The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-01-31


clings TO the hacks of its victims and the
vigOr with which il spurs them on to
gather more lucious fruits TO satisfy its
rapacity surpasses that OF the little old
man whom Sinbad took upon his back 10
carry across the stream.
Its beneticiaries are never satisfied with
It's returns. The very silence with which
its victims contribute their earnings to
swell their dividends only shaTpens their
appitite for more. Having secured pro-
lection from competition outside, they pro-
coed to form combinations within, TO limit
the output and increase prices, and thereby
eXtort from the consumer his all. lie VINO
does not see in all this the gathering OF
the clouds and hear the rumbling OF the
approaching storm must indeed be both
deaf and blind
Is the wealth in the possession of those
whose labor produced it, or has it passed
power and increase their influence? II is
estimated by reliable statstlcians that to-
that 400 are worth 100000 each. that 400
are worth 100000 each that 1000 are
worth " 10000 each. that 1000 are worth IN
S2,5ooOo0 each, that 5000 are worth 100000
each. and that 1900 are worth $4,000 each,
agEreSating over SS5Q0000000. In brief.
ZOO people out Of 100000 have possession
OF the bulk of the wealth of the country.
It Is striking commentary that thirty
years under a system professedly In the
try, while wealth has been piled mountain
high by few, the workmen's accumula-
them in the midst OF peace and plenty
against the blasts Of one winter.
Had Reached Projections Limit.
When Great Britain in 1910 found her in
dustries languishing. her labor idle, her
treasury empty, and her subjects of taxa
ton exhausted, she had reached the boun-
DIARIES of protection. the limit to which we
arc fast approaching and was forced by
sheer exhaustion to retrace her steps TO
restore her prosperity. The first decisive
step in this direction was the appointment
of a committee on import duties The in
vestigation made by that committee was
complete and unanswerahle. The testi-
mony ELECTED from the witnesses examined
was conclusive.
1T was proved says Mr.. Noble. that
our protected manufactures were precisely
those most subject TO serious fluctuations
and that the system led TO the employment
Of British capital abroad, thus reducing
alike the wages Of labor and profits OF
capital"
The very same results have followed from
the effects of our own laws. Under the
present law number Of American manu-
facturers have established plants abroad.
Where the different parts or pieces of aru-
cleS are made complete with foreign labor
and imported into this country. and only
the work OF adjusting and finishing done
here. Thus the very system which was
intended TO foster the establishments of
plants at home has forced them abroad.
Mr. Chairman a brief history of the
commercial liberation of Great Britain dis
closes 50 many evidences of the absurity
Of protection that 1 doubt IL the most
biased protectionist could scan them with
out becoming fully convinced Of the errors
of his judgment
The reform movement there as here was
opposed by the protected interests at every
step Of its progress. They raised the
alarm at every effort 20 lower duties.
Their labor was threatened with reCfuc-
ton OF wages and with loss OF employ
ment and the already helpless condition
of the work people rendered their pleadings
almost Irresistible Her observation-disclosures
realizing nearly double the prices i'm other
countries for their poducts by reason Of
the protection afforded them, nOtwithstand-
ing the suffering and death from famine,
united against reduction OF duties. claim
ING that If their industry was destroyed
by the cheap production of Germany and
ruined.
They stood side by side with the manu-
[ facturers in the belief that reduction
of duties would destroy them They We're
bind 70 the fact, as the DrOtectionists of
our own country seem to be, that they had
destroyed the home market So completely
by restrictions that prosperity could not be
revived except by striking the shackles
from trade and commerce.
The government had duty of Ga upon
coffee coming from any of the possessions
as against Is Sd on that from foreign
posts. The effect was 10 force shipments
from foreign countries 10 the nearest co.
lonial port, from whence d reshipment
would be made Mr. McGregor cited the
fact that although no coffee was produced
at the Cape OF Good Hope. hfty-seven out
of every one hundred pounds that were
imported from Brazil TO England was car
ried I'm the first instance 10 that port and
even from her own ports foreign coffee
was transported 10 be reimported.
Like all other governments with re-
straints upon trade, she endeavored to
obtain relief by commercial treaties with
other governments. She sent commissions
to France. Belgium, Italy. Switzerland,
Germany and 10 the east. They We're OF
once confronted with the statement that
the duties Of their own government were
prohibitOry. and hence it was upon their
return that they began a reformation. not
Of retaliatory character but in the in
terest of their own people-broad, liberal,
and free.
EnEIand's Trade Reviews.
From this time forward the Industries
of England took on new life: her work
people began 10 ind steady employment;
the repeal OF the corn laws gave TO her
labor cheaper food, and they began to
cope with France and Germany for the
trade of other nations. The revival of
trade enabled the working people TO again
become consumers of the products of ag-
riculture, and the farmers, who thought
they would be ruined by free trade real
tied that with "A return OF prosperity
came healthy market for their products
and a reduction of burdens for the sup
port of the poor that placed them in far
A careful inquiry will show that the
most successful industries have been estab-
lished without protection. When the Brit
ish commissioners were investigating the
condition of other countries they found
that OF all the states which composed the
had been freest. notwithstanding she had
no ports of her own, was far removed
from the markets OF raw UldLtIldi-s ndQ
neither ships nor colonies, and not very
considerable amount OF capital, had COM
paratively outstripped all competitors.
A comparison was made by the German
government in 1881 OF Saxony with France,
showed that in population she was I to
p. in spinning manufactures she was as I
TO 26: I'm looms a. l TO 81. and in stocking
frames she was considerably more than
France herself had eight times more Of
spinning manufactures I'm proportion 10
population; six times mare looms and
twenty-nine times more stocking frames.
Switzerland. with like advantages. al
though her people were 50 disturbed by
the French war that 1t was impossible to
establish manufactures until 1914. with alb
solute freedom of trade, established the
cotton industry and became a competitor
with other nations in the United States
and Brazil.
The chairman Of the committee. I'm his
very able report on the pending measure,
calls attention 10 the fact that
when the proposal was made to inn
pose the protective tariff of 1916. the lead
ing manufacturers Of Rhode Island,
amongst whom was Dir. Slater, the father
of cotton spinning in this country, met at
the counting room OF one of their number
and after deliberate consultation came
had rather be let alone; their business
had grown up naturally ana succeeded
we'll and they felt confident Of its con-
tinued prosperity IL let alone by the gov
eminent"
Mr. Hamilton. in his report on manu-
features in 1890. recommended that the
duty OF cents pound on raw cotton be
repealed. as It was serious impeachment
TO the progress OF those manufactures.
Continuing, he said;
Manufactures of cotton goods not long
since established at Beverly, in Massa-