The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-05-20
PROTECTION ITS FOUNDATION.

The Minneapolis Times dosen't like
the position the FREE PRESS takes
upon the tariff question. This is not
to be wondered at because the Times
is an advocate Of the free-trade-tariff-
Observation-Disclosures of De-
mocracy. Some of the facts in regard
to the actual workings of the McKln-
ley law which have been given in the
FREE PRESS have worried the Times
more or less. and it has picked them
up, found it could do nothing with
them, talked little about something
else and then dropped the subject.
A few days ago the FREE PRESS
commented to some extent upon re-
mark made by the Times that if Pres
ident Harrison was renominated it
would be because no other leading
Republican can be found who is will
ing to come forward and attempt to
carry the load of McKinleyism."
The remarks of the FREE PRESS were
confined entirely to showing that
''the load of McKinleyism" was not
a heavy one to carry; that the fire.
quently repeated assertion of the free
traders that wages were lower and
prices higher under the new tariff law
was not true, and in doing so quoted
OF vi
to the effect that never in the history
of the country were wages as high as
at present, nor the prices of goods as
low. AS the Times could not consci-
entiouSly overcome this statement, it
contented itself with whining because
the FREE PRESS did not quote Mr..
Atkinson further and show the real
cause for the higher wages and lower
prices, and says we garbled Mr.. At
kinsOn in order to make out case.
The FREE PRESS did nothing of the
kind. 1t was simply showing that the
so-called 1''load of McKinleyism"
did not exist, and quoted Mr. Atkin-
son simply to show that wages were
not lower nor prices of goods higher
than before the Mckinley law took
effect, as papers of free trade ten
denotes like the Times are continually
asserting. The Times does not dis
pute Mr.. Atkinson'S assertions in the
least, but it simply makes a further
quotation from that gentleman's ar
ticle in an attempt to show that pro-
lection has had nothing to do in
bringing about higher wages and low
er prices. This quotation Immediate
ly follows his statement in regard to
wages and prices, and is as follows:
Hence, so far as our experience goes
in dealing with the great flood of i'm
migration which has poured in upon
US in increasing measures during
these twenty-five years, greater in the
last ten years than ever before, all
the facts and conditions would tend
to prove that we might invite it's con-
tlnuance, so far as it consists of the
intelligent and capable who constitute
by far the greatest portion, rather
than impose taxes to keep the intelli-
gent and capable from coming here to
improve their condition. We now
have specific and absolute data in re-
Spect to manufactures, the mechanic
arts and mining. going to prove that,
through the application of science and
inventions in these specific directions
those who do the actual work, in the
sense in which the workman uses that
phrase in lessening number of hours
and il less ardouS effort secure con-
stantly advancing wages, increased
purchasing power, better food and
more Of it, more clothing, if not quite
as good on account of the obstruction
tC the import Of wool, and also out
side OF few cOngeSted districts in the
cities, better shelter at lesseniug cost
to the occupant.
This the Times effects to believes is
a complete REPUTATION of the Republi-
can idea in regard to protection has
accomplished. In fact, however, it
does not shake the principle of pro-
tect!on a particle. 1t will be noted
that Mr.. Atkinson states that the in
crease Of wages and decline of prices
has been brought about by the "appli-
cation of science and invention"
But if we had had no protection laws
science and invention would never
have been called into play, for there
would have been no competition here
to have stimulated them. Apparent
ly they are the cause, but the real
cause lies much deeper and is embodi-
ed in our protective legislation. The
Times agrees with Mr.. Atkinson that
for the past twenty years there has
been steady advance in wages and a
decline in the prices of goods because
of the application of science and in
yention thereby contradicting it's
assertions in regard TIC the Mckinley
law, but instead Of this effectively
desposing' of the protective idea as
the Times weakly attempts to make
out, it strongly affirms it.
The rain makers are not in public
favor just at present.
-
IN spite of Director Holman it looks
as though this would be billion-dol-