St. Paul daily globe., 1888-01-27
PROTECTION NOT NEEDED.
Some Figures Which Tell Their
Own Story.

TO the Editor Of the Globe.
l asked Republican who clings 10
the traditions he brought from the Wing
party what he would consider to be
proof that the time had arrived when
our infants would no longer need
tariff profit. This evidence he thought
would be in tie fact that the manufac-
turerS of this country were able 10 COM
pete with foreign makers and pay wages
to their wOrkmen which would support
them and their families ia comfort.
Having heard this in substance from
many Of his way of thinking. accOmpan-
led always with the assertion that that
time had not come, and that any reduc-
ton of the tariff would shut up all Our
mills. turn their artisans into farmers
and flood this country with lOw-pIiced
goods from foreign countries, it may
not be inOppOrtune at this time to give
the present condition al examination in
the light given by the trade statistics of
the country. PrOtectiOniStS assert that
the worknen of this country in these
industries are ROW being paid better
wages than are their fellows in similar
lines in any other country of the globe,
and as the purpose Of protection has
been for quarter Of q century to en-
able the manufacturer to pay such
wages as will permit his WOrkmen to
live IN comfort. it is a reasonable AS
sumption that the purpose has been at
tanned. and that the wage earneTs are
how supporting themselves and families
in comfort. If the system cannot effect
its purpose in twenty-five years of un-
checked effort, if the WOrkmen are not
able to secure the comforts of life with
the wage they receive, then the fault
must lie beyond and out of the control
of the law, and any further continuance
of this policy for that end must be
abandoned as futile.
The examination thus narrOwS TO the
point whether the manufacturers are
now able to compete, and what is the
conclusive evidence OF this? What
can be more decisive than the fact
that they are already competing?
II 1t were matter of first impressions
one would say that farmer iii the
Northwest could not compete with the
Indian farmer paying his ryots cents 4
day. with the fellah of Egypt or the
Russian paid from II TO - cents a day;
and yet the fact exists that he does
! compete, and the conclusion is not un-
| reasonable that he can compete. So il
| it can be shown that the manufacturers
| of this country who claim that they can
not compete with foreign makers are
actually i'll competition with them, not
alone in the markets Of this country,
but in the foreigners own, sending
their goods across seas, paying freightS,
and yet able to meet their competitors
on a paying basis, that should be the
best evidence that protection is no
longer needed. 1t is hard fact against
which mere assertion breaks in pieces.
Turning then for light to the report of
the bureau of statistics. showing the ex-
ports from the ports of this country for
the year ending June so, 1887, we find
the following highly protected indus
tries of this country exporting their
products. For the purpose of emphaSiz-
ing the facts, we give the name OF the
industry, its exports in value and the
protection it gets in the percentage of
impOst OH similar products when i'm
ported: