Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-09-20
THE TARlFF ISSUE.
Prof. ELY Presents the Qaestien La . Way
That Can't BE zIisuaaersteod.

The TAHIFf ISSUE.
Prof. Ely Presehts the Oaestien La . Way
That Can't Be Nisuadersteed.
It would be hard 30 Cad o clearer
and palmer presentation e9 tAe tariff
issue as it stands teea1ey before tAe
people OF the United States thaa that
made by Prof. r. 7. Ely, RA- D., in his
book, "Rnoblems OF Io-day-" sAnent
the protection-against- paupaf labor
argument. he says: vz6si a1s are bst
'.About 1910 we can find the watch
word, Protection to American labor
against cheap labor taking the place
of the former rallying cry. Profession
to our infant industries No doubt
for party, purposes it Uas ga ilamshse
improvement
1T proceeded upon the hypothesis
that She American employer must pay
more than his European competitor for
labor, and that the difference must be
made up to oim by tax on foreign
competitors: some indeed with a nice
air of accuracy, claiming it as scien-
tifc principle that duties should be
precisely such in every instance as to
equal the difference in cost of labor.
It is assumed that if duties fall Ameri-
can labor must also fall 10 price and.
like European labor, become pauper
labor. 9
s.One manifest superiority in this
new plea is thaG it does not advocate
duties as something temporary, but as
something to endure as long as Ameri-
can labor is dear and foreign labor is
cheap
0 Another is the benevolence wrapped
up in it, and not merely benevolence.
It is benevolence OF d superior and
sacrifice On the part OF him who. exer-
cises it, as when [ wear an old coat
that may help educate the orphan
child of an old friend. Not so the be-
nevolence of the protective tariff, for
it is warranted never to take a penny
from the pockets of its most devoted
adherents. They may live in palaces,
eat the choicest cuts of roast beef,
drink champagne. and be merry while
their bank accounts swell! Have
they not doae their part? Are they
not the representatives of protection to
American labor?
"But is American labor after all pro-
tected?
ssLet us at once go to the heart of
things.
Eff have any thing to sell, it is cone
ceivable that l may be helped in two
ways by government. 10 say that J
want TO sell thing means simply that
4 want to get something else for it.. y
sell that / may buy. Money simply
comes in as a medium. A farmer sells
corn for money, and with the money
buys shoes. Corn is really exchanged for
shoes, and money is used as medium
merely TO facilitate exchange. Now,
if government IN some way can in
crease the supply of these things which
wish TO buy, may be benefited.
More will be offered me for what L
have to sell. On the other hand, if
government can diminish the supply
OF the article / want to sell, can get
more for it. and am benefited.
SHOW stands the case with the
wage-receiver?
What has he Co sellP The com
modify, labor, and nothing else. With
that commodity Qabor) he must pur-
chase all other things.
''NOw, what is governments doing
for him?
''Is governments rendering labor
scarce and commodities plentiful? On
the contrary, no duty is put on labor.
Labor comes in free. Not only that;
our protectionists are helping to in
crease the supply of labor and to keep
its price down. Do not Federal con-
suls encourage emigration from Eu-
rope to America? Do not States and
Territories send agents abroad to aid
and abet foreign labor in its purpose
to fill up the supply of labor in our own
market? Do not the protectionist en-
ployers themselves keep their agents
in every part of Europe to help swell
the throng of those coming to our
shores. and, in case of demand for
higher wages, TO take the place of the
Disconnected? Strange! Yet it is all
true. The commodity which the laborer
has 90 sell is not protected. ALI that
government does is to help increaseits
supply and thus reduce its price 4
The Senate's TreacharYs
Presidents C1eveland's host efforts