The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-30
THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
WHO Is
SATURDAY.. APRIL 80. 1892.

The high tax organs have lately beef
laying great stress on the point that il
one or two industries better wages arr
paid now than were paid three year
ago. This increase they credit, of course
to the Mckinley bill and triumphant.
point to the increase as the vindicatior
of the high tariff system. In this they
consciously lose sight of the TACT that ir
other industries wages have been re
duced, although the Mckinley bill was
advocated and enacted by the republican
party on the theory that it would, by
promoting and protecting the prosperity
Of the home manufacturer enable him
to increase the wages of his employees
Indeed this plausible agreement was
supplemented by a positive promise that
the %workingmen employed in the pro.
tected industries should have increased
wages as the result of the increased
prices of manufactured goods which in.
creased protection would create. Yet
the fact remains that not only has there
been no general increase of wages. but
on the other hand a general reduction.
But aside from all this, let us see what
is the outcome of the protective tariff.
Using the census of 1880, IN the absence
of other statistics. Edward Atkinson has
shown that of the whole population of
thn TTp;tol Sf,tne - nnl ono ,,ara N ~
gagged in gainful pursuits and that in re-
lation to the tariff they were distributed
as follows:
Number engaged in producing things
which in some measure might be COM
peted with by "A foreign product import
ed into our country 1.20O.OOO. number
engaged in producing our surplus pro
ducts. chiefly agricultural, which depend
exclusively on a foreign market for their
sale, 100000; and lastly, those subject
to no direct influence from the tariff ex
cept as consumers. l4,6OO,OOO.
That is to say. the number of laborers
dependent for support on the sale of
their product in foreign markets is one
third more than the number fully or
partially protected, while those in no
way subject to the influence of the tariff
except as consumers number more than
other words. for the purpose of protect
ing u American laborers. heavy taxes
are imposed on liG other American la
borers and in addition Ii American la
borers. who are likewise heavily taxed.
are deprived of the only market they can
have for the products of their labor.
Nor is this all. Protection does not
merely rob 100000 American laborers
in order to increase the wages of 1900
900 other laborers. Though the laboring
men are the only parties for whom. and
their advantage the only purpose for
which, protective duties are claimed.
when it comes to the actual levying
Of tariff taxes, it is seen that they are
not, nor can they be. the direct beneti-
Charles of those taxes. The tariff lays no
tax on the importation OF the foreign
article that completes with the only arti-
Gle these laborcrs have to sell. that is
their labor. The tariff tax is on the i'm
portation of products which compete
only with what the employer has to sell.
1t is the employer. not the laborer: the
capitalist. not the workingman. who is
benefited by protection.
1t is not the great mass of working
men who are benefited by protection,
nor even the 100000 employees in pro-
tected industries. but the employers of
latter alone. The number of en-
does not exceed one-tenth of the
employed: that is, about 10000. and
this number represents the whole body
Of american ~workingmen" for whom
the republican party is so solicitious. 1t
is these 100000 employers who own the
powers of the country, and with
the aid of a republican congress tax the
American people for their own benefit.
1t is another Ease Of the three ~tailors of
street.