The state chronicle., 1888-10-19

the manufacturer only claims the duty 70
the sake of his workingman, and as tn
workman has already been paid for max
ing the ton of rails he could afford to sci
the people ton for the same price, or a
most, just enough more duty to exclude
his foreign competitor The rails woulo
then cost the people *24 rs. whereas the,
now cost $31 so
Again, let me illustrate with pig iron
The price of American pig g-iron for the las
| several months has averaged about $40 50
| the labor cost in that ton was 81 As whict
compensates the American workman fol
his higher labor. The price Of ton O
Scotch pig within the same period ha:
averaged about f11.25 laid down in New
York, making difference between the
foreign and domestic pig 50. Al with the
difference in labor already equalized
Then comes the duty of $6.72 on the
Scotch pig which brings it up to ss17, 81.
| This shows that the American maker
minus $1.2S, or $5.44 Now suppose, as
with the steel rails, that we pay the work
man his $2.46 from the Treasury for max
ing The ton Of pig-iron and repeal the
duty, the people would make s. "A on
on every ton that they consumed. And
! if they tell us the truth that they ask for
a tariff on pig-iron solely or mainly to en-
| able them to pay these higher wages to
! their workmen, of course our manufac-
turers could compete successfully with the
British. But | fancy that they prefer to
| hold on to that S3.44, which they say they
! collect as trustees for their Workmen. In
! short, after the manufacturer is compen-
@ated for the high wages he is obliged to
! pay the tariff then becomes sim
! ply question as to how much the public
| will tn civ him
! The question OF American labor and its
! protection is then absolutely disposed of
! beyond that the tax is simple and unmit-
! igated plunder.
/ The failcies which cluster about this
| question OF labor are numerous. They
are SO absurd that | doubt if there be an
! intelligent and impartial thinker in the
world who believes them. 1t is an entire
error in the first place to assume that
! tariffs were ever intended in former times,
when our fathers instituted customs du
ties. to increase wages High wages were
here first. as they always are in neH aud
sparsely settled countries, and when ,n;ln
ufactures were beginning with Us they
asked for tariffs to enable them to com
pete with foreign manufactures because
wages were so much higher in this coun-
try than IN the Old World, not to make
them so. Recognizing the reasoiablesness
of this request, moderate duties We're
placed by the legislators of that day upon
nearly all European products for the pur
pose of raising revenue and to afford in
cideutal protection to our young manu-
facturers
There were those then and for many
years afterwards who regarded this AS a
dangerous precedent, and who predicted
that the infants would never be satisfied
! with the small aid afforded them in their
struggling days but would acquire from
time to time the wealth and power which
would enable them to increase taxation
IL their benefit t. an extent ruinous to
consumers and the general pubi". H nry
Clay. who was the illustrious friend OF
these infant manufactures, met these
charges by positive denial. In his letter
to 5. F. Bronson, Of Georgia, in Septem-
Der. 1913, he said:
The sum and substance of what | con
, ceive 10 bc the true policy of the United
States in respect to a tariff may be briefly
stated. In conformity with the principle
announced in the compromise act, think
that whatever revenue is necessary to an
economical and honest administration of
the General Government ought to be de-
rived from duties imposed on foreign i'm
ports And l believe that i'll establishing
ton ought to be made as will Incl ientally
afford reasonable protection to our nation
al interests. | think there is no danger
of high tariff being ever established;
that of 1923 was eminently deserving that
denomination. | was not in Congress
when it passed. and did not vote for it;
but with Its history and with the crcum
stances which gave it birth | am we'll
quainted. They were highly discredi;abe
to American legislation, and l hope. for
its honor, will never be repeated.
my opinion that there is no danger here
after of a high tariff is founded on the
gratifying fact our manufactures have
now taken deep root. In their infancy
they needed greater measure of protec-
ton; but as they grow and advance they
acquire strength and stability, and conse
quently will require less protection Even
now some branches of them are able to
maintain in distant markets successful
competition with rival foreign manufac-
lures"
Yet the tariff Of 1928, which he says was
''hishly dscreditable to American legisla-
ton" was only 80 per cent, whilst our
tariff is II per cent
There can be no doubt, if he spoke his
honest sentiments. but that if he were
alive to day he would bitterly oppose this
substitute Of A. Finance Committee, and
d.nounce it with all the force of his i'm
petnOus eloGueEce. Bat he was mistaken
| when ne supposed that our manufactures
having taken deep root would be satisfied
and there was no longer danger of high
tariffs becoming the rule in this country
still his hOnored name is to this day in
yol<ed in behalf of every tariff steal which
is laid upon he American people
To attribute our prosperity as a people
and the maIuieiiance of the wages of labor
to the f.ctthat we have imposed heavy
| taxes upon ourselves, is a statement utter
! ~ destitute of truth or logic. Not only
| common sense, but the history of the
world refutes it. 1t is fact we'll known
| that in Europe, whose civilization being
| similar to our own is country to which
we always look for comparison and prece-
dent, the rate of wages is found to be in
the inverse ratio to the amount Of tariff
taxes. Russia, which is the most highly
| protected country of Europe pays the very
| lowest wages in her industries
Through Austria, Italy, Germany, Bel
| GUM, and France you will find a gradual
ly reducing tariff to be accompanied by Il
gradually increasing wage rate, until Eng
land is reached There you find no pro
tective tariff at all and you find the high
est rate of wages in Europe, equaling in
some of their industries the wages paid
our own people. 1t is therefore sheer non
sense or worse on the part of those who
| lyp0uy t0 il n no n M