The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-06-21
THEIR IMPUDENCE.

What bad prophets the protectionists are
They cannot even guess closely. Those
who read the Republican papers last year,
and followed the Republican speeches in
Congress on the MCKINLEY bill will recall
that the burden Of all that was said in
favor Of the measure was that it would in
crease the wages of American workingmen
and provide labor for the idle This was to
be accomplished by stimulating manu-
facture to the extent that foreign goods
were shut out. We were told that
me protection" afforded by the
Dill would induce our own citi-
zens to build new factories while
foreigners could not come here with their
goods and successfully compete. The argu-
ment had weight with the unthinkIng, and
not lew workingmen really believed that
the condition of their class would be i'm
proved when the bill went into operation.
We wonder what they think now. The
law has been in effect more than two thirds
OF year, and its friends have exerted
themselves to the utmost to sustain their
arguments in its favor. But what is the
result: If wages in any American factory
nave been increased, the fact is carefully
hidden from the press and public. We
frequently read accounts Of wage .reduc-
uons, and the strikes this year have
been more numerous and involved more
hands than for any like period in the his
tory OF the country. We don't think tina,
MCKINLEY himself would have the effront-
cry to assert that the number of idle
men IS less to-day than it was last Sep
TEMPER. Ii he were to do this, a multitude
OF men eagerly seeking employment and
naming from every state and city IN The
union. would rise up and declare that he
falsiiied the facts.
But the amusing part OF this business is !
the radical change OF front which the pro- |
tectionist sheets now present "a 10 another
promised effect of the bill. We were told |
oy them that the law would re-
duce the importation of foreign
competitive goods; indeed, this must
necessarily be the result il our own
working people were to be given employ
nent to supply the home market. 1t would
not DC reasonable to say that the csumuption
would be greater at the necessarily in
'reased prices, Tor patriotic as the people
ire they Will not use more of high priced
lone made article than of an equally good
oreign made article costing less. Now
nese same Republican papers which an
'iauoed the bill because it was going to
nut out foreign competitors and leave the ,
lone market to be supplied by American :
are ioyfulIy publish !
ng the custom house returns ,
show that importatious have ,
OF decreased, thus defending the :
lchINLEY bill from the charge tina, il !,
'ouid interfere with our foreign trade :
ne thing which the papers wanted it to do. =
We have lately seen several tables of figures y
moving the imports are actually larger =
nder the new law than for the CORRESPOND :
1g period under the old, and these tables :,
re presented in REPUTATION of the assertion :,
lat our foreign trade would be hurt bv :.
Re bill, when the destruction of that =
'ade next to the providing of work for :,
lie Americans, was the chief argument in :
ivor OF the passage of the MCKINLEY =
onstrosity. The impudence of your pro. .
cuonist editor is equaled only by his dis
gard OF the interests Of the masses of his ~
'untrymen.