National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-27


TO remove certain barriers to importation
that the excess Of goods In other countries
may be aGded to our own. This is to Sc
cure the fall in prices at which the re-
formers aim. Under our protective system
IT has been found impossible, or nearly so,
to make this country share In the evil Of
their over production, but adopt free trade
and we at once subject ourselves to part
nership in their disasters and folly.
In the third place, the intent OF the bill is
shown by the nature Of the objections urged
against the policy of protection. No free
trade speech or document has been regarded
as complete for long time without the
declaration that the tariff has unduly slim
ulated mechanical industry In this country,
and so enticed immigration hither that our
, laborers have been, and still are, subjected
10 damaging competition with imported
,nariior. The frequency with which this
hg, ,'' ,ance Is urged leaves no doubt OF the
iianloitqnce attached to IL. Its importance
70 ,sV pressing that they who make the OBJ
!Sctloh laif TO see how completely II over
i,IroWs another objection, to the effect that
i ,uDor Is OetIer rewarded in countries which
nave no tnfiu But as they give IL as
serious evil, we MIST suppose the bill is de.
signed TO cure that, evil Indeed. unless
they do cure II the reform will utterly fail.
and the whole burden OF competition from
imT orted labor, whatever Us degree. or in
tepsity, or oppressiveness, wln continue to
grind and dishearten the American lnborer
But so far as examination has extended
only two remedies for the evil have been
proposed. One is the enactment ora law
to prohibit laborers from coming to Ihis
country from other countries, and the other
Is to make their condition so miserable they
Will prefer to stay at home where they were
born. There being no intlmation from any
quarter that the reformers have taken the
l1ulI lNN l., WtstNi oh aVtar
first named remedy makes necessary, II fol-
lows that their reliance is entirely on the
proposed bill.
The well.known character Of the trainers
OF the bill for directness of purpose and for
skill in adapting means to ends leaves no
room to doubt that the plan for stopping
immigration by removing the encourage
ments and entlcements thereto must be an
effective one, and the statesmen who have
conceived IL may be credited in advance for
all the merit II may be supposed to contain.
The world has not been without analogous
CAGES, II confidence can be placed In the
literature of history. There have been men
Of wealth mean enough to keep their fami-
lies on bran bread and Indifferent bacon In
order to protect themselves from super
abundance of guests at table, and there
was once circulated story Of a man who
tried the experiment OF making his barn I'M
comfortable for rats by starting conlagra
ton in the hay-loft; but II was not suspected
these examples were impressive enough to
be the foundation OF a school OF political
economy and to justify the adoption Of the
principle In the statutes OF q civilized ma
ton.
There can be no doubt that immigration
Of laborers will subside when remuneration
for labor falls much below what is accorded
to the labor elsewhere, but 80 long as pay
is little better here and our ports are free
to all the world, foreign labor is sure to
come in.
The tariff reformers assert that the tariff
has been the inducement which has drawn
foreign labor here. They give the foreigner
the compliment of discerning In the tariff
the highest known virtue public measure
is capable Of. The foreigner asks no ques-
ton about our scenery, our titles, our relig-
ion, or our manners, but does labor get good
payp And that answered In the affirmative,
he comes. Prosperity with him is the grand
test and he looks across the water from his
own home, and seeing labor here under
good conditions, he comes In spite OF the
long-winded speeches and documents sent
out to prove that labor best tiourishes UNI
der free trade.
II, then, the tariff reformer finds in the
tariff reward for labor which attracts the
laborer Of Europe and lures him from his
native soil, he finds in II that quality which
labor here is seeking for-good pay; and II
II be desirable to keep foreigners away the
remedy is prohibition, and not depression
Of business which will deprive labor of its
ample rewards.
When the reformers are pressed on the
attractiveness Of the tariff and its power to
augment immigration, they retreat from the
position and claim that foreign working
men are induced to come here by our grand
constitution, our noble system, our just
laws, and the glorious opportunities we
give to men to make their way I'm the
world, not seeing how much more deeply
this involves them IN dilemma, for II i'm
migration has caused competition which
is destructive, then the melting causes must
be removed, and that would oblige us to
abandon the constitution, the just laws,
and the noble system, the same as we are
called upon to abandon the tariff for doing
the same thing. This leaves them In q
situation which entities them 10 profound
consideration and pity. In charging upon
the tariff the evil effect Of drawing hitler
too much competition they ascribe to 1t the
same quality Of magnetism which inheres
In our republican and free institutions, all
Of them being designed to attract and draw
all men who wish to improve their condi-
ton. In denying to the tariff the quality
OF beneflcence, they must admit its influence
is adverse to immigration, that 1t has In
jured labor, and of course has thereby
lessened the allurements to its transfer to
our country, and to the same degree must
have relieved labor Of competition.
Which horn Of the dilemma the reform
ers will finally take may not be known, but
whichever it will be they will soon wish
with the traveller they had taken the other.
That our statesmen and political econo-
mists should fall into such confusion Of
mind as to declare with great vehemence
that the tariff Is serious injury to labor,
and yet that principal objection to 1t is
1t entices laborers to flock under its malar
ious influences, would be incredible were
the lamentable fact not daily exhibited to
our vision. 1t is not supposed possible that
the contradiction is due to dishonesty, but
proceeds from distress In argument, which
causes the reformers to catch at any straw
to save them from sinking. But whatever
1t is, dishonesty orconfuslon, it is not states
manship. RUSH.