Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-05-16
RESULTS OF PROTECTION.
The Inevitable Result of Taxing the Many
for the Benefit OF the Few.

The Inevitable Result of Taxing the Many
for the Benefit OF the Few.
among the protectionist manufact-
urers who used bulldozing pay en-
velopes in the last campaign was P.
T. Dederick. who makes hay presses,
brick machines. etc, at Albany, n. Y.
One of his pay envelopes contained
the following:
THE ONE ISSUE OF THIS CAMPAIGN:
SHALL AMERICAN GOODS AND PRODUCTS, OR
ENGLISH GOODS AND PRODUCTS, STOCK
OUR HOME MARKET?
SHALL. AMERICAN WAGES OR ENGLISH WAGES
BE PAID TO OUR wORKING-MEN AND
woRKING-wOMEN?
The following headlines from the
Albany Express (Rep.) of recent date
are valuable for comparisons:
WAGES HEAVILY CUT.
p. X. DEDER1CK's MEN MUST ACCEPT 25 PER
CENT REDUCTION OR GO
Inc woodWorkers in the employ of P. *.
Dederick, manufacturer OF hay presses, brick
machines, etc.. have been notified that their
wages will hereafter be 25 per cent. lower than
before. They have not been asked whether
they will accept the reduction; it has simply
been thrust upon them.
This is only one instance out of hun
dreds of others which occur as mat
ter of course, for it is a matter Of
course that however favored corpora
tions are benefited by the high tariff
laws. they will keep these benefits to
themselves as a matter of business
and not part with them to their work
men out of philanthropy. The great
strike at Fall River was starved out
without loss to the corporations, but
with great loss and suffering to the
employees. Other strikes against Or
ganized corporations will have the
same end.
The economic principle is plain, and
all whose livelihood is not derived
from interest OR dividends ON capital
ought to understand it as we'll as cap
italists do. 1t is this: Where a mar
ket is controlled by combinations or
laws favoring combinations so as to
prevent natural competition, the Or
gained manufacturing corporations
are benefited by strikes which limit
supply. On the same principle under
which trusts shut down mills to limit
supply, they can afford to force strikes
by cutting wages. The falling off in
supply in the controlled market en-
hances the value of the stock already
manufactured, while at the same time
it results in saving of wages. 1t is
only when prices become so high that
the high tariff tax can no longer pre-
vent importations that the combined
corporations must begin manufacture
ing in order to hold their market.
Under such conditions the strike
must fail. The strikers do not diminish
the supply of labor so as to control
prices, for they have no control over
the labor market and they can not so
organize as to control it. The labor
market is open to the worlds supply.
The market for the corporation is shut
off by law from the world, and these
laws prevent his working-men from
forcing fair wages from him, simply
because in a single market under cor
troll he gains during a general strike
the wages he would have paid as we'll
as whatever enhancement Of values of
products results from increased sup
ply. If he had open competition, he
could not afford to cut wages and force
strikes. He would be obliged to run
his mill OR lose his market. st. Louis
Republic.