Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-12-28

necessary 'or ine " he United States all of this
Inc haan Accompanied By the neareSt approae er
to general distribution that ahe Wing to the
seen. This has not been al o"l heen - the
tariff t; ont Of t. Labor organizations h aye
piaye;a ~ sle Men in general who employ LABOR
ul us more naturally disposed to pay h1Sn
Syaoes under tariff than those WIo "a ptaya Nv
NAN under tree trade; but the tai ~, y!
aboflng lii ~ anpnloynlent under the influence
- s7,sa market by establishing the ofealn ~
+;on of industry under the factory system nrs
given to organized labor me ad1eamanded dis
trbution-a fund so great that II coll GUY -; the
have been eaualed or even appfoac.nIeu ,,nnro-
comparatively isolated ne Will ,ia ho We given
tected industries, taken aioiie' w."
us as people. MOVIE
Protection has established the clusters OF sleas
,,,n.,s,nt,,rino and working centers Wnlcli
have giyen railroads the 81 1ar
whic6 no scattered population coula ever a,,re
created The railroads when tae5 3rs nsnortatlon
factl1ring towns and their need OF I
of freight have built sources OF e llJoaapaSg
wealth which are not confined 70 . LUZ the hist
ass If he I1nited States and inure to the com
fort fort - and happiness Of all the he people on
Take one example of lfg bituminous coal
s one Of the great Industries which is develop
ing the state Of West Virginia: upon !! .u n We
fare of that state largely depends ~ If it's most
respectable citizens, including an ex-sena.Gr ~
honored name Is that development Gouhu 1e
to that state alone , By no 81 f old Virginia the
Norfolk & Western and the CHesa pe1anno tainht
obtain from those mines very valuanle - ti
in transporting coal to the seaboard. rIoli; o
hit1minous coal fields the Baltimore d ONO anu
even the great Pennsylvania road OBTAIN ny III ~
considerable part of their freight IL coai ; ~
made free there will be fierce competltloHI , t
the coal Of Nova Scotia, and not only VIII the
mines of West Virginia OF Ola lrsllllH ~ iii
Pennsylvania suffer, but the great rallrotus W.
fTfN hn
porat tons without souls but the stock anu ootus
are owned by people with souls, unless mou lta
political intdeity should determine otl is M w.
Free raw ma terlals to these people "ouio "
sweet boon indeed!
Low TARIFF AND WAGES. .e
What exact effect the proposed chanSe OF laLlil
would have on the general rate Of wages in the
country can only be determined py actual tcs.,
but it is not difficult to see that 1t VIII pc very
dustres directly affected the result to be antcl-
pated seems to be very ceac 10 those OF US
who believe in protection 1T seems peyoalu ui is
p,lte that the acknowledged rise in wages III
this country has been caused by protectlon as
the great stimulator of Invention ana progress.
The committee, however, probably believe the
contrary That higher wages exist however, or
did exist before this bill threatened the coun-
try. cannot be disputed. That these wages
wages of foreign countries can hardly
be successfully questioned. No doubt other
causes, like the low grade Of civilization check.
ing enterprise and substituting the contens
which prevails in the East for a daily lncfeas-
ing demand for new luxurles soon to become
necessities may contribute to prevent the tull
effect of foreign wages upon our markets, yet as
against foreign factories, which nave all our
capacity for obtaining new machinery ana
which have accumulations of capital far great
or than our own, the tariff is the greater main
tainer of wages. Without being guilty OF that
attempt to press the question into nut-shen'
which is the bone Of economic, discussion,
it may be briefly said that every
product which goes to market must meet
every other like product on equal terms II in
no cd Mat
higher cost of capital there must be such bar
rers against goods from abroad as viii equallze
these higher costs or the products OF the united
States cannot be sod except at a loss Sales alta
loss cannot last long. There is also constant
demand for lower prices, which demand has to
be listened to in a country always striving to-
ward d higher plane of civilization. We have,
therefore, before always three problems
wages to be main tanned hours of labor to be
lesSened, and prizes to be lowered. Not one, but
all. .a. .,.
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
It is true that invention at once keeps pace
with and regulates the demand for higher
wages and lower prices and few hours, which
are the conditions of our higher plane of civil
izaton, but it cannot do more. 1t cannot meet
in addition the lower prices of a lower level of
civilization. Our inventions are too quickly alb
sorDed by foreign countries to permit this
Hence the result Of refusal to protect
labor at its present rates must result in lower
wages. This seems capable of rough demon
stratIon. Our goods are now met by for
a price made up of raw materials,
plus labor and plus the present rate of
tariff on very nearly equal terms. If the tariff
element be lowered then something must be
lowered on cur side, and i'll the last analysis it
will be labor and capital in the long run. for
loss to capital Is also a loss to labor, for capital
employs labor and lost ca pital sets no machinery
III motion. We must, then. meet the reduction
petitors, bya reduction Of the price Of labor
Time was when lower prices and higher wages
were secuted as incompatible and absurd and as
things that could not exist together but to-day
both recognized reason demands when
reasonably limited. Lover prices will take care
Of themselves and so will higher
wages ii they are not interiered with by compe-
ttion from regions where the different social
status causes laborers to be content with lesser
self ii you look after the producer, Tor he is one
and the same individual. But while this bin in
its principle, if it has any, is rot unprotectve it
viii be absolutely so in practice, not only in its
direct reductions but also in it's indirect reduc-
tons sure to come from the change from specific
duties to ad valorem, which is marked feature
OF the bill
THE AID NALoaEN SYSTEM.
An ad vaiore,n duty, as the name implies is
one which varies according to the price II
prices could be exactly determined nothing
would seem TO be tairer than an adj yalore,n
duty. But. unfortunately prices are very much
matters OF opinion on which honest men may
differ much and rOyHes much more. Inasmuch
as the duty depends on the price a cheat on
TIE price Is q cheat on the duty. Ii piece
OF goods is wort' Sc yar, and the duty is s. per
cent, the correct duty is sl.5o If the price be
1nvolccti at - IL yard ana the fraud be not
detected, the duty collected becomes 81 Is and
the ad valcfem, which seems to be 25 per cent
becomes about per cent. and not ouly is
the government cheated out of a quarter of u
dollar. but the manufacturer is cheated out
OF one fifth of the protection his government has
promised him. This, therefore, is not theory
1t is within the experience of every merchant
that mat goods which cannot be purchased at all in
Europe can be purchased. duty paid in New
York at lower prices than like goods can be
purchased by the honest merchant who values
the'n at their true market value and paws the
duty demanded by the government And vet
these al valorem duties thus Objectionable have
increased in number everywhere being substi
t1lted in nearly all the schedules for specific
duties ~
Nfi'>oS BILL. AS A REVENUE RAISER.
how the blll Will act as a revenue raiser and
now 1t can act as an injury to the government
ana the producer both together, is well exem
pinned IN the changes made in the pottery
schedule only an amount equal to twofilths
VI lne amount OF the imports are made here, val