Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-07-06
To the Record Again.

We fear that we have good cause 10
charge the Philadelphia Record or that
editor of it whose free trade sensibilities
ars offended by the tariff protection af-
forded to the iron industries Of Pennsyl-
yania, with disingenuousnes of state
ment and imbecility of argument, beside
the ignorance to which we have lately
called attention. In replying to us, the
Record, after misstating what we said,
expresses the opinion that q Democratic
newspaper, which thinks that the tariff
enables the Pittsburg workman to de-
mand Is so for pudding iron, ought to
oppose tariff reduction like grim death"
The Record does not deem it worth
while to give its reasons for this remarka-
bic conclusion. 1t would interest us TO
know wherefore we, as conductors Of a
Democratic journal, should oppose tariff
reduction, IL we think that the tariff
enables the Pittsburg puddler to ask $3.50
per ton for pudding iron. We do not
know that we are the organ of the Pitts
burg or any other puddler, or that the
Democratic party has a special mission
to take care Of puddlers who are gen.
orally able TO take care of themselves,
working hard, living hard, fighting hard
and wanting plenty Of money to keep
them.
But though we think that the tariff
serves to keep up the price Of the wages
Of all labor here, we do not observe the
force Of the logic that requires Demo.
cratic journal, as the organ Of labor, to
oppose tariff reduction such as is made in
the pending bill in Congress. A tariff
impost may be good as protection to In
dustry, but 1t may be heavier than is
needed for such protection and it may
need, therefore, to be reduced. This may
b Q surprising revelation to the Record
but It certainly should have been able to
take In this idea before now, especially
since 1t has been authoritatively pro.
claimed at st. Louis, and is the fun.
damental idea of the Mills bill. We
fear the trouble with our contem.
porary is that it Is 80 deeply imbued
with free trade ideas that It i,
thoroughly unable to properly re
present the Democratic policy of du,
protection for labor, without excessive
taxation of the people. 1t seems need
ful to remind our contemporary that th
Republican declaration Is for such pre-
tection as will exclude every foreig
manufacture that is or may be mad
Rt home and that the Demt
cratic doctrine differs from this
requiring the duties to be fixed at sue
rate a. will enable the home manufacture
to compete with the foreign manufacture
without reducing the wages of labor, bu
mot ct q rate prohibiting foreign import
and enabling the home manufacturer
to combine to make an exorbitant profit
Perhaps the Record, which is dispose'
to think that we arrogate to ourselves
monopoly Of all information about th
iron industries Of Pennsylvania, will In
cline to think also that we assume +
know all about the Democratic position
on the tariff. We frankly confess tina
we do but we think that every intelli
gent Democrat knows as much and i
certainly is not Our fault If the Recorc
does not.
And we note for the information O
our contemporary that it requires ;
very hard cheek in 1t to charge us will
reckless statement, in saying that tn,
Pittsburg puddlers, about whom w
were talking, demand $3.50 per ton 70
pudding, and in denying that this /
thrice the European wage of tl.75 pc
ton.