Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-08-04
POETIC JUSTICE. +"
raE DEMOCRATIC FsFTY A,wsE1
NOT 10 CUT orr IT'S LOSE

ri,s Sew yark sun Den"unc@s t.se Ere"
Trade Principles Of the Purity II sup
ports. and Points Out the Egii Results
snrs to roilsw Their Adoption.
The I'M sraous World calls on the
Democrats Of the house % suspend the
rules and piss bill reducing the duties
N iron and on all Of the Carnegie steel
manufactures at least one-half. That,
3 tells the Deiaocratic majority, would
he poetic Justice, good politics and an
admirable enforcement Of the Home
.tead object lesson upon the relations OF
lirh tariffs tO lowered wages.
This pretended friend Of labor wants
he Democrats ii congress to punish Mr.
Carnegie by declaring themselves IN
favor 81 a policy to reduce the wages Of
ais workmen far below the scale against
which they are now fighting. II would
make the Democratic party responsible
tor a policy which would shut up all our
iron and steel mills and lock out many
thousands Of operatives, and compel
them 10 remain ont until they were
forced by starvation TO work for less
Than the cheapest Of the Carnegie worry
men
The whole iron and steel industry II
this country. whether it las its seat at
Homestead or elsewhere, is dependent
10 the tariff which the scatter Drained
md anarchistic World would have the
Democrats in congress vote TO destroy.
II is organized under that tariff. The
tariff is essential 10 its prosperity, its
very continuance. on the present scale
u wages. The mills cannot sell their
iron and steel cheaper unless they pay
less for their production. In other words,
they mist pay lower wages. Even with
The tariff the margin q profit Is now -
small that the manufacture does not pay
.anless the production and sale are enor-
nous. It Is very small percentage,
and home composition tends steadily 10
make it less. Even protection cannot
save the producer from that competition.
Il only helps him against foreign COM
petition.
n, then, the producer must meet both
home and foreign competition he mist
get down the cost Of manufacture He
must reduce wages 70 the foreign stand
ard. Otherwise be viii have to 90 out
II the business, and his operatives viii
b. without employment, unless they go
into other employnents and reduce the
scale Of wages in those by reason Of their
competition with the laborers already
there. II the tariff on iron and steel
were reduced by lat least one-half.T Of
course they would fall in price, and not
less certainly would the wages Of the
operatives concerned in their production
fall proportionately. Men viii not put
their capital into manufactures If they
cannot make a fair interest on il. They
win shut up their mills IL they cannot
run them without losing money.
This deInagogical World. this pestilent
enemy Of labor. would follow the orien-
tai method Of Furnishing a man against
whom you have a grudge by committing
suicide on his doorstep.
Free trade Of course means lower
wages. The two 60 together necessarily.
With free trade all around, however,
argue the free traders, the lower wages
would buy more. Everything would be
cheaper. they say. for the cost Of praduc-
ton would be less because Of the lower
wages paid. But TO take of the tariff
ON one protected industry without re-
moving it from all is an outrage on the
free trade doctrine. The equilibrium Of
the free trade theorists is not established.
II the law tends TO reduce the wages Of
the iron operative by bringing in foreign
competition, justice demands that it
shall put all other producers in the same
boat, so that everything be buys shall be
made cheaper for him. He must have
cheaper rent, cheaper food and cheaper
clothes. If he gets one dollar day in
stead of two dollars the price of all he
buys must be reduced proportionately or
he is the loser. Hence all labor of all
kinds must 60 down with his, so that the
cost of production generally may be de-
creased for his benefit That, in brief.
is the free trade theory II is low wages.
low production and cheap prices.-New
Vork Cun liam 1