The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1892-07-21


or no tariff, protection and kindred
evils should not be considered in this
connection. 1t will be hard to make
the people take this view Of the mat.
ter ; probabilities are they will not,
but that they will trace cause and eff
feet back to the true source. The St..
Louis Republic, writing of the "Baal
of Protection'in this connection, most
pertinently says Gov. Mckinley, as
was to be expected, rushes into print
to declare that ''the tariff had nothing
whatever to do with the occurrence
at the Carnegie works. Strikes occur
in free trade and protection counties"
and, assuming a lofty tone of virtue,
he adds at must be regretted by
every friend of his country that there
are those who would make political
capital out of the misfortunes Of their
fellows"
Now let us suppose a case. Suppose
that on the first day Of July Mr.. Car
negie had called his workmen togeth-
err and said During all the past
year we have been shielded by law
from any kind of competition in the
American market. We have been
able to dictate paying prices, and
something more, for our products. We
have large contracts on hand for the
Chicago Exposition and for theGovern-
ment, have called you together to
tell you that your employers do not
wish to monopolize all these benefits
themselves and to inform you that,
from this day forward, your wages
shall be increased 10 per cent" would
or would not Gov. Mckinley be trying
to "make political capital, out OF such
an act? Would not he and every
protectionist in the country be crying
from every housetop, "See what the
tariff does for the American working
mani" Would not Gov. Mckinley
point to Homestead as a triumph of
protection and exclaim. as he did at
the recent meeting in New York. see
how "the tariff protects the American
home, the American Preside, the Am.
erican workmen and American indus
iris" And can he now complain if
we, who believe that his system of
protection is false in theory and
disastrous in practice, point to its con-
spicuous and awful failure at the very
place OF all others where it should
show its best fruits?
We are not making political capital
out of anyone's misfortunes. We are
but doing as Elijah did when he gave
the priests Of Baal a bullock and wood
for fuel and called on them to show
that their god was true god by caus.
ing him to send down fire to consume
the offering.
The people gave Maj. Mckinley
full opportunity to embody his system
into law. He made that law in Co
operation with and at the dictation of
Carnegie and his associate employers.
Whatever they asked Tor he gave them.
Whatever he gave was given ostensi-
bly, and ostentatiously in the name of
their workingmen. If the Baal of
protection could anywhere bring pros.
perity and content to the american
fireside, the American home, the Am
erican workmen," Homestead was the
place to bring it. If, peradventure,
content and good wages had lowered
there even for the few months OF the
campaign, how would these priests OF
Baal have shouted with triumph all
over the land But now that the
false god has been unmasked, we are
told by these same priests that we are
guilty of making political capital out
of the misfortunes of our fellows" if
likeElijah we taunt him with'his false
ness and call on him to make good
his swelling promises.
But there is one word more to be
said about this Homestead fight.
MOnce upon a time a certain John
Jarretts, who vas President of the Am.
algamated Association of Iron and
Steel Workers, the association Of skill
ed workers in the rolling mills which
Carnegie is trying to break up or to
replace by n%on.union men, testified
before the Senate Committee on Labor.
He said, in substance, that the work.
ingmen depended on organization for
wages. OF the employers he said !:
THE majority, where they have work
men in their power, tariff or any
thing else will make but very little
difference as to the wages they pay !;
they will pay very little above the wa
ges paid abroad" And he testified ::