Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-22

general distribution that the world has ever
seen This has not been all owing to the
ton of It,
and useful part in this distribution Men in
general who employ labor are no more nat
uraily disposed to pay high wages under
tarin than those who exploit the laboring
man unoer free trade, but the tariff by
giving steady employment under the in
nuence OF sure market, by establishing
the organization of industry under the
factory system. has given to organized la
which 1t has demanded distributors fund
SO great that it could never have been
equaled or even been approached in the
comparatively isolated life which the un-
have given us as a people
Uses of Protection.
Protection has established the clusters
OF great manufacturing and working CEN
tiers. which have given railroads the posi-
bility Of existence, which no scattered pop
ulation could ever have created. The rail-
roads which these great manufacturing
towns and their need of transportation Of
freight have built are sources of enjoyable
wealth which are not confined to the pro-
tected industries, but are spread through
all the business of the United States and
inure to the comfort ana happiness Of all
the people.
lake one example from this very bill.
Bitumlnous coal Is one of the great INDUS
tries which are developing the state of
" est Virginia; upon 1t the welfare OF that
state largely depends, SO its democratic
governor testifies, and many of its most re-
spectacle citizens, including an ex-Senat tor
OF hOnored name. Is that development con-
fined to that state alone? BY no means.
With the addition of the coal fields of old
Virginia the Norfolk and Western and the
Chesapeake and Ohio obtain from these
mines a very valuable freight in transport
ing coal to the seaboard From other BIZ
luminous coal fields the Baltimore and Ohio
and even the great Pennsylvania road OBJ
tain no inconsiderable part of their freight
IF the coal be made free there will be
fierce competition with the coal Of Nova
Scotia, and not only will the mines of West
Virginia, of old Virginia and Pennsylvania
suffer- but the great railroads will suffer Sc
verely also. To be sure, these are corpora
ttons without souls, but the stocks and
bonds are owned by people with souls, I'M
less modern political infidelity should de-
termine otherwise
Whether Nova Scotia coal would offer
any relief to New England manufacturers
II 1t were separate measure Is a matter
much in dispute. but that 1t would give
them any relief adequate to the damage
this bin win do them is not in dispute
at all.
without being guilty of that attempt to
press the question into nutshell. which is
the bane of economic discussion, II may be
hrfanV S"fd that every product which goes
tn market must meet every like product on
equal terms. If in the United States there
are higher wages and a higher cost of cap
ital there must be such barriers against
goods from abroad as will eoualize these
higher costs. the products OF the United
States cannot be sold except at loss.
Sales at a loss cannot long continue.
Reduction of Revenues.
The report then proceeds to discuss ques-
lions Of wages and consumption. urges the
objections made to ad valorem duties holds
that the bill reported will act as an injury
to the government by reducing revenues, as
well as to the producer. Speaking Of the
bill as a revenue raiser. the report says:
1T decreases the revenue according to the
calculations usually made by the Treasury
Department. as compared with 1898. about
$74, 900, 600 This large deficit coming as II
does upon a depleted treasury, is rather ap-
palling in a bill for revenue only. How this
great hole in our resources, a nation, Is
to be filled no one knows. At this date not
even the committee knows ITSELF unless the
President, anticipating in his message to
Congress the report of the committee en-
ways and means, shall afford to the COM
mittee itself its wished-for ciew.
Against the consideration Of such a bill.
creating such a deficit and leaving 1t I'M
accounted for, the minority vainly protested
when the bill was laid before the committee.