The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-08-20

The word in the English language
that prctectionists use oftenest il
American" They appeal to our selfish
and patriotic feelings by linking to-
gether as often as possible Protection
and american" On a banner dis.
played at the Minneapolis convention by
the Boston Home Market club WAS the
following:
American Wages for American Workmen!:
: American Markets for American People. :
Protection for American Homes! I:
Is, then, protection" the conservator
Of American workmen, markets and
homes? Does it keep out foreigners
who come here to compete with Ameri.
cans and lower wages? Does it make
homo markets where the American peo-
pie can supply themselves with goods at
the lowest possible price? Does it pro-
tect American homes by reducing the
expenses of running them. and thereby
encouraging their foundation and max
ing it possible to bring up and educate
the children, which are the necessary
sequence of American homes? Let us
examine history a little.
Our present protection" period began
with the high tariff act of July IA, 1862,
and was perfected on June 30, 1864
that is, until the genius of Mckinley
took up the subject. On the 4th of July,
1864, before real protection was IL
week ol!, congress passed and the presi-
dent signed the contract labor law"
entitled An act to encourage immigra-
ton It's object, as explained by Sn:!a-
tor Sherman at that time, was '.tU en-
courage, facilitate and protect foreign
immigration to and within the United
States The avowed ohiec; was to
ncep wages down by impDri;,r; forciyn.
crs tC take the place OF American work
,l+n who were then absent lighting for
their country, and who on their return
would thus find their jobs permanently
gone, unless they could underbid the
foreigners whom their bosses had I'M
rorted. That's the way our tariff was
pla::nel to work; certainly not much
american wages for American work
Y1oI" iii it.
Laws in regard TO contract labor
have been changed since 1854, but the
customs OF protcctionists in importing
ua,i"r ccntract the cheapest and most
degraded labor Ok Europe and Asia has
no. changed. There has probably not
been q wear since 1864 when protected
manufacturers die not have agents
securing the Old World Offering TO adj
vanc' passage money to those who were
SO poor and miserable that they were
willing to make any change. 1t is upon
this importation of miserable wretches
that manufacturers often rely to win
when American workmen strike for
american wages. Not that this class Of
workinen are always or generally cheap
ei. but that they are useful to lower the
wage scale, after which American work
men viii be taken back into the mills to
work at European or Asiatic wages
alongside of foreign workmen. This is
Il explanation of why wages are lower
liz protected than in unprotected in
t;ustries.
! typical illustration of the class of
mr;i brought over by protectionists is
found at Homestead, Pa: THE total
population Of Miffin township, which for
all practical purposes is nothing more
than Homestead, is 11,144. and the total
number of foreign born and native white
of foreign ~parentage is 1,1l2. OF foreign
horn males eighteen years of age and
over there are ,713; of native born males
of the same age limit there are La. A
precise division of the native and foreign
barn in the total population shows that
III the former classification there are
;,bo5 as Of them cOlored), in the latter
80"
Sat many of the males over eighteen
;.iat alo classed as Americans are the
offspring OF foreign parents, and in their
and customs are as much foreign
as :neir foreign born brothers. Thus
nearly two-thirds of the 'American''
at work 1T 'Alnerican' wages
in isis leading protected .'Alnerican' in
located At Homestead. are virtu- |
ally foreigners.
Next, does protection make markets
where American people can get the full
of their money? On the contrary, |
y ldIlI, WutileNeT tIIeCLlNe. always en-
hances the cost Of goods, increases the
OF living, and therefore virtually
wages. Prices of all protected |
articles are always higher in protected
han in unprotected markets, whether
not there is any economic necessity
for it. Often when goods are made
cheaper here than elsewhere n manu-
lecturers utilize their protection and
high prices at home, though they
sell much cheaper to foreigners. This
IS the case with axes, saws, agricultural
machinery, cartridges, etc. Drawback
luties also enable foreigners TO procure
our manufactures at lower figures than
must pay for them. Never, under
my circumstances, does ''protection' in
'rease the amount Of goods that can be
purchased for II certain sum of money.
Many Of the leading advocates of pro.
ection hold that cheapness is a curse,
hat it is I'M American, ETC.; hence it is
rot strange that they 80 legislate that
Ii