The Colored citizen., 1894-09-03
FREE RAW MATERIAL
MISTAKEN IDEAS AS TO TIE MEANING
OF THE TERM.


What Is Called Raw Material" Is Really
q Finished Product of Labor In Some
Form-How We May Compete In the
Markets of the World.
The greatest public discussion held
IN the senate of the United States oo-
cured July 90 over the presidents let
ter, in which he condemned the Demo
crate party for attempting the passage
of tariff bill in which there was ig-
nored in the items of coal: iron and
other articles the Democratic doctrine
of free raw material Senator Hill, i'm
discussing the situation, said:
Upon the question of free raw ma
terials the president is right, and you
know it, You cannot answer his srgu-
ments. You cannot successfully dispute
his propositions. You cannot doubt his
sincerity and patriotism. You must yield
in the end to his views. You cannot
stand up against the sentiment Of the
Democratic masses of the country, which
will rally round the president in this
contest with you upon this particular
branch of the subject. The time to yield
is now, before there is further humilia-
ton, embarrassment and discord."
Whether Democrats may be found
who are able to answer the presidents
arguments, whether people within the
knowledge of Senator Hill are wholly
unable to successfully dispute his propo-
sition, there are some well known facts
that the common people might read
with profit concerning the propositions
which underlie the doctrine Of free raw
material Let MS take tho principal ele-
ments OF cost in manufactured goods,
labor and material. These can be re-
solved into a single one, for material is
but the product of labor. Therefore la
Dor alone is the principal cost Of manu-
factured goods. What is called raw
material" is none the less a finished
product of labor in some form. II all
represents capital in a small degree and
labor in larger sense. But the ques-
ton at issue is the putting Of free raw
materials on the free list SO as to reduce
the cost Of the domestic product by for
eign competition in order to lower the
cost of goods. The foreign manufacturer
has the same access to free raw mate
rials that we have. He is as energetic
and anxious to succeed in holding the
markets of the world as we are to take
these markets from him. We can only
succeed in this sharp competition by the
producing Of these materials at lower
cost, which means wages, for the labor
cost Of all materials must be lessened
il we are to compete with the cheapest
of the countries of the world in open
market The whole question resolves
itself at once into a single proposition
that the country which pays the least
for its raw material is the strongest
competitor in the open markets of the
world If the United States desires to
be that country, there is only one way
to accomplish it-namely, to reduce the
wage until this material can be prepar-
ed at q less price than at which it is
now prepared in Europe, South Ameri-
ca or Asia.
Our people are beginning to learn
that coal is raw material, and yet we
have been confronted within the last
six months with some of the greatest
strikes ever known in our coalfelds for
the purpose of maintaining a mining
rate which is nearly double that paid in
some of the foreign countries. Again,
the cost of transportation OF coal from
Maryland and Virginia to the seaboard
is four times that of the transportation
from the British provinces on the At
lantic coast. The question is, How can
we compete in the open markets of our
own country with raw material in the
form of coal against the cheaper coal
produced by cheaper wages and cheaper
transportation on the seaboard? What is
true of coal may be said to be true of
iron and all other forms of raw mate
rial. Had we not better kept the Nc
Kinley law in force, which has already
demonstrated its ability to give us larger
markets than we could ever hope for
under free trade conditions?