Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-13
NO COMMUNITY IN ROBBERY.


Naturally the Homestead episode, fol-
lowed by the lively proceedings in Ida
no, has tendency to fix all eyes on the
labor problem, and in many counsels
there is naturally great deal of con-
trariety of opinion. Perhaps the best
exemplar of this variety is to be found
in the columns of our esteemed contem-
porary, the Times. The grand Guyasti-
cutis of that establishment is an indi-
yidual whose opposition to anything
that approaches strike is something
positively convuleive or even epileptic.
But he remembers that remark of the
Apostle Paul, about being all things to
all men, and he employs one Jayhawker
the presiding genius of den or pen
to break the force of the severe edito-
rial utterances. In fact, we are afraid
that with this journal, since the versa
tile Jayhawker became connected with
it. it is case of thimblerig-"now you
see it and now you don't"
Having jumped the Homestead strik-
ers, or all strikers at all times, for that
matter, with great ferocity, our esteemed
contemporary concluded that it would
be q good idea to stem some of the in
dignation that its ferocious utterances
inspired in the breasts of many persons
who have ordinarily no sympathy with
strikers. Thus Jayhawker is thrown in
to the breach; and, with his customary
ldisses .faire, he is supposed to soothe
the perturbed bosom of the workingman.
And singular hodgetpodge he gives
US. 1t may fairly be called paternalism
in government run mad. First the man
ufacturer is to benefit by high tariff.
But the mere granting of high duties
creates sort of equity on the part of
the workingman to share in these bene-
fits which, you Will kindly observe, are
at the e-expense of the consumer, who can
60 the devil, or to Fiddlers' Green, five
miles beyond sheol, for anything that
inures to his benefit in this charming
scheme.
Here, truly, we would have pretty
mess. There is certain impost duty
laid on an article or articles, and the
only constitutional ground on which it
can be imposed is for the purpose OF rais-
ing revenue to defray the expenses of
administering the government of the
United States, and administering it eco
nomically, it is to be hoped. But how
expansive the other plan? What grand
vistas of Doodle, divided according to
varying standards, expand before the
gaze of the individual who accepts the
Jayhawker proposition.
According to this plan, we havesan
enormous sum that is to be divided up
between the manufacturer and the
operative. In this programme there is
absolutely no room for the laws of sup
ply and demand or for the ordinary
operation Of commercial principles. The
consumer is not Gin it" at any stage.
All that he is expected to do is to put up
the money which will be subject to some
form of arbitrament between employer
and employed. The only certain thing
in the scheme is that an enormous
bonus is to be divided, and on q stand
ard OF distribution not yet ascertained,
and, as far as we can learn from Jay
hawker's article, unascertainable. The.
difficulties of arriving at any common
sense adjustment of the matter are as
great as those which vexed the naviga-
tor in trying to reach Point no Point''
on the Virginia shore. The nearer you
were supposed to be to that point the
further, in reality, you were away from
it.
As against all such chimerical "rot'
the Democratic party opposes the COM
mon sense rule of reducing taxation to
the lowest figure consistent with main
tanning the government in its natural
force and efficacy. There is no paternal-
ism in the Democratic programme. 1t
believes in allowing business to take its
own course. In the Democratic plan
there are no bonuses to be distributed
to any one. Under Democratic rSqtnae
the courts would be expected to enforce,
in their utmost nicely, the rights of any
party to any controversy. No Democrat
would consciously loan himself to any
plan of spoliation of the consumer with
q view to dividing up the consequent
apoils, in any proportion, between any
bodyl
OF course the Democratic party is the
friend of the workingman, and has been
his only reliable friend. If it had not
been for the Democratic party the work.
iDgman would have been devoured long
ago by his paternal psstectors, body,
boots and breeches. Gorging mannfac-
turers with enormous protective duties
has simply had the effect of making
them as voracious as boa constructors.
The great need Of the workingman is to
reduce business of all kinds to square,
ordinary standard. and there will be
then none of the excitations to over
speculation, over-production and conse-
uuhnk ef~.Hoa or1 1onl.onke