The Labor enquirer., 1883-03-03
The Tariff Question.

IN the report of last weeks proceed
indtaf Congress it is found that, when
uocbeduIe D" was under >discussion,-s
the same being the tariff on wood,
lumber, timber, and articles manutac-
tured out of wood there was quite
demonstration made by the lumber deal
ers, under the pretense of protecting
labbr, in favor of maintaining tariff on
wood in all its forms. It is found by an
examination Of the present tariff on
wood that it. runs from 20 to6 go per cent
ad valorem :. and from the report OF the
tariff commission that the tariff or duty
collected by the government in the last
wear on wood of various kinds amounted
to 81. $50 9,8Ui.87. Now, here are million
and half of dollars collected as duty
on woods, and if this does not increase
the price of all commodities composed
Of wood 20 per cent, what would the
lumber men want the duty or
tariff on lumber for, thus increasing the
price of all uses made of wood to the
consumer? And when the enormous
amount of home productions in wood is
considered, and also that produced IN
this country, it will be found that the
laborers pay to the producers, by IN
creased price caused by this tariff or
duty, billions of dollars simply to get
one and aihalf millions Of revenue.
This, too, in the face Of the fact that
our timber or wood supply is becoming
fast exhausted and the government is
now Offering premiums to get timber
planted or cultivated and this for no
reason in the world but to enable owners
of timber to reap a fortune out of 1t.
When a proposition is made to reduce
this tariff the lumber bosses rush on
congress to retain the duty and that au-
gust body yields as submi8siveIy as a
whipped Spaniel. Thus we have the
concentrated wisdom Of our law makers
saying to the laborers Of this highly cul-
tivated and enlightened people: 1--WE
will levy tax on the materials which
you must use to shelter yourselves and
families, in order to protect you as la
borers, and then we will tax you to hire
men to produce and raise timber to
reproduce the wood which they
have paid to de8troy.> AS we'll might
YOU assess a tax on Iaborers tojpay them
for digging holes in the ground and tax
them to hire men to fill up the holes
and call it tax to protect labor. The
more you probe the question of a tariff
to protect labor the more absurd it be-
comes.
1t may be said that by reason Of the
tariff more articles are produced III this
country than would be produced without
the tariff, and thus the labor to be per
formed in this country is increased.
That is true, but would it not decrease
the amount Of labor to be performed in
other countries just as much as it in
creases it here? Surely this must be
true. Then the demand for labor would
be increased in this country and de-
creased in foreign countries to the same
extent, and as certain as supply
follows demand the foreign laborer
will come here as surely and quickly as
foreign articles will come when the de-
mand raises the price. The tariff, in
favor of capital prevents the foreign ar
ticle from coming here, but gives perfect
free trade to bring the foreign labor.
If you want to protect American labor,
YOU can only do 50 by shutting out for
eign labor, by a tax like the tax on COM
modiueS. Unless you are prepared to
close our ports to immigration, you can
not protect American labor. The great
law Of supply and demand if left free to
its OWN working, is all that labor needs
or desiFes.-Ithiel in Lafayette Star.