The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-06-23
A McKINLEYIsM.

Mr. MCKINLEY. in accepting the nomina
ton of his party for the governorship OF
Ohio. said:
We have protected American products and
American labor. So long as foreign products
can be found TO tax which compete with our own
in our own market. we propose TO tax them
rather than tax our own.
The Democratic party prefers 10 tax the
domestic product rather than the imported
Their tariff legislation would benefit every coun-
Try but our own.
The major commits two errors in the first
sentence. The Republican party has never
protected labor. Men are on the free list.
Imported contract labor is the fayorite re-
sort of the protected mill-owners whenever
their operatives refuse to accept wages as
low considering the smaller purchasing
power of money here as those received by
the ''pauper labor' of Europe.
The other error contains partial truth.
The Republican party has protected por-
ton Of American products, but it has not
protected all of them. To do that, indeed,
would be mere nullity. If all products
were equally protected there would be no
discrimination, and hence no protection
what it takes from another. II it takes
from al with an even hand and returns to
each what has been taken, there is abso-
lutely no protection. And the government
hes not a cent except what il takes from its
own people, nor can it give financial aid to
one class Indirectly except at the expense
of others.
But the government does protect GER
tain part OF the American products. 1t
protects certain manufactured products by
a tax on similar articles imported. The
protection" consists, of course, in the ex-
ira price the manufacturers are thIs en-
abled to charge for their wares. If the
tax does not enable the American manu-
facturer to charge higher prices, it does not
protect and ought to be repealed 1t may
be observed that the manufacturer who
denies that protection advances prices is
always anxious for more protection.
The farm product is not protected. 1t
cannot be. 1t is surplus, part of which
must be exported. A tariff tax cannot ad
vance the price Of a product that ID greater
than the home market can consume. The
farmers are TOO numerous and too widely
scattered 10 combine and fix prices at tariff
rates, even if farm products we're largely
imported. Add to this that most farm pro
ducts are not imported, and that there is
not and never has been any intention on the
part Of the Republican party to help the
farmers, and we get somewhat correct
idea Of how shallow is the pretense of pro-
tecting American farm products.
These farm products are sent abroad,
however, and return in the shape of manu-
featured goods. The farmers cannot con-
sumo, and the whole country cannot con-
sumo. the farm crops raised here, so they
are turned into manufactured goods that
cau be consumed here, by exchange with
Europe. These imported manufactures are
thus the pay for our farm surplus-the
wages OF farm labor The tax on these is
paid by farmers. 1t is paid in order that
the farmer may not compete with the man
ufacturer in supplying manufactured goods !
for this country. Its object is to enrich !
the comparatively small number of
protected manufacturers by giving them |
monopoly of the business Of selling manu-
features in this country. 1t takes a large |
capital to engage in manufacturing, so that |
ii is mainly the erich and well born" that |
can afford to engage in it. Farming re-
ouires but little capital and is naturally the |
occupation of many. The tariff prevents ,
men Of small means, the farmers and other |
producers, from engaging in |
the business of supplying this country |
with those articles of foreign production |
on which certain mill owners have been |
granted practical monopoly. As soon as
the foreign product, which is always the |
pay for some home product, has come
10 our shores it is no longer a |
foreign product 1t is then a home pro
duct, the pay for some ether product we
have made and exchanged for it. Every
article we tax 10 a ''houe product" in the
true meaning of tina. phrase. But the
party calls the pay for our
farm surplus foreign product
and taxes it heavily. At the same time it
fools the farmer into believing that this
tax on the pay for his surplus in some way
falls on the foreigner and not on him.
But the farmers are learning. They
earn slowly, but they do net forget Mr..
MCKINLEY will have rare task upon his
sands to convince the farmers that In co.,
6scating at our custom-houses one third of
the ray for the American farm surplus, the
Republican party is doing anything except
the farmer for the benefit of
he protected manufacturer.