Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-01-04
DISASTROUS PROTECTION.
A Policy That Has Brought Hard Time,
Upon the Country.

a Policy Th0e HAS Br0uGne HofQ Ilm09
Upon tho Country.
An esteemed correspondent and long
time subscriber Of the Free Press
writes: ''Your story of the banker who
made his cashier stand the shorts be-
cause he took the overs is good one.
1t is probably fair retort upon those
advocates Of high tariff who have
claimed that all our prosperity was the
result of carrying out their doctrine to
say that the doctrine should be held re-
sponsible for the distress as well But
do understand you to contend that
protection really is responsible for the
present condition of things? If I rec
ollect right-and have read your pa
per pretty carefully-you have con-
tended always that protection was not
the cause of our prosperity. You are
not bound, if the protectionist is, to
admit that it is the cause of adversely.
Do you really think it tsp" In the
article to which our correspondent re-
fers we did not express any opinion as
to the influence which the protective
policy and high tariffs had had in
bringing about the lamentable condi-
ton of things from which the country
is suffering. We aimed to show merely
that the advocates of protection were
precluded by their past claims as to the
controlling influence of their policy
from denying it's responsibility for pres
ent conditions That we made the
point clear is apparent from the con-
cession of our correspondent, who is, 1T
is scarcely necessary to say, prOtec-
ZIONIST, though not an ultra one.
We have, however. no hesitation in
declaring that the protective policy
which has been SO long pursued In this
country is very largely responsible for
the present woeful condition of our
business We have never conceded
that this policy was the creator of pros
perity. it is true; but that fact surely
does not preclude us from claiming
that it is responsible for adversely.
No intelligent person who will con-
slider the facts can fail to reach the
conclusion that it is responsible. Not
only is our present condition very
largely the outcome of the protective
policy. carried out in such enactments
as the Mckinley tariff, but it was
inevitable from the first that it should
be the outcome. It Is the purpose of
protective tariffs to stimulate produc-
ton in manufactures. and that has all
ways been it's primary effect. One OF
the first of the resulting consequences
has been the diversion of labor from
the country to the town with the incl
dental effect Of enhancing the farm la
borer's wages and the workingman's
wages as well, because these are prac-
tically fixed either high or low by the
prevailing rate Of farm wages. For q
time there is apparent prosperity. All
the mills and factories are running at
high pressure to secure for each the
largest possible share of the profits
guaranteed by the exclusion of foreign
competition through the tariff. It is
soon found, however, that the over
stimulus of the tariff has resulted
in overproduction. Prices 60 down.
and the protectionist points to
this fact exultantly as one Of
the benefits of his policy. They
continue to go down, however, until
there is no profit for the manufactures.
Wages are lowered. Mills stop. Work.
men are thrown out of employ. Men
city what would have bought them q
IOTLy" acre 1aTIu III LuS country uuO
themselves without the means Of sub
sistence; and after brief struggle
with pride, suffering and imminent
starvation compel them to appeal for
help to their more fortunate neighbors
or to public charity. There are hum
dreds of thousands of men in the cities
of the land who but for the ubiquitous
protection policy would be in the pos
session of comfortable homes on farms
of their own. They would be poor,
perhaps; but they and their families
would be in no danger of starvation or
pauperization. Other cases have un-
questionably contributed to the pres
ent depression; but the protective poll
icy and its browning abomination, the
Mckinley tariff, have their full share
of responsibility. It was inevitable
that they should have. The results
which have followed were predicted
when the measure was pending and
after it passed. The country was con-
vinced before the Mckinley act had
been in force year that its tendency
was toward disaster. The people rose
against it Twice at the ballot box
they condemned it, and yet. notwith-
standing this condemnation and the
sad showing that it was merited. there
are those who insist that the doom de-
creed against McKinleyism shall not