Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1892-07-26
RoaatLng the eaaI OF Proteetion.

1bAhONAbS NJ
Louis Republic upon the hypocracY
of theRebubIican press and politicians
in connection with the Homestead
trouble:
"Governor Mckinley, as was to be
expected, rushes right into print to
declare that " the Tariff has nothing
to do with the occurrence at the Car
neoie works. Strikes ecu in free
trade and protection countries" 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 cases, Sup
pose that on the first day of July,
Mr.. Carnegie had called his workmen
together 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 pro-
ducts. We have large contracts on
hand for Chicago Exposition and the
Government. 1 have called you to-
gether to tell you that your employ
ers do not wish to monopolize all
these benefits themselves and to in
form you that, from this day forward,
your wages shall be increased 10 per
cent" Would or would not Govern
or Mckinley be trying to "make po-
Iitical capital'' out of such an act?-
Would not he and every Protection
list in the country be crying from
every housetop, "See whatthe Tariff
does for the American workingman!"
! Would not Governor Mckinley point
to Homestead as a triumph of Protec-
ton and exclaim, as he did at the re-
cent meeting in New York. See how
''the Tariff protects the American
Preside, the American workmen and
American industriesl" 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 conspicuous and awful
failure at the very place of all others
where it should show its best fruits
We are not making political capt.
tai out of anyone's m%isfortunes. 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 a true god
by causing him to send down fire to
consume the offering.
The people gave Major Mckinley
full opportunity to embodY his sys-
tenn into law. He made that law in
cooperation with and at the d~ictation
of Carnegie and his associate employ
ers. Whatever they asked for ne
gave them. Whatever he gave was
given ostensibly and ostentatiously
in the name of their workingmen.
If the Baal Of Protection could any
where bring prosperity and content
to the "American fireside, the Amer
ican home, the American 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
like ELIJAH we taunt him with his
falseness and call on him to make
good his swelling promises.
But there is one word more to be
| said about this Homestead fight.
Once upon q time q certain John
Jarrett, who was President of the
Amalgamated Association of Iron and
Steel Workers, the association of
skilled workers in the rolling mills
which Carnegie is trying to break up,
or to replace by non-union men,
testified before the Senate Committee
on Labor. He said, in substance,
that the workingmen depended con
organization for wages. OF the en-
ployers he declared: "The majority
of them, where they have workmen
in their power, the tariff or anything
else will make but very little differ
ence as to the wages they pay they
will pay very little above the wages
paid abroad" And he testified,
"Where the workmen are organized
and understand that there is a tariff,
and understand what they should re-
ceive, they do demand proper wages.
Here is q true admission from one
who is now Consul at Birmingham as
a reward for his services as a profess
sional advocate of Protection. that