Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-29
THE TARIFF.
Protection Only Protects Capt.
tai.


EDITORS HERALD: Suppose we ana
lyze the condition of the lumber in
dustry and see who it protects. The
lumber companies of California, Ore
gon and Washington Territory have so
combined as to put the price OF lum-
Der almost beyond the reach of the
people of Southern California ;.yetit is
one of the boasts of this coast that it
can furnish the world with lumber.
There is a vast amount OF timber north
of the international boundary; but the
tariff in measure prohibits it's use
here, and the prohibition Of English
vessels in our coasting trade efectu-
ally prevents English lumber from
coming here. Now the lumber barons
of the Puget Sound region
are raising a great howl and cry
lest the duty will be removed
and Canadian lumber be admitted to
us free. They pretend it will close
some of the mills at Puget Sound and
throw the poor mill hands out OF en-
ployment. Let us see who it is that
this tariff really benefits. 1t gives the
lumber companies a chance to tax the
whole population OF this coast, while
nothing prevents the Canadians from
coming over from British Columbia to
work in the mills of the United States,
thus competing with American labor.
Does that protect our own country
men? The removal of the tariff and
free ships would have wonderful ef-
feet in reviving the building interests
of Southern California We can all
see that the present high price of
building material is hindrance to
the growth and development OF this
region: yet no one questions-not
even the men who hurrah for Mr..
Blaine - but that lumber can
be laid down much cheaper
than present prices, and yet leave a
large margin of profit. If the tariff
were removed and English ships per-
mitted to compete in our coasting
trade, not many months would pass
till British Columbia would lay down
lumber at San Pedro for one-half the
present prices and break up the pres
ent monopoly Of lumber in California.
Now, which is really for the benefit of
California-to strangle the develop
ment and building industry here with
high priced material, to simply en-
rich the lumber companies of Puget
Sound, or let competition Of the
Englishmen give the people cheap
lumber? In either case, whether the
lumber is sawed in Washington Terri
tory or in British Columbia, the Cana
dams largely do the work of the mills,
and there is no protection to American
labor. AS it is now the lumber kings
own their forests up North, their mills
on Puget Sound, the vessels to ship
the lumber in and their yards here,
and there is no way for English
dealers to get through the wall of
which Congress has created. The
tariff on lumber and the prohibition
of English ships in our coast trade are
part of the same scheme for Great
ing monopolies. Even the most ra-
bid protectionists deplore, in faint
way, the decline of American ship
building since the Inauguration OF the
high tariff; but they are not willing
to apply the proper remedy to remove
the curse. Consider for a moment
what the Republican remedy in Con-
gress would be. 1t would give SUBJ
,sidy to some company to
build ships to carry our products
to other parts of the world,
and bring their products to us. What
a savory scheme that would be in
deed-to tax sixty millions of people
in order to give a monopoly to some
shipbuilding company. 1t is on par
with the land grant, railroad subsidy
and various other monopolies that
have burdened the country, and is
worthy of the fraud and robbery that
has characterized the Republican
rule in the past. 1t is worthy ex-
ample of the last days of Republican
craftsmanship. 1t looks as though
the name of that party had become a
synonym for public robbery and trick
cry. They are willing to reduce the
surplus in any way that will give it to
some monopoly or privileged class.
The fact that protectionists are
flooding the country with protection
literature shows that they ale alarmed
lest the people next November
will require them to take
their fingers out of the pockets of the
American people. Such a ridiculous
scheme for reviving ship building and
the carrying trade shows to what des-
perate expedients the protectionists
can resort.
These barefaced schemes of plum
der are so braen that Mr.. Blaine
must be getting ashamed Of his asso-
ciates. No doubt his Florence letter
was the result OF his penetration into
the future. He foresaw that there
would be an astounding increase in
the crop of mugwumps; that those OF
four years ago were only the advance
picket guard, but that the army OF
mugwumps or free traders will begin
to heave in sight this year.
When l advocated free trade among
my friends ten years ago it was con-
sidered at most a crime to mention
it; but even the Republican farmers
of the West now begin to think
that protection is not what it seems
to them. Mr.. Blaine's personal OBJ
servation in Europe has probably
shown him that the only free trade
nation there is the most prosperous
nation in Europe. 1t is matter oi
fact that since the partial establish.
ment of free trade in England forty
two years ago, her manufactures have
increased almost beyond comparison
I remember, when travelling through
England a few years since, to have
seen large, fourishing cities tha
we're only villages forty years ago
now manufacturing towns that coult
only have been built up by free trade
I saw old men and women who tolt
me that wages were much higher nov
than when they were young and tina
their wages brought them many
more comforts than their wages
d;d ,,ndar the davs of nrotect,Or