New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-05
HOW TO BECOME BANKRUPT.
ADMISSIONS OF A FREE-TRADE BLUNDER-
-SCHOENHOF SHOWN UP

,,orId not he looking forward to a millennium. But
tho chances are that his wisdom. If applied 10 tne
MANAGEMENT of national affairs wonid result us INC
same wisdom did result when applied 10 the man
ageneut OF mis- private affairs namely III Dirk
rnntcv. With a sheriff in charge of his store and
stock Mr. Jacob Schoenhof proceeded 10 dehouhce
the folly of successful manufacturers, who nave
hnilt mn important industries while offering coca
em,ovment to thousands of Americans. Ihey
oupht TO have known according to Schoenhof, that
they were only harmed by protection because laDor'
though paid more wages per day than III other cou-
tries, is. more efficient and thus is paid less per
piece so that the labor actually costs less here than
elsewhere while protective duties make inc
material more costly Expoundlng tins theory WIN
oil the zeal OF bankrupt revihng the processes ny
which other men get rich he impressed Mr.. Bayard
with the idea chat he inst the man to manufact-
ME political statistics for the Administration, with
especjal reference to tine folly of protectionand he
WAS accord d gy appointed by President Cleveland
Consul to Tunstall, England Theoretically DOUBT
less ne is serving the country IN that capacity
practically he is laborlng to cain living as Vhe
paid advocate of the free trade party. Anxious u
find merit In the book The London Economist says
ofit:" lie adlaces much telling evidence on the III
iurious influence of protection OIL many depart
ments of industry IN the United states bu' MS
bunders in reasoning compel that free journal
TO remark that hero MS hand is not so sure, and
on the whole that his unfailing confidence In MN
self and his airy depreciation of all adverse OPINION
by no means awaken responsive sentiments IN his
readers" In other words, he initiates frolessoI
Simmer What - calls in his preface )" a careful
ANALYSIS of all the organic elements OF production
and distribution turns ont to be piece OF DUN
deriug guess-work. which he expects readers 10 ac-
cept on MS ord without any evidence, againstthe
official returns OF the Census Bureau and the stats-
6 A.rripu ltrrp
figures from mir Atkinson regarding the increasing
productiveness of labor. without the intelligence to
retain the Qualifications which Mr.. Atkinson care
fully adds He quotes largely from Mulhall, whose
f,ndness for guess-wOFk instead of facts has mace
English writers speak of his books as essentially
works of the imagination" And so blundering ana
dull Is Schoenhof that the telling evidence on the
injurious influence of protection" which The Lcono-
mist commends is in fact, when closely examined
remarkably telling evidence on the other SIDE
Thus page 81 he compares samples OF herman
cotton fabrics sent him from one Of the best mills
with thirteen qualities of similar American goods,
and saws: " If anything found our goods purer and
better having more good cotton TO the pound. than
the Ettlin2en goods under comparison" And
listen to the testimony of your own witness, MI
Bavafd-"I found the German to be about 20 per
cent higher than our own cotton goods, as may DC
seen from the list of prices of corresponding Amer
can fabrics" which follow. How is the American
consumer hurt if lie gets better goods Il" with more
good cotton to the pound and at 20 per cent lower
price .han can be had in Germany, where labor is
cheaper than either in France or England Bnt
image l6) the author shows that in Germany I" low
wages and a low standard of living coupled with
excessive hours are drawback: mat over
exertion aud undertaking cripple German indus
try and that this nader-fed, half starved German
labor produced such sad results" that Italians are
employed for the harder work of road-buildng, they
being found stronger. The descendants OF the con-
Querors of Rome, of the giants whose very appear
once made Rome trembe. have become so weakened
through hereditary anemia caused by poor feeding
:. that for work requiring muscular eXeTton, they
= must have recourse TO tho descendants of their
laucent foes who were byword of weakness 70
Ntheir orefathers" Is that good reason for opening
oar doors to more direct competition with such
labor? Wages here, he testhes, page 1S are as
100 10 81 in Great Britain and 27 1-3 in Germany
in the cotton manufacture; as 100 to II in Great
Britain and so inrGermany IN the woOllen manu-
facture; aud as 90 TO 81 IL in Great Britain and
GS IN Germany IN silk manufacture 1t is hardly
necessary TO add that this table is work of the inn
aCiuatiOn; Geuuan silk workers are not twice as
well paid as German cotton workers, III comparison
with American wages. But. because our labor is so
much more effective that its higher wages are
really the cheaper. he would have us put an end to
the protective system which his secured such re-
suits and saved people from undertaking and
over-worl;ing and "anemia,' so that we are not
Obliged 10 hire Italians for muscular strength. IT,
as the result of the protective system, we get
CHEAPER and better goods, why should either con-
sumner or producer laborer or capitalist find fault
Nor has France the advantage, it seems spin
ming mill at Roubaix is taken as the test ana IL IS
stated that " Neither England nor American spin
ners would have vast force at work to turn out
30 small r0duct." As for dyeing, he says. page
% The fact that hundreds of thousands of yards
of foreign dress goods Imported annually in the
gray to be dyed herein American lighthouses shows
that we are pretty well advanced in the arts, as the
coloIs We produce in French cashmeres have to sell
with the best French And yet it is admitted that
9No such force would be required in America as at
Ronbaix for dyeng." but the dyerS here would get
So and 80 for the helpers per week, while at Rou-
bax the thirty dyers get average of % cents per
day, OF So. Is per week. If we pay more, ana can
afford to import the goods in the gray aud dye them
here it Is pretty clear that the duties on raw ma
terias used in dyeing do not hurt much. and that
consumers do not suffer, while the workers are
blessed.
But SAYS this ee-trade boomerang the trouble
Is in the greater cost of woods by of tariff
taxation" page 20. The farmers will be glad to
hear IL; the other freetraders tell them that tho
tariff makes their wool sell at lower prices. 1t
cannot at the same time make wool cheaper and
also dearer, But SchOenhof says page 81 that the
woollen manufacture has been protected unto
death" and on the same page he says, "with all
these byrdens. we making progress, and some Of
our heavy woOllens and coatings may he compared
to the best productions of foreign makers" He had
Just shown that during the past ten years the
manufacture had increased 8 per cent in the num-
Der of hands and 367 per cent in material con-
sumed, and he had cited British Official report to
prove that the American manufacturer I" If he could
get cheap Australian woods would soon be in a
position not only to underscll in his own market all
woollen fabrics of foreign make but to compete