Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-10-21
EVERYDAY TALKS ON TARIFF.
A Question or Two to Mr. Litch-
man. who Has Hired Out.

The Republicans have got big cam
paign fund this year, chiefly furnished
by the wealthy manufacturers and
monopolists of the country, who, in the
language OF Deacon Fosters "confiden-
tial'' famous Fat Circular, "are getting
the sole benefit OF the tariff laws" The
Republicans are spending the campaign
fund literally, too, in spreading specious
Protectionist literature and hiring ora
tors, who are supposed to have an inf1u-
ence with the labor vote, the Irish vote,
the German vote, or some other vote
that is to be deluded by balderdash about
the American System, British Free
Trade and Protection for American
Labor.
The latest orator that the Republican
National Committee has hired is Charles
II. Litchman, who, as General Secretary
of the Knights of Labor, is supposed to
be great card. The labor vote is now
being taken care OF, and all it will have
to do is to go up to the polls and just do
as Mr.. Litchman tells them.
But it is just possible that the labor
vote has been doing some reading and
thinking on the tariff question lately ,and
may be it isn't going to follow Mr.. Litch-
man or anybody else, Democrat or Re-
publican, this year without knowing the
reason why. 1t will first examine Mr.
Litchman's reasons for hiring out to the
Republicans, which he gives in a letter
to the Chairman of the Republican Ma
tional Committee. He said:
"The conflict is between the Ameri-
can system, as represented by the Re-
publican party, which would foster and
encourage the labor of our own people
and retain for them the market and wages
of our own country, and the British sys-
tenn, as represented by the Democratic
party, which would break down the
barriers of protection and throw open our
home market to the productions of for
eign factories aud foreign labor, thus
making idle our own toilers and reducing
to lower level the standard of American
wages"
Now, with due respect to Mr.. Itch
man, it must be said that this statement
of his is m can't either for children or
fools. OF course he knows that working
men are not children, but is aware they
have been fooled many time by glib
and well-paid takers, and thinks it can
be done again. But not this year. This
year they will want to know how it is,
under this american System repre-
sented by the Republican party" there
are, according to Mr. Powderly, one
million men out of employment
in this country. Where does the
Clustering care" and encouragement"
of Republican protection come in there
Ask any one of the $4,000 men out OF
employment in our city, or any of the ILL
paid, ill-fed men and women who live
precal iously on miserable wages in the
highly-protected industries of Pennsylva-
mia, Massachusetts and New York, how
much they admire the glorious system ol
protection to American labor.
Or perhaps the workingmen this yeal
will take a notion to ask Mr.. Litchmar
how it is that about ninety-nine out o.
every one hundred strikes in this country
during the last six years have been in
protected industries. Or they might
want to know how it is that Mr.. Carnegie
could make million and half a yeal
while his protected workmen were LOCKED
out when they wouldn't accept reduc'
ton of wages.
o, yes, Mr.. Litchman will find the
labor vote very inquisitive, and alto
gether too independent this year. See
if he don't.--[N. Y. News.