The new North-west., 1888-10-26
"Depeuds ON Circumstances. !"
{ Benz. Butserworth, in Cleveland Press. Oct.


TO- bny French hat at GO cents, instead Of
paying 81 90 to an American halter. ans
wer, that depends on circumstances. fifst'
I deny my right to purchase suit OF clothes
for SO, If in. order to produce the suit ~ tnas
price the man who tended the sheep tnas
grew the wool had to be starved in order TO
supply cheap wool, and the man who shear
ed and washed tho wool had to live In power
ty and wretchedness by reason OF the scanty
compensation he received for his toll, ana
the persons who carded, spun and wove the
wool were in distress by reason Of the lnade-
quate wage received for the work bestowed
in the process Of making the cloth, and the
wife and daughter who cut the clothing were
left in want because of the low wages paid
them for their work in making that suit OF
clothes. In other words, deny my right or
the right of any man, to buy the suit for $lo,
if thereby he is robbing the whole line OF
employees whose labor produced it, the ROD
berry being necessary in order to produce the
suit at that low price. insist, not only as a
matter of humanity, but as practical right
not as a mere cropping out OF theoretical
goodness, but practical right-that "the
laborer is indeed worthy of his hire" and
that so-called eheapness may be evidence OF
suffering and of the presence of barbarous
methods in securing that cheapness. The
point 1 make is, that he who contributes
capital or labor to produce given result,
whether the result be threshing machine or
a suit of clothes, shall have his fair distribu-
tive share of the profit resulting; that he
shall have just compensation for the work
that he has bestowed, and that the compen-
sation shonld have reference to the result
of the effort in part, and to the necessities of
the individual as member of society. And
upon this broad basis of humanity, upon this
platform of eternal right. she protective sys-
TEN, as advocate it, rests. Nor am advo
eating an impractical theory. Take the illus
trat1on of the suit of clothes. The poor chap
who watches the sheep and shears them and
brings the wool to market, has right to
live, and his family have the right to live,
and to be educated and made fit for the great
and high effice of American citizenship.
Those who card and spin the wool and weave
the cloth to make it into garments, have
right to adequate compensation. They,
whether men or women, who shape and
fashion the clothing and take it to market
have also right to adequate compensation.
Its ultimate cost in the market should fix
the selling price to the consumer, and he is
robber who insists that he shall have cheap
clothing though it cost the blood and muscle
Of those along the line of producers, to whom
l have called attention.. in order to bring
about that cheapness. Now let me illustrate
again with the suit of clothes. Suppose with
adequate compensation to those who have
contributed to produce the suit it could be
Z <ho rlxutQ al a
profit to the American workman and manu-
facturer Will you tell me, without blush
ing, that it is not IN the nature OF robbery OF
your own cOnntrymen to insist upon your
right to purchase the same suit at SO, pro-
dnced in a foreign country, where the cheap.
ness of the production is due TO the robbery
of the laborers who produced the suit, from
the fock-tender to the tailor? Is it my right
to make the outrage and wrong practiced
upon the producers in foreign lands the ex-
cuse for wronging the workmen of America?
If not, why shall we not say to the Importer,
whether he be American, English or Italian,
"Before you put this suit upon the American
market you shall pay into the Treasury OF
the United States at least the difference be-
tween the cost on the other side and the cost
of the same suit produced here, where hon
esty and humanity recognize the rights of all
those whose labor and capital entered in les
production" If that protection does not
protect, then the walls and roof of a build
ing do not protect from the storm outside.
That it does protect is too clear to need argu
ment. Nor can it be successfully urged that
an injustice is done to our fellow men. Is
there an intelligent man who will read this
article who does not know that ultimately it
does not tax tax the consumer for the beneht
of the producer? In the providence OF God our
humanity is rewarded, because that human
ity, in warding off the influence of injustice
practiced across the ocean, has quickened all
the energies of our people, awakened worthy
ambition to excel, and labor has been re-
| warded and its true dignity recognized. 1t
| is known that to the awakened genius OF
new methods devised, so that drudgery has
ceased, and burdens been lightened, and the
cost of all we use lessened, not by robbinR
| the workmen. but bv increased production
! and better results. Not only have the neces-
sites of life been made more abundant, but
| the comforts and conveniences of life, and
those things which merely crafty the taste
! of our people have become plentiful and
cheap. Now, let me illustrate again: Take
| the matter of the production of axes, and
| take prices and figures arbitrarily in this in
| stance merely to illustrate. Suppose 1t costs
! in Italy so cents to produce certain quality
of ak Suppose by reason of increased
| wages it costs Is cents to produce the same
assume that the rate of wages paid in the
United States is not excessive 1t any wage
! worker thinks it is he will have little diff
! Guilty in applying to his employer to have his
wages reduced to an extent more cOnforma-
| BILE to his ee-trade ideas. But assume the
wages paid to artizans, mechanics and work
men are not excessive. To put the Italian ak
| on the mark ct it costs five cents an ak. That
| leoves the Italian producer clear margin of
| 20 cents, and the result would be that the
| Italian AK would be bought. That is natural.
There is no sentiment in trade, and never
! will be. We buy where we can buy the
| cheapest and sell where we can get the most.
The result of this competition would be that
| the American manufacturer in the produc.
! ton of axes must either reduce the wages OF
those who produce the ak, or he must go out
of the market. For clearly he cannot com
pete with the Italian producer; and just here
the protective tariff says to the Italian {: "No,
| sir; our producers here are paid as little
wages as our humanity, our sense of right
and the dignity and manhood of the work
men will permit If you can exact from the
Ubne and muscle of Italy axes at this rate, we
| cannot prevent it, but you shall not put those
| ing into the Treasury of the United States a
rate of duty which shall obviate the neces
! sity of reducing the wages of the American
| workman, and which will hold from you the
! advantage which you would otherwise have
| over the American producer" 1t is in this
that the tariff protects the wage worker. If
| it did not, then the italian fares just as well
at home as he does here, and there is no ad
vantage to him in his coming here to pro
| duce axes, or ANYTHING else, and if he has no
l "us ~uIoEo Al uCIuS uCAC VIC oAC poliCIeIy
willing to excuse him. and the ship that
| brought him over wiliitake him back at even
rate less than he paid to come. But he
realizes that he has advantages here, and
that for those advantages he is indebted to
the protective system. The assertion that
protection does not protect is not true. It
! It does protect in more ways than one. And
right here is another thing, and I refer to it
often, because it Is uppermost in the minds
of some who desire to buy cheaply the
things they use. Some individuals say to me.
! &C! would like to buy that cheaper ak: and
| why should I not be permitted to do it?
| Why do you want to levy on me to help this
fellow in the AK business Let him go into
another business, in which he can compete" !"
All, there is the rub The protection which
protects the ax-maker protects the plow-
maker, and the bat-maker, and the shoe.
maker. and the cloth-maker, and so on all
through, and it also protects the one who
! buys and uses the ak. And beyond that, ex-
perience has abundantly proven that in the
end the woodman will get his ak cheaper.
Female Jonah.
| NEW YORK, Oct. 20.-Mrs. Townsend
NJ