Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-30

France, Germany. Italy and Russia,
that wages in the same line Of business
are higher in the Southern and Western
States than in the Eastern and Northern
States. If protection makes possible
high wages, will some Republican cam
paign orator explain to you why a farm
laborer is paid more for his services in
California than in Massachusetts
If it be true that protection
makes high wages and promotes
the general prosperity of the country,
the present tariff rate ought to be raised,
for it must be admitted that the laboring
class are not content with their condi-
ton, and that the business condition of
the country is not satisfactory. The Re-
publicans should propose to increase tax
alton, that wealth and prosperity may
follow. DR.. Sangrador firm
ly believed in his remedy OF blood
letting for all human ailments.
When his students bled patient until
he tainted, in alarm they applied to their
preceptor for assistance. He directed
them to take more blood, that it was the
only way to save the patient. The only
remedy offered by the Republicans to.
day is to hold the same war tax until
they get into power, and then raise it
until it checks imports.
Does protection guarantee steady work
and good wages to labor in protected in
dustries as we'll as increase the wages of
those in unprotected industries?
1t is the habit of Republicans to claim
everything in this country for protection.
1t is looked upon by many as some
thing clothed with extraordinary powers
and capable OF performing the most
marvellous things. therefore propose to
analyze, if possible, the exact qualities Of
protection before entering into the
relation it bears to labor. Protec-
ton when coupled with the
taxing power is a negative
force 1t operates only by restraint. 1t
has no creative power or curative proper
ties. The forca necessary to produce
wealth existed before the term was
used-is independent of it, and moves
forward in spite of it, Protection as a
negative force is a restraint upon, and
impedes that force which produces
wealth.
| Protection does not create nor direct
any productive force. If it did, some of
the fruits claimed for it would be better
founded. A protective tariff does not
add any thing to the wealth or capital of
a country; it does not raise or lower
wages, but subtracts from both wages
and the sum of wealth. The protective
principle is not one of revenue; it is op-
posed to the financial idea; it
does not fix stability and
revenue cannot flow from its
exercise, into the Treasury. Protection
as an incidental and negative force in its
restraining effect it is a means to an
end. 1t is temporary and used as an cx-
pedient to aid the weak at the expense
Of the strong. If it were proposed Sc
riously to levy high protective rate Of
tariff and to maintain it always, the peo.
pie of this country would rebel against it.,
because the protection which it
affords is burden upon the unprotected
profitable industries and consumers of
the country. The idea of protection to
home industries has always been ap.
piled until 1888 to helping infant indus
tries, and this help is only to be contin-
ued until they are able to realize fair
profits, and then to bear their own bur
dens. So it will be seen that
the new doctrine Of protection for the
sake of protection and not revenue, is in
open conflict with the taxing power of
the Constitution and the history of our
country. The novel proposition of the
Republicans now is, that the protective
principle is an affirmative, vital prin-
ciple of our Constitution, and it is being
used for the purpose of Great
ing the wealth and prosperity of
the country. Mr.. Blaine declared
that the increase of thirty billions of
wealth in this country from 1860 to 1880
was the direct result of the high tariff.
Upon the same line of reasoning you
might assert that if the tariff rate had
been doubted during the same
period, our increase of wealth
would have been sixty billions.
We will next inquire if high tariff makes
high wages and maintains them. Let us
look into the protected factories mo.
ment. The factory Is a purchaser of
labor. The laborer has but one
product to sell, his own labor.
That product is not protected.
When he offers to sell it. he does SO in a
market where every skilled laborer in
the whole county-in fact, in the whole
world, may compete with him for the
job. The mill owner buys the labor he
wants as cheaply as he can secure it. The
protected industry does not pay more
labor tnan unprotected industries. if so,
the labor from these would gradually
offer their services until by competition
the price would be lowered. Again,
there are about eighteen millions OF
laborers in the United States,
and less than one million are en-
ployed in strictly protected industries.
The price paid the one million does not
fix the price of the remaining seventeen
million of laborers. The very reverse is
true. In fact: it is shown beyond all dis
pute that the price oflabor in unprotected
industries in this country is higher
and the conditions of this labor
better than in the protected districts.
The price of labor differs greatly in the
same employment in different States of
this Union, much more so than between
this country and England. There
is no, truth in the claims
that higher prices are paid
and high tariff is demanded by our
domestic manufacturers to enable them
to compete with the pauper la
Dor of Europe. The pauper labor
of Europe when applied to the
skilled labor in high grades of
factory work is a sham. The skilled
labor of England receives quite as much
as the skilled labor of this country.
While the amount of many wage. learners
is higher here than there, the rents and
necessaries of life are all cheaper.
Again: The tariff is not the measure