Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-26
Mills bill, threatens these with diaster,

To go into detailed statistics upon all
these questions demands more time than
would be permissible for me to consume
this evening, but l shall endeavor to de.
vote enough time to each of them to
show that these claims of the healthy old
infants who demand that they be fur
nished with rich pap at the expense of
the great mass of the people are without
foundation in fact.
On principle and with the aid of a few
facts think can show you they are not
true, and without going into the weari-
some and varied detail OF figures which
demonstrate their untruth. These de-
tails, if you have the will and the time
to examine them, and you should have
the will and should take the time-you
will find abundantly furnished in the
articles now being freely disseminated
throughout the country.
First, then, say this alleged and mis-
named protection policy is not American.
The fundamental idea for which the pa
triots of '76 fought, which is embodied
in the Declaration of Independence, to
secure which our constitution was framed
and amended, was freedom-1reedom as
secured and maintained by the legiti-
mate administration of the functions de-
volved by our constitution upon our Gov
ernment within the bounds thus es-
tablished, freedom to speak, think and
act, to 60 where and when we please, to
choose our own occupations, to receive,
hold and enjoy the results of our labor,
to buy and sell what and where and to
and from whom we please. As it is we'll
summed up by the eloquent statesman at
present the chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee of the House of Re-
presentatives: Freedom from re-
straint in working and marketing
the products of our toll, except
such as may be necessary in the
interest of the Government. Freedom
from all unnecessary burdens, freedom
from all exactions upon the citizen ex-
cept such as may be necessary to support
an honest, efficient and economical ad-
ministration of the Government that
guarantees him protection to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness Freedom
from all taxes except thst which is levied
for the support of the Government, free
dom from taxation levied for the pur-
pese of enriching favored classes by the
spoilation and plunder of the people
freedom from all systems of taxation that
do not fall with equal and exact justice
upon all-that do raise the revenue of
Government in the way that is least
burdensome to the people and with the
least possible disturbance to their bust
ness. That is the American policy, the
policy that says to the American citizen,
you shall be punished, you shall pay a
fine, you shall give up for the benefit of
the capitalist, irrespective of the needs
of your Government, portion of your
daily wage if you exercise the American
citizens freedom to buy what and where
is to your personal advantage, is un-
American and destructive of the free
dom of which we boast. Is not the
second part of this assertion, namely,
that protection prevails in almost all
civilized countries, and thus establishes
the wisdom of the policy somewhat in
consistent with the first part. 1t cannot
be distinctively American if it is almost
universally prevalent; but passing this,
what force does the argument possess?
All these same countries possess the
luxuries OF Emperors, Kings and Princes.
whose demands for the maintenance OF
their pomp and grandeur are unlimited,
have no set standard by which they can
be measured, but must be responded to
by the people over whom they reign by
taxes with as varying and unlimited
standard as the demands. But shall we,
because so many countries are thus
blessed ,overturn our constitution and gov
ernment, import or create for ourselves
Emperors, Kings and Princes, and to
support and maintain the twin blessing
of protective tariff of high taxes.
Now, as to the second assertion. Do
high taxes, does so-called protective
tariff upon needed imports, upon the
raw materials for manufacture, tend to
support or secure higher wages to the
worker? This is the great claim-the
great argument advanced by the Repub-
lican party in support of this so-called
protective tariff, which does not protect
but burdens. With the swelling throat
and trembling finger of the demagogue
who is hunting an office, they point with
pride to the fact that, generally speaking,
the daily wages of the American laborer
are higher than those paid to any
European country. True; but what
has that to do with the
high and unlimited tariff? How
does the imposition of a burden upon
him, the filching from him of portion
of his daily wage, contribute to maintain
or inrease those wages? Does the cap
italist who for his own benefit and profit,
carries on the manufacture in which the
mechanic labors, or who owns the mine
in which the workman tolls, say to him !:
"My profits for my manufactury or my
mine, owing to the prices which a high
tariff enables me to charge for its pro-
ducts, have this year largely increased.
1 have had large gains, both present and
prospective, and therefore 1 will add to
your wages, 81, ten cents or one cent 2"
You all know that neither
the manufacturer or miner, or
any other class Of employer does
anything of the kind. That always his
first inquiry when he embarks in an en-
terprise, is what is to be the cost of the
labor he must necessarily employ, how
little he can get along with, and how
cheap, and where cheapest he can buy
that labor. High tariff, or for that mat
ter, low tariff, does not regulate wages.
Wages are the main regulated like the
price of other commodities in this world,
by the law Of supply and demand, and
the productive capacity of the laborer. If
there be but one employer, with weeks
work to be performed, and there are
twenty needy applicants for it, what will
be the necessary result They will under
bid each other and the days pay will
be decreased. He who will accept the
least pay will secure the work. But if
there hp half a dozan am mplovoro ubo