The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-10-04
EXTRACT FROM THE
SDeeClOf Col. C.S. Cameron
Prosecuting Attorney OF Chicago,
Delivered ii Cresco, Iowa.
SEPTEMBER 20, 1883.


A tariff IL tax laid OH commodity, tho
'mportatinn OF which IL sought ts be en-
eludeu froin ths hsnnt-y' The rbjhft Of
this tax II To exclude commodities % for
etpn production from competition IN sac
with like commodities produced by our
here. Tho reason assigned
for this tax " that such commodities can be
inade much thcaperbs til. foreign producer
than they can be manufactured here. Ne
effect is to allow the home market 10 fix the
price OF the goods offered for sale without
reference to the value vt such products In
the open markets 1T thu world and hence
create = higher price for such rrottsctea
commodities III the home market Under
the operation of this tariff tax the duties
laid upon foreign commodity sought to be
introduced into the country has the effect
To increase the price of like commodities
produced here to thu extent of the tax i'm
posed For instance, the duty laid on pig
iron In =, per ton. We imported during the
year ending June, lSs.. tUatU0 tons oil pig
iron, upon which the duties amounted 10
$,.oo,oM But we produced here the same
year. and made into pig iron, j. ~ 200 tons,
and this tax Of 3, per ton had the effect to
increase the Price OF this home production
to the amo mt of sai,!An, 600, which the con
sumers mad TO pay the producers Now, the
tax laid on the imported commodity don
object To. because the ~, IN, 100 thus col
lected went INTO the United States Treasury,
but the artificial price Of S25,.0a,too thus
placed upon the home production, which
was paid NY the consumers and went right
directly into the pockets Of the lrivate man
nfacturcrs, do object To. l admit the right
oil Congre - to Tx citizens for the purpose
OF carr wing on the Government, but deny
the lawful authority of Congress to tax one
portion ot our fellow citizens for the sole
benefit Of another portion of our fellow
citizens
Irotectionists tell us that unless this tax
was laid on our home pro iuct and was not
paid by the consumer To the private mann-
tacturer the pig-iron would not be made
here ut al 10 this TO not agree. think
1t would he made here, and Just a much Of
and without prote ton, we made and
shipped pig iron to England, which we have
never done under protection. Now suppose
we purchase ali our pig-iron abroad Our
present home production of 3, ,W,On tons
and our importation of 60, % The S.
ton tax we would thus save, would amount
on so 100 tons to sa5.ho,Nn Az against
this the wages aid for producing the pig
iron would be Sia,G00O,u Interest on the
car ital invested, sloa.,oo, QUO would be So
so1,tOn Adding these two last items makes
a total Of s2i,lOo.sp, which our iron makers
would require to reimburse them their
present income. Now deduct this So, 100
On from the Ss5,.NN,0QO excess or tax which
we now pay for having the pig iron made i'll
this country, and there remains 1000,
which In exactly the sum American con
sumcrs Of pig iron would save, ii they paid
full Wages to the wurkmen, and 10 per cent
profits on the capital engaged in the pro.
duction of pig-iron, and hired them all TO
lie lille while we bought iron in a free
market,
rratectionists tell us of the amazing
grow tn of the industries which this system
Of taxation has built up because all tina. Is
visible But they do not tel, and they are
unable to tell, what the money which has
thus been taken from the consumer by this
tax, would have done, ii it had been left TO
gcrminate and fructfv in their hands.
Now l would like u know why. IL free
trade is a good thing between Iowa and
Kentucky, is it not also good thing be-
tween New York and Canada. Aud inyerseiy,
why, il protection is a good thing in itself,
would il not be well tor Iowa To fence in
her new and infant industries and her
better paid labor against the oyerwhelmn-
ing competition, and the larger capitals and
cheaper labor of Pennsylvania anu Massa
chusetts A man In Iowa only trades with
a man In kentucky when he can make a
roft in doing SO Would he trade with a
man in Canada unless he would also make
a profit And il he would make n profit ny
trading with the Canadian, what right has
the Government tn step in and say you
SHdii III H. White iSN Nou buN SouA
whisky and tobac from tine kentuck khan,
because YOU en- buy these articles cheaper
from him than YOU can in Canada or
make them In Iowa Yet when
you 10 to buy your lumber and barley in
Canada will put a tax on that trade VIII CHI
viii lrng the Canadian price OF lumber and
barley up above the Iowa price, and compel
YOU to buy your lumber and barley also In
Iowa or Michigan. This Is the operat ON of
the tariff. would also he glad To have any
man explain where the Government gets the
right t. do it. and when, where, and Mt what
tine, and how much YOU get back as com
pensat on for the loss yon sustain in not be-
ing permitted To buy your lumber and bar
ley where YOU could buy them the cheapest.
And want this explanation to he consist
ent With that clause I'm our constitution
which secures perfect tree trade between
the States Ii must lie an answer which
Will not imply that the people in Iowa Won d
also lie better on than they are now ii they
we're nj liberty To protect their iron and
steel manufacturers and coal mines against
PENNSYLVANIA. and your whisky and tobacco
against Kentucky. 1t must show why pro-
lection Tor the United states against Canada
good for trade, nut protection Tor Iowa
aga INST PENNSYLVANIA is bad Tor trade,
would also like 10 know why you protect the
commodity only and give free admission t.
the foreign laborer. whose competition low
| crs the wages OF laborcrs already here, Tn.
| manufacturer is interested in the price al
the commodity, and therefore that Is pro-
| tected But the workingmen only are inter
ested in the rate OF wages therefore that il
| left open To he reduced by the compett on
OF ssutA immigrants every year Ii the
| workingmen influenced legislation III tn.
same degree that their employers
\ do, don't YOU think there would be Il pro
| tect W tariff imposed ON the importation oi
! foreign laborers as we'll on the foreign
commoditys l think there would The
tact is protection Is private grab one
man comes up and SAYS, Il can conduct my
business only at a loss to myself OF Ii pei
cent | want the public taxed To make VI
4 that loss Another says my business vii
pay within - per cent, tax somebody FOL
| me, or will shut down. II is an attemp'
4 To make the people bear the losses incident
| TO the management OF a private business
in which only the pronrietors Of that bust
ness share the profits
4 Many persons are carried away with tn,
mistaken dea that protection makes higl
wares for the working -people-and protec
tionists tell MS that the tariff not only in
Sreas,s the rate of wages paid to the In
horer but it also, nj the same time, de
creases the price of the commodity pro
duced by that labor
Ii the first part of these statements ar,
true, why ire wages higher in free-trad
Belgium than In protective France VII.
il the rate of wages lower in protective
Germany than in free trade Eng and
lower in Russia and Austro- Hungary by two
thirds than in Great Britain, and in tn
most II elective countri in the world
China and Japan--from the chief portion
of which foreigners and their goods ar
virtually exchanged the wages of la
hor are lower than anywhere else in TIL
world
Why are rates of wages in our own coun
try, different al different places In the In
terror Of New Jersey, for instance. mt
chanics and artisans get only half what tn
SANE class OF worknfen command only fit
miles away in New York Don't they &C
the b.neht of the tariff i'm New Jerse.
And why. ii the higher wages are AWAY
the more attractive. don't the mechanics {
the interior villages instead If working I
SIS day 20 INTO the cities and get So
per day.
: There must be something wrong about I'll
wages argument else il would not be col
traaictea by SO many well ascertalne
iacfs Wages are high Ia Amtri n, not ID,