Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-07-29

Cut WdBe-SldVeS Al Inc Hills. len
years of protection has not benefited
them, if it has their employers.
Crowding Out the Weak.
These thirtyfve are not all produc-
ing the same competing products.
There are dozen different industries,
each producing its special product and
competing only with like industries in
other sections They have not yet
been able to make their protection
worth more than one-third It's par
value; but the benefit Of the protec-
ton, by crowding out the weaker mem
oers, has risen from about % per cent
in 1880 to about SO per cent in 1890, In
some it is much higher; in others much
lower; this may be roughly taken as
the average. But it does not represent
the increase in the price of this prod
uct-only of the value of protection
to them in their struggle against more
favored industries in Pennsylvania or
Georgia.
Protectionists Must Admit.
The most unreasoning protectionist
must admit that the protection granted
by Congress enables the protected in
dustry to collect from the people 95 per
cent Of its par value, if 1t desires to do
so. 1t grants that right to the indus
try, but the protectionist maintains
that the industry will not exercise the
right; that it only wants the right to
hold in terrorem over the foreigner if
the latter dares invade this market.
The industry, he says, will sell to us
cheaper than the foreigner, If we keep
the foreigner out. What guarantee
does the industry offer that it will not
do its best to collect every cent
of the protection authorized?
None. Is 1t protection granted on
any condition? No. If it should col
lect the whole amount from the people
for its private benefit, would the pro-
lection be rescinded? No. Does the
industry make any returns to the gov
eminent showing how much of the
protection it uses or refrains from
using? No, Is there any inquiry made
by the government or any supervision
of protected industries7 No. Each
protected industry is given right to
blackmail the people a certain amount;
no questions are asked as 10 what it
does; and what percentage it collects
or fails to collect is nobody's business
but its own. 1t answers no questions.
Elmo Upon Wages.
This fine Of As per cent upon the for
eign wages of other Americans author
lies the thirty-fve iron and steel mill
owners to collect, if they can, from the
people of the United States As per cent
more than the market price of their
products, or as much as they can col
lect up to that amount. Congress does
not collect this blackmail for them.
That Is a step in advance that may
soon come. But at present it merely
gives them the chance to collect it-bv
preventing Americans from getting
iron and steel any cheaper. The pro-
tected firms must do the work of col
lection. If they do not or cannot, the
protection is worthless. If they do the
work thoroughly, the protection NAV
be worth its face value; and in exact
proportion to the work in collecting
the bounty or blackmail, the protee~
ion will have value.
How Can They Collect?
How can these thirty-fve mill owa-
ers, or any mill owners, collect this
protection? There is only one way.
They must combine, fix the selling
price at (say) 40 per cent above the
normal market price, and compel the
Americans to pay the 40 per cent or go
without. If the com bination is per-
feet, then the American consumers
must pay it, and the protection will be
worth 90 per cent of its par value. II
the combination is imperfect, if there
are quarrels, then the cash value of
the protection will be anywhere be-
tween ninety and nothing. The cash
or market value of the protection
granted by Congress is a matter en-
tirely within the discretion of those
protected.
Into the Common Treasury.
The imposition of fine by Congress
does not put any material burden on
the people, f>r when the cash is col
lected it goes into the common treas
ury. 1t is collected from the people,
for the people and returns to the peo-
pie. The burden comes when the tax
Is collected from the people for tha
protected firms. and never returns to
the people but remains in the pockets
of the firms. A tax Of 81, 900. 900 of this
kind is greater burden than loss of
$1,000, 600 collected and expended for
the common good The Democratic
statesmen who have been prating for
years of our heavy federal taxation.
insisting upon tightening it and not
the private taxation, are the best
friends protection has. 1t is not the
5000, 900, 900 in tarif = taxes paid
into the treasury that burdens the poo
pie, as they insist That is from the
people, for the people, goes back to
the people, being expended for their