New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-12

ne urNt anu all-nnpoftdnt
in the enactment of tan is the amount of duty to be
imposed on each specific article to raise on the
aggregate of importaon the revenue for the
support of the government and the time guard
the labor Of the country against ruinous competition
with the cheaply paid labor of the world To accom-
plish this result would require such duty rs would
make the article cost the importer IN our market not
less than il costs produce IL i'll this country, without
reducing the price of the labor employed Gil its pro
ducton A law thus adjusted is called a protective
tariff. To do il wisely requires thorough noWiedge
of the relative price Of labor and cost OF production IN
the different countries where the imported article Is
While in most eases ii is somewhat difficult to deter
mine exactly what the duty should be, the Republican
and Democratic parties differ widely as To the idea ana
purpose which ought 10 govern IN attempting l" ascer-
tam it. The prevailing sentiment IN the democratic
marty Is that duties foreign imports should he merely
to raise revenue Under that idea the larger the m
portations the larger would toe the revenue ana II tho
rate of duty was low then the amount OF unputauons
enue. The prevailing sentiment in the Republican
party s that while imposing duties for necessary rev
enue thew should be adjusted to every article. II
possible to enable the labor of this country to pro
duce most if not all of them. And if costs more to
produce q specific article in tins country ny
reason of higher scale of wages, then ia" duty ON
that snecfc article should be such ms TO mako II cost
the Same price in market as the home product eo7l =
matter whether such duty enhances the cost To the
consumer or not the object being to prevent r'duc
ton i'm the wages of labor while dcS clipping the ma
tctia resources of the country.
UNFOLDING THE DIGNITY or tADOn.
Shall chcnpncss to the consumer in his purchase Of
the products of labor bc weighed against the comfort of
the homc aud the happiness of the c.dc of the labor
cr who produces them
The nn4t hnncnil oi nl the influences which load Ia
National decay Ia policy which degrade or impoyc
rishcs labor The wealth of % country consists not In
the sum. ormoucy pad into It, treasury nor docs its
real strength consist In fleets aud arnc', but m the
manly sririt of an independent ycomnny and the In
comfort aud happiness of its hhoing
classes Nation IA hcing constantly Weakened I'm nll
that constitutes national greatness aud pnwcr
n ita wealth increases only hy tho mpoVciish
mcnt of ita labor That country h rIciost and
must glorious ~ which there are the Hrcuctt
number of hnppv hrrs1cs aud ~ mako the
Atpsido hapi II must first be made comfortable. II
an article can hc furnished to The consumer choaply
only Gy reducing lac wngcR of the lnburcr who pro
lucos II u the same rate paid his competitor IN other
lands whore ponury sitH nj ha Hrcsido aud Hotowing
want surrounds hs death bed, then ChCnpncvH a not
desirable object Hence comes the nccosHily ior whit
h called protection to American labor Ia discriminating
dutioa on foreign impuria
In tic wo,l1n history God has dccrccd that organ.
ICED wong IN national ciimcs "hall hc punished IN M
tionhl disnstcr- II the rulers or law mnkcin of u
people fail to profit by such crons, then IN The proti
drnocp OF God, rhhfoah like, they must he taught by
mutpled woes, The grcatcst crime of nations against
humanity II human bondage; aud the neat In maeni-
tude l. policy that degradcs mpoNcri,he- labor.
The woes of Ireland will have no end, and Great
Britain no lasting domestic peace 10 long as her
ownership in the land they till nation whose policy
excludes the culyator of the soil and his children for
ever from it, Ownership-a modified form of fcudal
vassaages sowing the seeds of dscord and sure ma
uonal decay.
WAGES AND THE TARIFF.
Law cannot, it is true, fix directly the wages Of
labor that in all must be arranged between the
employer and the employed. 1t is impossible, how
ever in any business for the employer to pay to the
laborcr employed in il the full amount than the
articles produced will sell for in market But lcgsla
ton can fix policies affecting directly industries and
their prosecution and development, and thus indirectly
affect the price paid TO labor engaged in such indus
tries. The enactment of tariff laws is such legislation
The power conferred Congress by the Constitution
TO lag and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excfe'
and to provide for the common defence and gen IS
welfare Of the United States.' clothes Congress
fall discretion while collecting nee, ss'ry revenue TO 50
adjust the law best Ia promote the general welfare
Ii is often reasoned and most writers on political
economy have tkcn the position that matter what
the pay of the aboIcr may he, il is just wc for him
provided everything he buys is graded relatively To the
price he receives for his DAYS work. That is if be-
ccycs 30 cents per day, il is Just well for hun il the
lac received - per day That might he true if his only
object in life i bare Subsistence aud he is never 10
emulate anything from his earnings. But if he is to
save ANYTHING then the larger the price he i paid for
his labor even though everything else be- in proportions
the greater the opportunity for saving Say he can by
proper economy save orcteuth of his wages If he Is
ltli II Il NtA then MS savings Nhuih ~ ten 'fu'S,
if he is paid 80 cents day they would be i've cents
In il takes ten days 90 save dollar in the
other it takes twenty Just twice "a, long. The dollar
saved in either is accumulated capital If put IN
savings bank or any other place interest the III
tcreSt is much dollar The earnings of capital
are certain per cent on the dodr The income ON his
savings for the same length If time would therefore be
twice as much wcce be receiving 81 per day as it
would be If hc received 20 cents though he pays twice
a, much for everything he buys ii' one dollar of sn-
plns capital would earn twice much under any cir
cumstances IT, 30 cents would earn
THE ACCUMCIATON or CAPITAL
The political economy which reasons that is just
well for the lahorcr 10 work At price another.
provided the price of everything he buys exactly in
proportion to hs wages was written for and is adapted
only to countries where man ia born 70 rank end con-
ditions in rr and where there are no hg ways load
ing from the hut and the howell to honorable Il tine
tion
Capital is but the surplus earnings of labor saved in
the frat place hy economy ia expenditures. Some of
the most successful capitalists oi our country began hic
as hired ahocrs and the day of their whole lives Of
greatest soli cun-c iuus pride when their frat it'll"
Hayiugt Amounted too thousand dollars. All things
being equal ihc greater the daily woe's ~ thc hhoicr
the moro tn-ily ho accumulate capital, which W but
thc suiIlut saved from earning over and above the
cot of living II h with tlu. capital thus saved that
he 10 td better his own condition and IN co.'prutiun
with nthcte mptovc the suttuundngs oi hi4 children
uoMr rnopuc IoN 20 SUPPLY uuNr wANrs.
bul admitting that all duties collected are finally
paid by the consumer la enhanced price or the
article. upon which they are imposed. aud admitting
TINT the labor which produced the articles In other
countries Ia paid lcss wage, than Ia pad for like en-
Payment In this ia II wise stltcsnanship Ia continue
the collection of the revenue necessary for tho Goxrn-
Icnt from duties on foreign mpora lfhy continuing
The system the articles prod iced manufactured in
other countries would thereby bc produced ar manu-
iicucd IN our own aud the tendency u such policy
La. "a tta mid la,
from hciug reduced to the lower rnca paid In other
couutrica, then atacHmnnshp can have higher
dom and patriotism no uohlor object
Full employment NJ far wage, of the whole labor Of
country gives o. II itA grcatcrt prosperity and adds
most 90 the national wealth By producing ~ home
the commodities which people consume the profit OF
the production aud the profit Ia each aud every cx-
change of them In the course of trade Is retained In
the country and the aggregate makes the wealth Of tho