The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-02-28
tween capital and labor, or by giving
capital lesser share and labor q greater

III increase laOOr'S snare Dy leS6enln8 X
capitals share of the products OF labOrH
Protection" to benefit labor must ac-
complish one or the other, and even II 1t
does increase production, IL aVails moth
| ing IL capital absOrbs the entire In
! crease. Wewill take the latter question
| 1rst, because after all, IL is the only
question worthy Of consideration. for
there Ia now produced more than three
times the amount sufficient to support
all in the greatest ease and comfort,
Despite the efforts OF capital and mo
nOpoly to, keep L In the back ground
and OVershadOW Ii By the sham Of pro.
lection, the division Of the products Of
labor between capital and labor Is the
all important question before which all
Others pale into insignihcance. Why at
all increase production II much more
than is necessary Is now produced? Why
not divide what Is now produced more
fairly between capital and laborY If an
honest division was made labor certainly
would have an abundance.
Now the very idea that the object or
effect of protection is to increase labor's
share of Its products by lessening Capi-
tails share Is so utterly absurd that the
very enunciation Of the proposition Ia
Its own refutatiOn. Look at the im-
mense struggle over the tariff bill. The
prOtectiOnistS are there In force with
unlimited resources, making desperate
efforts to hold the fort of high protec-
ton. Would capital make such q des-
peTate struggle to reduce It's own profits
to thereby increase the lahOrer's shareP
The idea Is so pTepOsterous that the
place for him who can entertain IL, Is
the nearest lunatic asylum.
And now passing to the second ques-
tiOn, does protection increase production
or the products to be divided between
capital and laboTH
UNPROTECTED INDUSTRIES.
There are in this country vast indus
tries without a shadow of protection.
The toiling millions in these unproteet-
ed industries in the fiscal year ending
June, 1881, produced enough Of their
products to supply the home eonsump-
ttOn and to send products amounting 10
the enormous sum Of S902. .377, ,346 to
foreign countries to compete with the
products OF the so-called papper labor.
These unprotected industries produce
more than two-thtrds OF, the entire pro-
ducts OF American Dor. and among
them5isfhR indpstr1 @ aCk7 Auitman q
CO.. Aud these, unprotected. tpdpatrlee
recefge-ss mach lese than I heir kof eign
competitors to- divide sbesyHeeff their
capital and laborg asgtlf8i C6at sdt @tr Ans
porting theiriproduct6' to- foreign conn
tries RndsWhichs cost Is on the average Of
not less than % per cent, Of the home
mo Now. y ii fsh tIis SppTTcdnctioaS or q eifsn
amount of capital and labor In the now
protected industries would without pro-
lection be equal In value to the pTOduc-
tiOnB Of an equal amount OF capital and
labor In the unprotected industries, then
there would not be even the shadow OF
an excuse for protection; for there, 10
no reason why the capital or labor
should receive more in one industry
than In another, especially when the
excess received by the one is necessarily
taken from the other, except on the
principle OF the highway r0bber. or we
may say even worse principle than that
OF the highway rObber, for he
seldom commits the terrible crime OF
the tariff robber, the crime OF "oppress-
ing the Door" and "defrauding lRborefB
OF their wages"--the crime described In
old fashioned prayer books as crying to
heaven for vengeance" and though the
one takes all for nothing he seldom robs
the poor and the laborer, while the
other, though he gives value for about
half, steals the other half and never
spares the poor and the laborer.
THE ABSURD CLAIM OF PROTECTION.
Hence the very claim OF protection for
any one industry if honestly made IL an
admission that II Is nots as profitable
and does not produce as much to reward
the capital and labor employed In 1t,
nor add as much to the aggregate pro-
ducts or wealth Of the land as an equal
amount OF capital and labor in other In
dustries. The very demand for protec-
tlon for any one industry Is confession
that TO the extent OF the capital and
labor employed In 1t there will be di-
minished production, and hence, q loss
in the aggregate products OF labor, and
hence less to divide between capital and
labor; and this diminution or loss In the
aggregate products Is just in proportion
to the protection needed to make the
protected industry as proatable as the
unprotected. ..a
So protection, instead Of increasing
the aggregate OF PRODUCTS to be divided
between capital and labor In fact lessons
them; and then who bears the loss
Even IL capital would bear Its share OF
the loss, would not labor be compelled
to bear a share2 But IL capital will not
consent to bear IL, then what "a there TO
bear the loss but labor1
The tariff robber is not content 70 en-
gage in the unprotected industries In
and labor Of the land are employed In,
but desires to engage his capital In an
other industry, andademAnds protection.
And whyp Because he says his industry
would have TO compete with foreign In
| dustries where labor Is cheap. Well, do
not our unprotected industries, which
produce more than two-thirds OF the en-
tire production Of the country. not only
meet this same competition, but meet 1t
handicapped, with the fearful odds
against them Of the cost Of Transporting
their products to foreign countriesr
And are not these odds In favor Of the
protected Industry in Its competition,
for does 1t not meet its foreign rivals
products at homer And hence, have not,
In this competition, the protected indus
tries, without iproection, an advantage
over our unprotected industries equal TO
protection OF 20 per cent?
CHEAP FOREIGN LABOR.
The robber wants protection because
of cheap foreign labor. Ask him, does
not that cheap labor come here annual
| ly nearly million strong2 Yes, he Will
| say; but once here these cheap laborers
will not work as cheap for him 80 In
| foreign countries. Why notP All, why
notp Because they can get better wages
in our unprotected industries, and he
| will be compelled to nay the eeane WaQea