The advocate., 1890-07-16
TARIFF TALK.
Protection and OvpllPrOductlOn.

endeAVOfed 10 snow tnhf pAe pIONCWVV
tariff Is at most simply at oxpedlent 10
reduce or Hmltthe area 81 coppetjtioRf
and to palllate, 70 some extpnt the oyii
results Of what is commonly bpt falia-
clously called OOefPrOductiOH Or to
expsess the idea in smother way protec-
tive tariff is TO prevent the compelitlon
Of foreign goods in . market plready
glutted with domestic goods. But there
is no such thing as actual over-prodpc-
tlon, nor can there be, 80 long % q single
human being int the United BtateB is hun
cry, naked aud homeless. Listen TO
Henry George, in "Soclal Problems'-he
says:
What, when we come ~ think Of II, can be
more pTepOsterOus than ~ speak In any general
sense of over pTOduCtOn2 Over production or
wealth, when there Is everywhere a struggle fOr
more wealth. when 80 many must stint and
strain and COntrVo tO yet living when there N
poverty aud actual want among large clnssesBl
Manliestly there can not De over production In
any general or absolute sense, until desires for
wealth are all satisfied, until no one wants more
wealth.
What, then, is commonly called "over
productiOnY" II Is the inevitable and
increasing result Of the capltalIstlC sys-
TEN under which we live. IL Is the
natural fruit Of that system Of competi-
tive capltallstic exploitation, under the
operation Of those who own the valuable
land (cities aud towns), the capital (me-
dlum Of exchange) and the means Of pro-
ductlon (nachinery) amass fortunes by
retaining large share Of the wealth pro-
duced by industrial labor, for the privil-
ege Of allowing such labor to produce
wealth. IL ID the direct result OF that
system which, under the heads Of rent,
usuTy and profit, steals from the laborer
80 large a percentage Of the fruits Of his
toll as 90 render his labor insufficient TO
afford him even comfortable living. IL
is the legitimate offspring Of long hours
Of labor, scanty pay, woman and child
labor, and Of a system the sine-qud-nON
OF which 10 that destroyer Of humanity
called "Cheap production" Proof: II fe-
male and child labor were prohibited and
two shifts Of men employed five hours
each per day, with the same wages now
paid for ten hours work, all productive
labor would be prOitably employed; the
Consumptive capacity Of the nation would
be doubled or trebled, and over produc-
tion would be a thing Of the past.
Hear August Bebel, the grand old
German socialistiC philosopher, In his
work entitled, "Woman. Past, Present
and Future" He says:
The gluts arise, because there are no means Of
ascertalnlng the real demand for an article 10
given moment. Every single producer
n Obliged TO sell certain amount OF wares, un-
der which no can not exist, For a time
his sale Is assured, possibly u Is growing; this In
duCes him 20 sGill further enlarge his business, To
produce still greater masses than before. The
good times, however, do not Influence him alone,
but Induce all competitors tO make similar eXeT-
tlOns Suddenly ID becomes apparent that the
market IN OvergtOcked with goods. The vale falls
ON, the price sinks, production Is slAckened.
Lessening the production In any branch means
lessoning tho WOrkmen, lowering tlo wages, and
limiting the consumption on the part OF the
wOrkmen, A depression Of production and sale
In other branches Is the necessary consequence
Small artisans OF every kind trAdesmen, eating
house keepers, bakers, butchers etc., whose GUS
toners are WOrkmen, lose their customers and
with them their lucrative trade. One Industry
provides another With It's raw materialsi one de.
penda on the other; consequently one must sui-
Ter from Che depression Of the other ETC.
And so he goes ON describing the ruin
GUS results Of period of resultant reac-
tion, following period of good times or
prosperity under our present acCursed
and brutal competitive system.
Now stick pin here. Bebel wrote the !