Iron County register., 1893-12-07

PROTECTION LOGIC.
The Great American Principle Perverted
by Maj. Mckinley.
Mckinley, the republican logical
cardidate," and two or three illogical
candidates. including Mckinley. were
the stars at grand jollificaeion meet
ing In Boston the other evening. They
were duly jubilant, dogmatic and
sophistical
Mckinley wished it to be understood
that he was there not to exalt over
fallen foe. but to rejoice lover the ex-
altation of a great American principle"
the principle of general spoliation by
the tariff device for the benefit of the
few. He assumed that this great
principle" was American, although
everyone who has respectable knowl-
edge of history knows that it was a
European principle which the founders
of this republic did not regard with
favor. and which was reduced to prac-
tice in this country only after the benz
efciary interests had acquired a pre-
ponderant political influence. It is
principle of class favoritism which had
its birth and now has it's natural home
under a system of political absolutism.
1t has no logical place where the gov
ernment is professedly based on the
principle of equal rights before the
law. 1t is not an American but a
despotic principle which every people
who claim to be free must reject before
they can be truly free.
Mckinley remarked that capital
must have faith in the future or it
would go into seclusion and refuse to
employ labor. ''lt must be certain that
no legislation is to intervene which
will injuriously affect the goods it
makes or the market in which they
are sold" The protectionists are the
only men who propose and enact legis-
lation to affect in any way the value of
goods and the market in which they
| are sold. They have been legislating
for more than thirty years to increase
the value of some kinds of goods for
the benefit of those who produce them
at the expense of other people who do
not and cannot enjoy any like benefit.
All that the most radical free trader
proposes to do is to repeal this legisla-
ton of class favoritism. All that he
proposes is to stop licensing the ia
vored classes to levy contributions up
on the masses. ALI that he proposes is
to give all classes an equal chance in
the industrial race, showing no favor
by law to any. That is, or ought to
be, "a great American principle" No
people can be truly free unless they ac-
cont nd arr1v that nri p1a
Mckinley favored his Boston audi
ence with the following condensation
of protection logic:
~"There will be less to do at home the more we
| have done abroad. The more free trade we
have the more foreign goods we will have, and
the more of such goods we have in compe tition
with own products. the less will make
at home. and the less We make at home the less
labor will be employed at home, and the less
labor employed at home the less wages will be
paid at home, and the less wages paid at home
the less wages will be spent at home"
The fallacy of all this lies in the as
sumption that when we buy anything
abroad we do not have to produce any
thing with which to pay for what we
buy. The truth is that we must pay
| for everything we buy abroad with a
| domestic product 1t follows that the
| more we have done abroad the more we
| must do at home III order to pay those
| who do for US abroad.
THE more free trade we have the
| more foreign goods we will have. u
| Yes, if we can get the foreign goods
cheaper than domestic goods; that is, if
we can get them for less than the
| products of our own labor, or more OF
| them for the same products of our
labor. But why not? Why are we not
entitled to get as much as anyone any
where is willing to give us for the prod
ucts of our labor? To say that we are
| not is to say that we are not entitled
to liberty. 1t is to say also that we
ought not to be at liberty to dispose OF
our products SO as to realize the most
for ourselves, and therefore the most
for the whole community. The more
we can get for what we produce the
more surplus we will have for the en-
| ployment of labor. Therefore, If the
freest trade will give us the most fol
what we produce. it will give the
fullest employment for labor at the best
wages.
The whole bottom drops out of pro
lection logic the moment we supply
the missing link, which consists in the
simple and obvious fact that we must
pay for what we buy with what we
produce. If we buy more we must
necessarily produce more, and II we
produce more labor must be employed
in the production Free trade would
involve some change of employment,
no doubt, but it would involve no loss
Of employment, while it would result
in no small increase in the enjoyments
which are the end and aim of labor. -
Chicago Herald.
COMMENTS OF THE PRESS.
benjamin Harrison was very
prompt in putting forth his second
term feeler, but he found the country
decidedly chilly,-N. Y. World
1t is we'll enough to remember
that Benjamin Harrison has no
pledged his support to either William
Mckinley or Thomas Brackett Reed. =
Davenport Democrat.
The answer of the ways ant
means committee to McIlinlev's presi
Dental boom has been carefully pre-
pared. It is in line with the verdict.
of the people rendered in 1890 and 1892
IN. Y. World.
Happily there is decided ma
iority in both house and senate fo
tariff reform, and it may be coDsum
mated very early in the coming year
It is good omen of its speedy enact
ment that its foes as we'll as its friends
II Ia