Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-18
HE FAyORs FREE TRADE.
Mr.. Bowen's Talk to the workinxmeu
Of WashinRsOu.

OPPOSED TO TARIFr PoK REVENUE, OR TARIFF Fox
| PRorEcrIoS-rHs QUESTION or wAGKs-AS Ap-
DRESS By rHs MAN VINO rs SAID TO BsA CANDIDATE
Fok Mr. PowDERLrs PLACE.
The washington Federation Of Labor was called
10 order last evening in Hilton's Hail. corner 7th
| ana ID streets, by President f. W. OYSTER VINO
briefly stated for the benefit OF those not already
| INFORMED tina the Federation Is composed OF dele
gates from nearly all OF the Knights OF Labor as
semblies and tn. trades unions In the District.
representing between four and i've thousand work.
| ingmen. He then announced that the object Of
the meeting was TO listen 70 a tariff talk by Mr..
Paul 4. Bowen, OF this city, whose name, he said,
had been mentioned by the newspapers as that OF
q candidate for Mr.. Powderly's ice. Mr.. Bowen
was nominated by his assembly for master work.
| man and declined on account OF his iil-health.
| The newspapers had twisted that fact into a de-
| feat. So far as ne knew, Mr.. oyster continued Mr.
| Bowen was not a Candidate for the grandmother
| worKmansnlp, but the Knights OF Labor could not
| do better than 10 elect him He then introduced
| the speaker.
MR.. BowES's TARIFF VIEWS.
| Mr.. Bowen began MS address by saying that 1t
| is right for the worklngmen to consider the queS
| ton OF the tariff for IL relates TO them, but In
| way different from that In which the politicians
| would have them believe. IL concerns them
| because the tarin means taxes, and taxes mean
| payments by the poor man from his slender store.
There are two kfnds OF tariff, or rather two ways
/
| tariff for revenue only, which Is affected by demo-
Gratis and second there Is the tarin for the "pro-
| lection Of American Labor"
There is, ne SAID, no Just ground for tariff for
! revenue only. The democrats say: You must
nave money with whlcn To run tue Government
this Is the best way To False It," he defect In
| this argument lies In the fact that men ought
10 pay taxes according To their ability TO DO So,
Whine Sucn Jarin must be imposed or necessities,
for II IL to DC put Injuries IL would deie at
Its own purposes, since In times OF greatest need
| and strngency people would shut off Ill but the
| 80 l.stris
| Thus, instead OF paying taxes according TO
! ability, a tarin for revenue means that the
| poor must pay according 10 their needs.
Ii there was no Other means or taxation 1t might
De right 10 adopt this one, but there are Others
| unaitersbIy bad. These two kinds OF tariT are
mutually destructive. If tariff protects IL Keeps
out Ioregn goods and thus Kills the revenue, while
| II Tor revenue ouy 1t cannot protect And then
politicians talk OF tarIn for revenue with Incl
dental protectIon, and or protection with nciden-
tai revenue, without regard TO the law just stated
and explained, that the Two are mutually deStruc-
tive.
THE QUESTION OF PROTECTION.
While there is no debate possible on the topic Of
the revenue tariff the protective kind does give some
ground for argument. There are certain tests to
which this form OF tarf should be put to determine
It's Value and Usefulness. First does taxation for
protection increase the rational wealth. as Is
claimed for IL? suppose the case OF u hundred
men on one island and another hundred an
o:ner, each suppned with all facilities for manu-
facture, and each body with different abilities,
natural TO suppose that the pro-
ducts OF the two island. would differ
materially, and that each would be benented by
free exchange OF goods Is IL not folly TO keep
England from giving US her cheap products? Are
We not better on wnen We can Guy what we need
Ior a lower price than before? People say that
there never has been sucn a thing as free trade.
What 5 this great interstate trade that Is going
on In tins country but Tree trade! Are not the
arguments that are applicable TO England and the
United states just as apple IOle 10 two Oh our
widely separated states? 1t Is said, In this line of
a rllTn nnT hat
ANS but this Is not TO be applied TO the question
Ol International commerce.. There a barga at
both ends OF foreign trade; we get rid OF wuaL
don't want, and lake In return what they don't
want, win mutual Deneht. PrOJectioniSts claim,
and substantive IL ny ngures, that English
wages are lower than American, and That prOtec-
ton does 1t But they do not go on with tneir
comparison and give u, figures on German or
French, or Beigian wages, protection countries,
Ike ours NnI.e free trade Z England gives lower
wages than we get, these other countries give still
lower wages than England
TARIFF AND WAGES.
Protection and free trade do not govern the
standard OF wages. The element that makes wages
hign here Is the abundance OF raw material and
the great quantity OF ee land To the extent that
our land Is absorbed Dy Capitalists our wages will
sink, ana are sinking, To the European level. Hgn
hiSn tarin-the tariI Wa, Invented To protect the
wages that were already up, AMI IL is Illogical now
70 calm that the protective tarin Is the cause OF
the nigh wages Does protection Increase the
manufactures? We are told that It does that
3,S57 900 people engaged in manufacturing would
De thrown out Oh enp.Oyin-nt. On LOOKING over the
list enlmeraung these peop.e, iU Is found
that carpenters, houSe-buhders, DlacSSmiLhs,
butchers, bricklayers, dressmakers paslerers
and many olner tradesnlen are counted In. Would
there lie any houses imported, or would the horses
be brought In 50 thoroughly shOd as 10 keep our
BLACK Us out OF WORK IL the tariff were re-
moved! Throwing aside those whose trades would
De In no way affected by either free or protected
e com the number engaged In manufacturing
VINO would De affected b. a repeal or the tarIff IS
remarkably small IL we had nothing IN view but
the Increase Oh our manufacturing interests we
should be much better OF with free trade.
Does protection create national Independence?
II Is said that 0y means OF the tarif are placed
on such footing that 10 case OF a war our Indus
tries would not suner-in other words, tuat IL
places Us on an independent footing suppose He
mad free trade and there were a war, could we not
little longer by patching them? But no English
man could digest his dinner, a greater part OF
which cOmes from Us, twice.
Does IL distribute property more equitably? We
have now had a high tariff for twenty-five years
ana the Inequality between the ricn and the poor
has been going on until 1t is now alarming and IL
Is greatest IN The lines or protected industries.
But the great test is, does 1t protect American
Labor?
THE PROTECTED INDUSTRIES
Who Is there among the American workingmen
SO poor as those in the protected industries! They
strike and try 10 improve their condition, but they
are weak, and are put down By the importation
or foreign contract labor. When protective taxes
were established there was a general movement
among European manufacturers 10 transplant their
business Dodily To America, and they did 1t. Was
That protection 10 Us! The economic value OF a
man, based on long-Studied averages, Is about
tl,OOO, and the average tax on Imports Is AZ per
cent. Why not TAX contract labor at the Fate OF
Ss1O per head! Who Is IL that Is protected by the
nigh tarin but the man who rs some part OF the
eartn That produces something that comes in Tue
tariH list? These test questions are answered
DOES then protection protect, or does
IL realize the expectation or the pre-
dictions OF its orignators? II there Is no
truth In protective arguments free trade comes up
Tor CONSIDERATION. SuppOsing the living expenses
should De lesSened IL Is GAINED Tree trade Will
accomplish, since the averag OF wages is now
only Dare living, when the cost OF such goes
down the average goes dOwn too, so that the work
Ing man would not be benefited. WHAT Is the best
way 70 raise revenue? Tax The incomes, Raise
the money from the night men, and spend IL In the
Ilgnt Way, Tor Government telegraph, "a Govern |
ment railroad, broader educational system puJ
dulies on Iuxurles, taxes on privileges, a tax on
raw land, aud snOsidILe these immense manufac-
factures Free trade In its broadesL sense means
Tree contract between man and man. when one
man can feel himself equal 10 the other