St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-08
TARIFF AND woRkINGMEN
How Il Is Viewed by One OF the
Wage Farmers

VI ElLteQ LOr the OlODe-
Alexander Hamilton, the father of
protection in this country. never pre-
tended that his policy was designed to
help the workingmen. His prime OBJ
Ject, as before stated. was 10 annul as
far as might be the rights guaranteed
TO the masses in the constitution, and to
establish a permanent aTistocracy by
means of his financial policy.
He argued that the special encourage
ment OF manufactures would promote
the division of labor; an extension of
the use OF machinery; emigration from
foreign countries; the furnishing
greater scope Tor the diversity of talents
and dispositions which discriminate
men from each other; more ample and
various field for enterprise; creating, i'll
some instances. new, and securing in
all more certain and steady demand
for the surplus produce of the soil. His
was too keen an intellect not to recog-
nize the intrinsic business and de-
STABILITY of free trade, which he
states with the utmost clearness,
and expresses regret that the conduct
of nations had not been more generally
governed thereby, as there is room 10
suppose that ii might have carried them
faster to prosperity and greatness than
they have attained by maxims too wide
IL opposite" He argued for his pro-
tective scheme solely as a temporary
eXpediency. justified and made deSIr-
able by the peculiar circumstances gov
erning the then new country and the
policy anu attitude Of other nations.
Had his liberty-ioving colaborerS on our
new political edIfice foreseen the class
legislation and the perverslon of gov
ernmentai functions which have re-
suited, Hamilton's policy of encourag-
ing manufactures would have been sat
down upon as effeetually as were his
designs tor monarchy, and to embody
class distinctions in the constitution.
The founder OF the so-called Ameri-
can system or protection argued that it
was good that women and children
should be employed III factories. lie ap-
prOYingly cites the fact that nearly four
seventies of the number OF persons em-
plOyed in the cotton manufactures of
Great Britain were women and children,
''of whom the greatest proportion are
children, and mauy of them of tender
age" and desired this state of affairs
for the United States. This desire has
been fulfilled. Our factories nave been
filed with women and children "of
tender age" until one state after
another. at the instigation of organized
labor. has interfered in the interest OF
humanity.
Another feature upon which Hamil-
toh laid stress was the promotion Of
emigration from foreign countries
Like all the beneficiaries of protection
since his day, he believed not merely in
free labor" but in assisted immigra-
ton, and predicted that if ''manufact-
ures were encouraged as hs suggested,
foreigners-nOt Americans-would fill
our workshops" And so they did. By
the efforts, mainly, OF the trade union
lists. the contract labor law" was
passed, TO counteract the evils of an eX-
| tensiYe unassimiiated industrial popu-
lation. Here is presented the anomaly
of workingmen generally acQniescing in
! the absurd proposition that protective
tariff is q measure III their interest, and
/ at the same time demanding special
/ legislation to protect them from the
| evils which il entails upon them.
| WOrkingmen cannot enjoy material
prosperity while they grope about in
/ economic blindness. Our conditions are
| determined by our understanding of
ernments aud institutions OF mankind
! are but the reflex OF the aggregate
! thought and character. We're it pos
! sible to wipe out every vestige Of mate
| rial prosperity and overturn every form
| of government and association in sim
! gle night, leaving the present body OF
humanity IN a prlm6yai condition. they
| would Immediately set about reproduc.
| ing the conditions and things which eX-
! listed the day previous. The ineyhaust
| IDLE bounties of nature being still &C
! cessibie. the men with wheels in theil
! heads" would set themselves to repro
ducing the machinery and factories.
| Every man wouid apply himself to CIV
| ing tangible expression to the thought
which dominated his being. Our pres.
| ent civilization, our cities. our railways
our printing presses, our churches, ouI
! poverty, our inequitably distributed
! riches. our JOYS and our miserieS-al
| would again spring into being as by
! magic. Fog man can only bring forth
or give form to that which has prior
existence in his mind.
a striking illustration OF the truth oil
| this is found IN the streets or the cities
| of St. Louis. st. Paul and Philadelphia
All three of these cities had their be-
| ginnings before land was monop0lized
| by private ownership. and in fixing the
width OF their streets the price of real
| estate was not determining factor
The first streets of st. Louis were LAID
! out by Frenchmen, / believe. They
carried in their minds narrow streets
| suen as they had been used to in tbs
old country. and conformed the streets
OF the new city thereto. In the case Of
st. Paul, have seen il stated that the
| first streets we've surveyed By
three cross-eyed Frenchmen; but
as this is manifestly 9 slur upon