The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-02-16

! 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 committees
TO urge this very fact. Canada, both under
the present law and Inst after the repeal
of the reciprocity act, is multitudnous
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.
4 has all of it gone out of our treasury into
4 Canadian pockets.
\ It would be an interesting chapter in
+ economic history if we could have in fig
I ures the abatement OF foreign prices which
have followed every increase OF the tariff,
I for it would show what enormous profits
! have been made out Of us by these people
1 when no protection existed.
( Having thus shown that even where tar
4 in taxes are paid by the foreigner and the
I price not raised there may be some protec-
I ton, let us face the question whether,
! where the price is raised and the consumer
I pays the whole tax or part of it, there is
4 any benefit TO our country thereby. Does
not the public suffer for the benefit Of the
/ few9 Not Tor the benefit of the capitalist,
/ for in the long run your own political econ
omy will show you that protected industries
will not obtain any greater remuneration
than the unprotected. The same is all they
ask for and more than they often get
Protection Establishes Industries.
The public again do not suffer for the
sake of the employees of the protected in
dustries, for they get no higher wages than
the unprotected. In fact, the increase goes
to one as much as the other Who built
the mills Of Fall RiverS Who made the
machinery? Who furnish the provisions
! and the other consumable wealth which
Fall River and its mills demandS The an
swer must be, the whole United States
But" says my questioner, "if you only
distribute this money which was taken
from us for the extra price among US all
again who paid it, what is the good9' II
| that were all there was to it, could still
answer that at least there was no loss. But
beyond a 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
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 a 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.
Wewere talking awhile ago about higher
wages The question naturally comes up,
How can these higher wages be got9 There
must be something for them to come from.
Just think a moment what wages are. They
are the devourers of consumable wealth.
In order to have more consumable wealth
you must have al incentive for it's creation.
Wealth will never be made unless a con-
sumner stands ready. More consumable
, wealth, therefore, depends upon broaden
ing market. This l 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 incen-
tives. The brain no more works without
incentive than the body does
Necessity the Mother of Invention.
To hear the discussions in congress you
would suppose that invention dropped from
heaven, like mamma to the Jews. You
would suppose that James Watt reached
out into the darkness and pulled back a
steam engine. 1t was not So All invention
is the produces Of necessities and OF pressure.
When the boy who wanted to 30 off to play,
and SO rugged the stopcoeks that the engine
went itself, he was not only q true inventor,
but he had the same motive-his personal
advantage-that all inventors have. and
like them was urged on by business neces-
stiles.
What originated Bessemer steel - Sir
Henry Bessemer? No, but the necessities
of railroads which would, every one OF them,
been bankrupt without steel rails II Sir
Henry had not invented the process, some
body else would. IL detracts rot one iota
from the fame of Alexander Bell that a
dozen men we're close on his track. Ii has
been SO III every great invearion. | say,
therefore, that il is the diversiicatiOn OF
our industries that has stimulated inven.
tons. Otherwise all The inventive power
of America would have run TO waste, and
American inventive' genius he knows
where some of our wealth comes from
As a further proof that invention is born
of necessity, tell me why great inventions
never come until the world IL in such shape
as to enjoy thems What would the crusa-
ders have done with railroads. There was
not money enough in the world or travel or
merchandise TO keep them going "a week.
And this brings me to another fact. No
invention is worth it's salt which does hot
have increased consumption behind it.
Take the very case of railroads. Are rail
roads economical! Certainly you reply
"They can carry passengers for half cent
a mile, for quarter of a cent, and New
York hack will cost you ", and even lum-
bering coach may cost you 10 cents. OF
course it is economical" But suppose you
had only stageload to carry every day,
would it pay TO build n railroad and would
that conveyance be cheap Hardly. You
can make an AK handle with machine in
two seconds; without, in three hours. It.
would pay 10 build machine to make
1000, 900 AK handles, but not to make one.