Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-11

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specific or mixed duties. under which there
are always great undervaluations that de-
prive the government of revenue and re-
move any chance for protection against
foreign industries employing cheaper labor
In view of the fact that every democratic
Secretary of the Treasury from Gallatin to
Manning walker alone excepted has pro-
| tested against ad valorem duties because
| they encourage fraud. nothing but a deter
mination to make war on protection could
have brought about their adoption.
| Notwithstanding some industries are left
| fully protected by this bill. yet the rule has
been to so far reduce duties as to increase
/ foreign competition and importations. in
obedience to the ''revenue-only" theory, with
view of other reductions from time TO
time in the future, until the British free
trade policy is made our own.
The theory which has animated the COM
mittee in framing the bill, although there
are some notable exceptions. is that a pro-
tective duty, ie., duty equivalent to the
difference OF labor cost of production and
distribution here and abroad on an imported
article, where such article can be made
or produced here without natural disad-
vantage, increases the cost to the consumer
| OF the domestic article to the extent of the
duty, and is, therefore, tax which does
net 60 into the treasury and which gives nc
compensating advantage to any one but the
sumption which runs through the entire
argument of the gentleman from West Nir-
ginia in favor of this bill
Consumers and Producers.
This free trade contention-for the tariff
for the revenue only theory rests on free
trade arguments-is based on the mistaken
idea that men are consumers only, and not
producers also 1t uses the term "cost"
only IN its money sense as applied to the
price of products. ASSOCIATED entirely from
the price of labor or service. The true eco
nomic cost of any article is not its cost in
money, but its cost in labor or service.
Strictly speaking. it costs no more to pro-
duce or make an article here than il costs
abroad when no more labor is required here
than elsewhere. 1t viii cost more in money
because q given amount of labor receives
higher wages here than abroad, but IL will
cost no more in labor or service or the pro-
ducts OF labor in which most men ultimate
| ly pay for whatever they buy. Money is
the only medium of making the exchange.
All that a protective duty does is simply
to make the basis of competition here our
high-wage and high-living standard. instead
of the low wages abroad. 1t simply says
20 the foreign manufacturer. You must
pay our government as a duty the differ
ence between our wages and your wages
in the production or manufacture and dis
, tribution of any article which you have
withheld from your labor and which We
have paid ours"
The cost of any article thus manufactured
in this country under protection may be
more in money at particular time, be-
cause of our higher wages. but no more in
labor or service. The money price is made
here by competition without reference to
the duty, provided IL is protective and as
low as 1t can be and pay American wages.
And experience shows that the money price
is gradually reduced here and elsewhere by
the competition thus induced by protection,
so as to be lower than it was when we re-
lied upon foreign manufacturers, and ulti-
mately lower when measured by labor or
service than anywhere in the world.
Domestic and Foreign Goods.
The gentleman from West Virginia Ofr.
WILSON, asserts that his theory of the effect
of a protective duty is that the tariff of 1880
increased the tax on all the wooden goods
used in this country $50 every 500
worth. and the tax on cotton goods 81 on
each 500. and so on. when the fact is that
whatever increase was made in the duties
on imported goods in these schedules by
that tariff has not affected the price of
wooden and cotton goods in this country at
all, for the reason that we use mainly do
mestic goods on which there is no tax or
duty. Woolens were per cent cheaper the
year after these duties were increased than
they were the year before. because the in
crease of duties gave our domestic manu-
facturers a large market and enabled them
to reduce the cost of manufacture. The
q
majority have built their tarirf-wrecking
scheme fails to square with the facts The
tariff of 1890 reduced the duty on pine lum-
Der 81 per thousand, but the price here was
unchanged, the Canadian lumber dealers
and timber land owners raising their prices
as much as the duty was reduced.
Under the protective policy, which has
prevailed in this country for more than
thirty years, We have become the greatest
manufacturing country in the world, and
the most prosperous one in the family Of
nations; and labor has received the highest
reward ever known in any country wages
having advanced Is per cent in purchase
power since 1860 Instead of being a tax
that increases the burden of consumers
ana robs them. protection is a wise and
beneficent policy which benefits laborer and
mechanic, farmer and trader and every
class of our people.
PrOphesying Evils.
One year ago. or until 1t was known that
the democratic party was soon to come
into power in every department in the gov
eminent, pledged to overthrow the pro-
tective policy under which prosperity had
SO long prevailed, our industries were all
fiourishing, everybody employed at the high
est wages ever known and activity and
happiness everywhere prevailed. The an
ticipation of early revolutionary and de-
structive changes in our tariff policy, en-
bodied in the pending bill, have caused
| everybody to distrust the future and pre-
pare for the worst. Industries are para
| lyzed, mills are running short time on
reduced wages and millions of suffering
workingmen out Of work are walking our
streets.
The democratic majority. needless of the
circumstances coming from all classes In
! all parts of the country, and deaf TO the
| protest Of the people in the recent cleo
| tons. are hurrying forward their scheme of
| warfare on domestic industries under the
| mistaken idea that they received a commits
sion In 1892 to enact into law the tariff