Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-02-10


work so. After the act of 1890 large ina
portations in anticipation OF large profits
anticipations frustrated by the barring fail
ure panic, made great changes in the case
/ Many prices did not rise at all, and vel
manufacturers, knowing that there would
be a certainty at least that they could moi
/ be badly undersold, began work
A Fighting Chance.
] It often happens that men will begiI
manufacturing under tariff that does moi
| raise prices because they know that such
tariff will prevent them from going down.
1t is not enough to have goods in the nat
ural market at price which will bring {
| profit. The manufacturer must know thai
| the industrial enemy cannot force the prize
below the range of profit Then without
any increase he may put up plant. Thi.
| operation Of a tariff which does not rails,
| the price isbecause industrial warfare some
! times assumes this shape. A rival maker
may sacrifice his goods in order to sacritic,
another mans factory or to prevent the es
| Enlistment of competitor. If there be {
tariff then which will not raise prices, hui
1 which will maintain them, then the nativ,
manufacturers risk in building factory /:
| limited. He may he put to hard struggle
but he cannot be beaten out of hand. HI
will have a fighting chance.
There are. however, so many instance.
where the foreigner pays the tax that there
| Is no wonder that the assertion has been
made broadcast The Bermuda vegetable
men appeared before this very committee
TO urge this very fact. Canada, both under
the present law and just after the repeal
of the reciprocity act, is n multitudinous
witness all along our borders that the for
eigner pays the tax. venture to say that
the lumber tax, lowered by the act OF 1890,
has all of il gone out Of our treasury into
Canadian pockets.
IL would be an interesting chapter 10
economic history il we could have n tx.
ures the abatement OF foreign prices which
have followed every increase 81 the tariff,
I for il would show what enormous profits
, have been made out Of us by these people
when no protection existed.
Having thus shown that even where tar.
! in taxes arc paid BY the foreigner aud the
price not raisel there may be- some proicc.
ton. let rs face the question whether,
where the price l. raised sud the consumer
pays the whole tax ~ a part Of 70. there Is
any benefit to our country thereby. Does
NOT the public suffer Cor the benefit u the
few Not Goa the lreneht % the capitalist.
I for Ia the hong run your own political econ.
ony viii show you that prutsCted Industries
will nor obtain any greafrr remuneration
than the unprotected d De same - al they
ask Cor and more than they often get.
Protection Establsshes Industries.
The public again DO not suffer Tor the
sake Of the employers Of the protected In.
dustries, for they get no higher wages than
/ the unprotected. In fact. the Increase goes
10 one A. much a. the other Who built
the mills ~ Fall River, Who made the
! machinery Who furnish the provisions
and the other consumshlc wealth which
Fall River and its mills demandt The an,
swer must be, the whole United States
But" says my questiOuer. Iii you only
distribute this money which was taken
| from us for the extra price among ~ all
again who paid it, what Is the goodi' II
that were all there was TO IL. | could still
answer that at least there was no loss But
beyond question this system establishes
diversified industries. Nobody can doubt
that. Diversified industries call out all the
working powers Of the world. Some men
are fitted for one thing, some for another
The only way to utilize all the powers OF
body and mind in nation is to have some
thing which suits all. BY this means the
great army Of the unemployed can be kept
down. A nation which keeps its people
employed is in the end sure to show the
largest gains even of wealth. Diversified
industries educate the people and give them
a broader education than books can give
and so help them on the road TO greater
civilization. We have already seen that
greater civilization leads to higher wages,
to greater production. In country of high
wages there are greater Inducements for in
ventors, for they can save more by their in.
ventions, which are therefore more readily
adopted
We were talking awhile ago about higher
wages. The question naturally comes up
How can these higher wages be got2 There
must be something for them 10 come from
Just think moment what wages are They
are the devourers OF eonsumable wealth
In order to have more consumable wealth
you must have an incentive for its creation
Wealth will never be made unless con.
sumner stands ready More consumablc
wealth. therefore. depends upon broaden
ing market. This have already shown
does not mean more purchasers, but pur
chasers with better purses, though for that
matter in this country we have both
But how can you make more wealth with
the same number of workers? BY using
the forces Of nature and by utilizing human
brains. How can you do thatf by inceu
tiyes. The brain no more works without
incentive than the body does.
Necessity the Mother of Invention.
To bear the discussions in congress you
would suppose that invention dropped from
heaven, like mama To the jews. iou
would suppose that James Watt reached
out into the darkness and pulled back
| steam engine. IL WAS not 10. All invention
! is the product Of necessities and OF pressure
When the boy who wanted to 10 off TO play
and 50 rugged the stopcocks that the engiu,
went itself. he WAS not only true inventor
1 but he had the same motiye-bis persona
adyantage-that all inventors have. and
like them was urged on by business neces
sites
What originated Bessemer steel - Sil
| Henry Bessemeri No. but the necessities
| Of railroads which would. every one % them
been bankrupt without steel rails. II Si
Henry had not invented the process, some
1 body else would. Ii detracts not one iots
from the fame OF Alexander Bell that
! dozen men were close on his track IL La.
been so in every great invention. / say
/ therefore. that it is the diyersiication o
our industries that has stimulated inven
| tions. Otherwise ali the inventive powe
/ of America would have run to waste. anC
! when man calculates the wonders o
| American inventive genius be know
/ where soma of our wealth comes from
| As further proof that invention il born
| Of necessity. tell me why great invention
/ never come until the world is In such shap,
as to enjoy tbemi What would the crusa
/ ders have done with railroads. There wa
/ not money enough in the world or travel o.
merchandise to keep them going q week.
And this brings me to another fact. y,
| invention is worth its salt which does no
have increased consumption behind it
1 Take the very case OF railroads. Are rail
roads economieaii Certainly, you reply
They caQ carry passengers for half cen
/ a mile, for quarter Of a cent, and New
4 York hack will cost you s., and even lum
bering coach may cost you 10 cents. q
/ course II Is economical" But suppose yos
/ had only a stageload 10 carry every day
would it pay to build a railroad and wOuit
that conveyance be cheap Hardly. IoJ
i can make an AK handle with a machine il
/ two seconds; without, in three hours.
/ would pay TO build a machine 70 max,
/ 100000 AK handles. but not to make one
Protection Gives Money and Men.
The gentleman from Illinois M Black
I has noticed that men come here, and b.
I does not want them to come. Hence be
I willing that our wages shall be lowered u
I keep people away. Well, this is not tbl
time 10 discuss immigration. But Will
people are coming am glad they have no
/ vet lied the a,enflsman,a ideas AM