The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-02-28
TARIFFS RoBBKRR.
ooNrINuRp TRolL rHR TIRsr pAaE.

H
Of the productsof his labor would be too
large to suit his purpose; he could not,
In few years time, amass the wealth
of a CrOesus or a Rothschild. Utterly
unable to raise wages In foreign count
ries, his only recourse IL to invent some
plan like his tariff robbery, to overcome
the obstacle OF we'll paid American la
Dor. Hence he wants protection; not
because without protection wages
here are not high enough, but
because wages are too high; because the
American laborer Is too well paid for
his labOrl This Is the true reason, and
only reason. He may talk long and loud
about foreign "pauper" labor; but In an
unRuarded moment, In spite OF him,
will come the confession that we'll paid
American labor, and not foreign pauper
3 labor, IL the obstacle that prevents him
from CARRYING on his Industry without
protection; that In his dustry his prof
tts will be- too small IL he has to pay the
large wages received by American la
boVers; In fine. that he wants protection,
not against foreign .PanPer labor, but
American labOrI II American wages
were low enough would the tariff rob
Der need DrotecttOnp Would he then
want protection? What lRbOrer can be-
heve, after the experience Of the past,
that capital really desires to increase
the wagesOf laborers? No, the robber
wants protection, not because Wagea are
too low here, but simply because wages
here are not low enough to suit his pur-
pose. He wants II to overcome the OBJ
stacle Of high wages. In fine, he wants
tt TO reduce wages; and he aecompltshes
his object effectaRlly, as the experience
OF the past few years show. And how?
Why, this protection must come from
somewhere, and be something tangible.
Mind ont kal b mil 81 Az. 30
be value, produced by the sweat Of the
brow and waste OF muscle; In other
words, the product Of labor, and 1t must
come from the labor OF the other or un-
protected industTies, because there iS
none other to produce II, and we have
not vet the OmnipOtent power to create.
It, From the unprotected industries 1t
must come some way, directly OF indi-
feetly, and hence, whatever the protect
ed Industries gain, the unprotected
must lose, and The loss must be borne
either by the capital or labor In the un-
protected industries, or by both. Now
who can doubt upon whom, astbetW cen
capital and labor, the loss will fail?
Certainly the loss will fall upon labor
and labor's share less In the unpr0tect-
ed industries, and this being accom-
plished, the protection rObber, who has
never been known to pay more wages
In his protected industry than are paid
in the unprotected Industries, cOOlly re-
duess the laD0rer's share In his indus
try to the same level, as he knows we'll
his labOrers cannot get more elsewhere;
and 30 protection reduces the wages in
all tndustries,' and In the wake Of the
reduced wages milhonAireS spring up
like mushrooms on showerlng.spring
day. 9l4 ~. lD tl7
70 illustrate this, suppose ali the cap
1Ial and labor OF an Island were eIl-
ployed In, say, ten Industries, each pro-
dQelng different line of products, and
that they pooled their products, made q
common pot OF them, and then divided
the aggregate among all, SO that each
would receive q share OF the products Of
each industry. Suppose, further, that
each industryprodueeda an equal amount
IN value. say 81, 10000, the whole pot
would be $4,000. and each industry
would draw out for Its share, though
consisting OF the products Of all the In
dustries the amount OF 1890. e, ttr' I
how AND WHOM PROTECTION RoBs.
Now, suppose HVe Of these Industries
in some way get protection, say 100
per cents worth, and the other five have
duee the amount Of 1920, the whole pot
is again $4,000 The Ave protected ones
would have before protection put In and
drawn out Of the pot the amount Of So
600, and so would the other five. But
protection Of 100 per cent having inter
Venad, the products Of the protected In
dustries are tnfiAted In value 100 per
cent. and put In the pot as Of the value
OF $4,000, while the products of the
i've uDproducted ones are as before, put
In the pot as Of the value Of 5000.
Now, while in fact the real value Of the
pot Is only $4,000, yet lts ostensible
value Is now SIS, 900. and the protected
Industries having put In $4,000, and
the unprotected only 5000, the former
would now be entitled 90 atwo-thirds
and the latter TO O1e-third OF the pot.
Now what Is the resUElt2 Ostensibly pro-
duetiOn has increased from $4,000 TO
$4,000, OF so cent, yet In reality Il has
not increased 4 cent. sOstenHibly the
protected and unprotected industries
each draw from the pot Just what they
putin but In reality they do not. They
real value Of the pot being only a12, 600
the protected industries getting two
thirds, draw out in Feal,Yalue $1,000. or
$4,000 more than the real value Of the
products they put In, while the unpro-
tected industrjt 8, getting only one-third,
draw out in real value only $1,000, or
$1,000 less than the real vaiue they put
In the pot, and are OF course last robbed
literally robbed, Of one.thifd OF their
products by the protected Industries,
-
divide between their capital and labor.
Now who bears this loss sustained by
the unprotected industriesT Even II
capital bears Its pEOportiOnate share,
labor Will lose one third OF Its former
share OF It's products. But will capital
do so7 It may do 80 at first, as the os-
tensible or nominal yRlue Of It's share Is
the same as before. 1t may not at once
realize the loss OF one-third its share,
but 1t will soon feel the pressure Of les-
aened resourceB, ana from necessity,
gradually, but irreslstably as fate, re.
auce labOr's share until labor bears the
whole loss, the terrible loss OF twO-thirda \
lts former share. II may take years to
accomplish this, bnt las sure as fate,
sooner or later, It will be accomplished.
And while this is being done By capital
In the unprotected industries, the capt.
tai the protected industries Will keep
even step with, and even march ahead
of, the former In the work Of reducing
labOr's share, and In the end the result
will be that labor In the protected In
dustGiee will also snffer q, loss Of two
thirds its former share. and the whole
robbery be absorbed by the capital In.
protected industries - +. -
PRODUCTION AND OyRRPRODUCTIONl Z.