The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1894-03-03
Protect American labor.
american Economist.

ing Of factories and the idleness OF Ia
Dor, suggests the imperative necessity
for the adoption Of some course that
Will adequately protect American Ia
Dor from absolute want, and from fur
ther competition III the labor market
which the Free Trade party has 50 dis
astrously caused to be oVersupplied.
1t has been the policy Of the Ameri-
can government for upward of a quar-
ter Of a century TO invite Labor and
settlers from abroad This policy had
built up tile country to an unprece-
dented degree. The large number of
new arrivals created a greater demand
for our home products ana mauufac-
lures, stimulating both Our lands
were opened up and settled upon. The
country grew greater and richer just
SO long as Protection was afforded to
the products of our lands ana looms.
But the very moment that the shad-
oW Of Free-Trade overcast our system
of Protection the condition of the
country and of the people began to
change The terrible effect of the fear
Of the FreeTrade policy Of prostra-
ton was shown, III few short months
by a million idle laborer5 scattered
throughout every state in the union.
Even now those men Who have been
fortunate enough to again secure work
have done 50, in most instances, at a
reduction Of wages. Their earning
power has been lessened, but through
no fault Of their own.
Immediately before the Presidential
election iii 1892, the question of Pro
was worth by the New York Herald,
that Free Trade organ drludng the
voters with one Of its many catchpen-
ny cries Bat nothing has been done
to assist labor The old election cry
was forgotten more than a year ago,
ana the FreeTrade party which the
Herald represented and advocated, i'm
mediately upon its assumption of ad-
minl5tratlve authority began to de
grade and ruin labor ny imposing its
policy of prostration to American lab
or and industries. SO great has been
the injury wrought upon labor by this
policy Of prostration that the Herald
has been compelled to aid in the allie
Walton Of the distress wrought by its
party, by the charitable distribution Of
free clothing.
What does this free clothing mean
It means a direct insult to honest lab
or. Men are not begging for clothes
They are begging for work. The Her
aid and its liz dragged American labor
down to beggary III the interests of
foreign labor. But they have done
nothing and advocated nothing for
American labor since November, 1892
Their ante-elecsion utterances have
vanished Ike vapOr Labor can no
more believe what they say or promise
and does not believe them Why does
not the Herald now prepare and pub
lish an act to prohibit immigration in
the interests of that American labor
which il loves SO well at election time,
but which it merely uses at other
times as an advertising catchpenny to
add coppers to its Golfers?
Labor needs now, more than ever it
has done, the strongest form Of Pro
lection The ruinous policy of pros
tration has ruined and Frustrated
American labor. The immigration of
foreign paupers should be absolutely
prohibited We DO not mean to res
trict immigrants who come here amply
supplied with means 10 settle down on
farms in the west or elsewhere, and
Who VIII make good citizens, but we
do mean the absolute, entire, thorough
and complete restriction and prohibit
tion Of all paupers who come to com
pete directly with the surplus of Amer
lean labor that we do possess such
paupers, especially, IS we ROW see the
large ocean steamship lines are ar
ranging to bring here from Russia and
elsewhere, At reduced rates Of passage.
Let American labor bc rightly pro
tcetcd, we say, and let this protection
be promptly given, as it Is 50 Urgently
needed This is the first political duty
Of the hour 1t i a duty that comes
long before the enforcement of the
IoHcy Of prostration.