striking, and
that is ''selfishness."
The real reasons for the shutting down
of the Joliet Iron and Steel Company OF
Illinois and other corporations interested
in the Bessemer patents is absolute ana
convincing proof of this. In our dis
patches, published yesterday morning, 1t
is announced that the true cause OF this
shutting down-by which thousands OF
American laborers theoretically protected
against the pauper labor OF Europe VIII
be thrown out of emplOyment-ls hght
between the iron ore and Bessemer steel
men. Both these industries are now large
" protected, but it is to the interest OF the
protected Bessemer steel barons that the
iron ore necessary to their business should
be admitted at a, comparatively speak
ing. low rate Of duty. They are, in
word. in favor of increasing the duty on
steel rails, ETC., but they want iron
ore admitted as cheaply as possible
so that their profits may be so
much the larger. To this the
iron ore barons naturally demur. They
want protection for their interests as well
as do the steel barons, and therefore de-
mand such a tariff on iron as Will force
the Bessemer barons to purchase from
them at their own figures. They want, in
brief, such an increase in the tariff on
iron as will prevent the steel men from
purchasing so largely in future from
abroad as they have been heretofore in the
habit Of doing.
Here then is the secret of the shutting
down of the steel mills and the throwing
of so many American labOrers out of EN-
ployment. The French have proverb,
''Les lOups ne Sc mGngent pas" But in
this fight proof is given that the French
are wrong. Wolves may not eat each other,
but in this contest between the steel and
iron barons it is fully demonstrated that
the homely English expression about
..dog eat dog is much nearer the truth.
The Bessemer men want themselves pro-
tected, but are perfectly willing to con-
sumo the iron men. The iron men, on
their part, are not willing to be consumed,
but prefer rather that the Bessemer men
shall be ruined unless they can share
equally in their prosperity. Thus the
selfish fight is waged, and in the contest the
only real sufferer is the poor prOtected)D
American labOrer, who, before it is settled,
will most probably be too glad to eX-
change places with his ''pauper' brother
of Europe.
The Ostensible reason given by these
protected wolves so eagerly engaged in
the work of trying to eat each other, how
ever, is the sublimity Of cheek. They both
agree not to confess the true cause of their
trouble, but to endeavor, for policy's sake,
to bulldoze the United States Congress
into complying, as far as may be, with
their respective wishes. Hence the Joliet
steel mill managers say that they are
afraid that the majority in the new Con-
gress will be hostile to the existing
tariff on steel rails, and will reduce
the customs duties on such rails
to a point that they cannot stagger
under. This is practically saying in
advance to Congress that whatever else
may be done by that body in the way of
reducing the protective tariff, their in
terests must be left untouched under the
penalty of shutting down their mills and
turning thousands of employees out of
work. Thus the spectacle is presented OF
a number of protected barons endeavoring
to control Congressional legislation by
threatening to drive their employees into
starvation unless their demands are
respected. Thus too is illus
trated in strikingly practi-
cal manner the earnest sOlicltude
of the protected manufacturers for
the welfare ofthe American labOrer. The
barons have accumulated from prOtec-
ton enough already to enable them to
draw off from active work for awhile, but
unless the government will consent to
permit them to grow still richer and run
their mills as charitable institutions at
the same time, the poor labOrer to whom
they are willing to give small surplus of
their earnings, must shift for himself.
The threat of these steel barOns will not
be likely to have the same effect upon the
Forty-eighth Congress as similar threats
from the national banks once had upon
Mr.. Hayes when he was running the EX-
ecutive Department of the government
for Mr.. Tilden. The American labOrer
has already found out by bitter experience
that protection means nothing more nor
less than selfshness, and that they suffer
in every way therefrom, being simply the
dupes and tools of the manufacturers.
The interests of the great mass of the
American people must be first consulted,
even if few steel and iron men do have
to put up with smaller percentage of
profit than they have been in the habit of
receiving from their productions.