Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-09-01
The Republican Protection Swindle.

of low-priced foreign labor, fairly and
Justly distributed so as to protect the
interests Of American wage-workers
without adding to their burdens. -
In other words, they favor the exist
ing tariff, which is the Republican
war tariff modified only by the feeble
and inconsequent work of the Repub-
lican tariff commission three years
ago. 1t is interesting, therefore, to
inquire how that tariff has been "fair-
ly distributed" or rather how its bur-
dens have been fairly distributed,
which is what the platform trainers
probably intended to say and would
have said if they had cared to express
themselves clearly.
That the wage-worker gets his full
share of the burdens of the tariff,
nobody questions. He cannot honest
ly deny that there has been any I'M
fairness toward him in this respect.
Buying, as he is of necessity compell-
ed to do, from hand to mouth, he
pays upon everything he buys the full
retail price, including the full meas
ure of profit which the manufacturer
is enabled to make by reason of the
tariff. The distribution" hits him
every time. The capitalist or man of
means may some times escape his
share of the burden in whole or in
part. He can avail himself of de-
pressions in the market or compulso-
ny sales; and he can secure the dis
count accorded to wholesale purchas-
ers. The wage-worker pays every
time and all the time the full price.
And every time he pays that full
price, if the article purchased comes.
in competition in any way with a for
eign product, he pays from forty to-
sixty or seventy per cent. more than
he would but for the tariff. This is
the "fair distribution" which the Re-
publican platform lauds and promises
to perpetuate.
And this money that the wage
worker pays-this bonus of from for
ty to seventy per CENTS also dis
tributed. But in that distribution
the wage-worker gets no share. 1t is
confined exclusively to the manufac.
turers of the protected articles. That
is what the tariff is for. The en-
hanccment in price of the foreign pro-
duct enables the manufacturer TO en-
nance his price by the addition of for
ty to seventy per cent, and because
the tariff protects him in putting on
this addition it is called protection.
1t is urged, however, that the wage
worker is also protected. The manu-
facturer, it is said, being enabled to
get higher price out of the wage
worker and other consumers, is also
enabled to pay higher wages. So he
is, but does he? Do the wage-workers
know of any manufacturer who says
to his employees, either by word or
deed, "a paternal government has in
creased my profits fifty per cent, and
l propose to make you. sharers with
mep Do they not say, on the con-
trary, 81 will pay you the going
rate of wages?" And is not the Ego
ing rate" regulated, so far as the man
ufacturer is concerned, by the state of
the labor market, so called? When
there is work for one hundred men
and only fifty to be had, the manu-
facturer divides generously the profits
which a protective tariff confers upon
him. But when there is work for but
fifty men and one hundred stand ready
to do it, where then is the manufac-
turer's generosity? Every wage
worker knows that with very rare ex-
ceptions the manufacturers of the
country carry on their business upon
business principles; and that one of
those principles is to buy everything,
labor included, in the cheapest mar
ket. Any manufacturer who should
disregard this principle would find
himself very promptly left in the
lurch.
The wage-worker, therefore, bears
his full share of the tariff burden and
receives mono of its benefits. More
over, it is made impossible, by the
policy for which the Republican par
ty is responsible, that he should re-
ceivo any benefit. While duty is
laid on the products of the "low-pric-
ed foreign labor" and that labor it
self is absolutely free. 1t can come
across the Atlantic at the insignif-
cant cost Of s12 and compete with the
American wage-worker here in his
own country. And the very manu-
facturers who are taxing the wage
worker for imaginary benefits to be
derived by him from keeping out the
products of this low-priced labor, and
who are availing themselves of his
vote to perpetuate the exclusion, COM
pei him 10 compete with this same
low-priced labor at far worse disad-
vantage than he could possibly be at