The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-04-23
The Republican Way vs.. the
DemocraIIc WAY.

Republican mode of discussing the
tariff is, that when the argument on
that side is carried to its ultimate
conclusion the result is contra
diction-logically, an absurdity.
Let us reason out this matter and
see. 'ii 49, ~
The Republican argument inva-
riably begins with a proposition
that the labor in Europe is cheaper
than labor in America, and in con-
sequence of this fact goods can be
made by European manufacturers
cheaper than by American factories.
This much being admitted, the next
proposition is that we lay a heavy
tax on these European cheap goods
in order to prevent them from driv-
ing our dearer goods from our
home market; for as it is assumed
that the American labor has GER
tain price. well ascertained and
much higher than that of Europe,
and that the labor of Europe has a
certain price, equally well settled,
and much lower than our own, then
the purpose of the tariff must be to
prevent these two prices of labor
from becoming eqnalized by free
competition. This is the main ar
gument for the high tariff. 1t is
the only one addressed to the work
ing people of the country, and as it
has been efficacious in getting their
votes, we must coneede that it is a
very significant and popular style
of reasoning with them.
But we will ask them to pursue
the subject little further in the
same logical way on exactly the
same line of reasoning.
If this was the true reason for
laying heavy~taNes, which it is not,
how would it end9 Let us see:
After Europe is shut out our fac
tories, of course, will begin to make
money, and. very much money.
j Profitable enterprise always attracts
capital, and therefore men invest
more and more in the protected in
dustries until the whole business is
overdone. That is the exact condi-
tion'iof affairs now-stagnation in
business owing to over production.
Then one of two things logically fol-
lows: The manufacturers must eth
err combine under the trust system to
limit production and keep up prices,
which throws thousands of their
employees out of work, or they
must begin to compete with each
other to lower the prices of their
goods and reduce the cost of pro-
duction. In the meantime the
high rate of wages has attracted
largely increased number of work
men from Europe until the labor
market is also .overstOcked. These
two, conditions exactly suit each
other. On the one hand we have
the manufacturer seeking to reduce
the cost of his production; on the
other we have free competition
in the over stocked labor market.
Under such circumstances, down go
wages, of course. The circle of
cause and effect is complete and the
very device which was designed, to
make wages high, ends in reducing
them.
We ask workingmen in all SINGER
ity if this has not been the exact
result of a high tariff during the
last decade or two. Wages have
been gradually reduced year by
year under precisely the same tariff
and conditions until. they are now
perhaps fifty per cent. lower than
they were twenty years ago, while
hundreds of thousands of foreign
workingmen have beer dumped on
our soil, Ito compete with home
laborers) who were attracted here
solely by the fictitious stories of the
wages and comforts of American
workmen.
A higher tariff is no cure for these
existing evils. 1t could only slim
ulate prices to the manufacturers
by and through a Combination be-
tween them to limit production
No increase of tariff can increase
the homo demand for goods already
manufactured in excess of home
consumption. Itcannot raise wages
because limitation in production
means throwing out of work thous.
ands of hands, to enter into fierce
competition with those who retain
their employment, in labor mark
ct already over crowded by an in
fiux of foreign laborers. Ha7
. What then is the remedy? The
Democratic party proposes instead
of trying to Keep up. the price o
American goods abnormalIv hioh