The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-07-30
SATURDAY. JULY 30. 1882.
THE HON EsTEAD LESSON.

Facts are stubborn things. Sophistr.
cannot o%verturn them. Conditions arr
speaking evidences; theories rest upor
the intangible. Facts are teachers; they
abound in lessons. 1t is a fact that Car
negie ~ Co. own and run a large iror
and steel manufacturing plant at Home.
stead, Pennsylvania. 1t is a fact that
their industry stands among those high.
ly protected by the Mckinley tariff. l,
is a fact that the secretary Of the com
pany, Mr.. Swank. fixed the iron and steel
tariff schedule in the Mckinley law. 1t
is a fact that that schedule was perfectly
satisfactory to Carnegie ~ Co.; that they
regarded the protection afforded by that
measure amply sufficient to enable them
to compete successfully with like foreign
productions. 1t is a fact that Mr.. Car
negic has made many millions of dollars
out of his works. 1t is a fact that he
owns and maintains I've palatial resi-
1dences in Great Britain and three in
America. 1t is a fact that not one of his
employees WINS "A palatial residence any
where. 1t is a fact that Mr.. Carnegie
owes his vast wealth to nigh protection.
These are facts. 1t is furthermore a fact
that Mr.. Carnegie refused to pay longer
his scale of wages and that he submitted
a new one to his employees. 1t is IA fact
they refused il.
Now for the conditions. The works
we're closed down, the men locked out
and bloodshed followed. The tariff upon
iron and steel products remains the
same. Mr.. Carnegie is enjoying his
wealth upon his English and Scottish
estates bought with moLey made in his
highly protected industry an industry
protected ostcnsibly FOR the benefit of
the laboring men Of America. The
Homestead works remaln shut down
Why! Carnegie Il Co. declare that on
account Of competition they cannot run
their works with profit and pay the
wages demanded 10y the workmen.
What is the logic Of these conditions:
That protection fails to maintain wages
in the face Of the competition il incites.
In other words protection stimulates
competition. and competition cuts down
wages. Look at it as one may the fact
stands out that protection fails to main
tain a high standard Of wages. This is
one Of the lessons Of the Homestead
affair.
Another lesson is taught by it. Pro
lection fails to protect the cmploye. The
employer has the protection for which he
asked. The products Of his mills and
factories are all protected in schedules
prepared by the manufacturer. But
while manufacturers, and business man
ayers, and corporation presidents and
directors. and secretaries Of large estab-
lishmente appeared before Mr.. Mckin-
ley's committee and told it what they
wanted in the shape Of protection and
got it, no one appeared for the laboring
man. He had no representative before
the committee. There was no n to
plead that labor as well as labor's pro
ducts be protected; that muscle and
sweat have "a protecting shield thrown
around them as well as iron and steel
and woolens and cutlery and crockery
etc. Not one was there to offer a word
for labor.
And what is the result: The condi-
tions at Homestead answer. The en-
ployer whose products are protected
against the products OF foreign labor,
locks out unprotected home labor and
employs the cheaper foreign labor. Mr..
Mckinley saw that American manufac-
tured iron and steel should not come in
competition with foreign manufactured
iron and steel, but he did not try to pre-
vent the laborers 10 American iron and
steel works being forced into competi-
ton with the laborers from foreign iron
and steel works. There is protection to
the laboring nan with a vengeance.
His wages may be cut down. II he re-
bel, hired cutthroats are brought on the
ground TO compel his submission. IL
they ptove Intellectual state troops are