St. Paul daily globe., 1894-02-26
TARIFF AND woaK,NGMEN
How 1t Is Viewed by One OF the
Wage .:arners.
for the GIohn

Written for the Globe.l
Abraham Lincoln said: You can
fool all the people part of the time, aud
you can fool part of the people all the
time, but you can't fool all the people
all the time"
In an interview after the election last
fall, ex-Gov. Merriam said to news
paper reporter that the average voter
voted with his stomach; that good
crop was worth $4,000 votes to the dom
inant party in this state. and vice versa.
But he qualified this assertion by fol-
lowing it with the statement that per-
sons having the public welfare at heart
should nevertheless not allow them
selves to become disheartened or to de-
spair of the ultimate triumph of right
principles.
For years the politicians of this couu-
try have been acting on the principle
that all the people can be fooled all the
time, and that a majority of the voters
Will always let their Stomachs do their
thinking for them.
Originally, protection was not pre-
tended to be for the benefit Of the wage
workers. nor for the masses of the
people. Alexander Hamilton, the
father of our protective tariff. was an
ariStocrat, and his aim was TO establish
an ariStOcratic rather than democratic
republic, and to assure to the property
OF the country the control of the gov
crnment. He believed in classes. and
urged his scheme of protection for the
purpose of creating ''a strong and, so
far as was possible and judiclous,
permanent class all over the country,
without regard to existing political
Affiliations, but bound TO the govern
ment as government by the strongest
of all ties-mmediate anG personal
pecuniary interest. Aristocrat that he
was. Hamilton was frank and honest,
and never endeayored to deceive as to
the end he chad in view. His aim was
the permanent domination of capital
He had been unable to Introduce class
influence into the constitution. but he
succeeded by his financial policy in es-
tabllshing. moneyed supremacy.
Up to this time, this class has been
powerful enough to keep the question
of free trade out Of the political arena.
While the masses were not originally
considered i'll formulating the protective
Scheme-were, III fact. designed to be
held in subjugation by means of it
the masses had votes, aud there was
danger of their using them TO the over
throw of the classes. 1t was then that
there came into being the sta mp of
politicians who affect to believe that
''all the people can be fooled all the
time" All political parties were DOM
mated by these politicians. The more
timorous ignored the question, declaring
it to be nothing but IA local issue;" but
the audaciouS and unscrupulous boldly
asserted that it was conceived for the
good of the people; that to it was due
the prosperity of the nation, and that
the country would so to the demnition
boW-WoWS and the Wage-earners be
brought to the level of paupers, etc.,
etc, were it OverthroWn. Boldly as
suming prosperity to be solely due to
protection, race feeling, patriotism, class
bias and all manner of prejudiceS have
been appealed to to keep the voters in
line, and to prevent any political party
committing itself in opposition
Thanks to the courage OF President
Cleveland, and to handful of fearless
men in the last national convention in
Chicago. and OH the floor of congress,
protective tariff is at last on trial. NJ
matter what the Immediate fortunes of
the party taking its stand in opposition
may be. just so surely as "all the people
cannot be fooled ali the time" will it be
finally and completely overthrown.
1t is my purpose to treat this subject
primarily from the standpoint of wage
Garner, and to endeavor to show to my
brethren Of organized labor how little
they may hope to accomplish to further
their material prosperity while in the
thrall of the superstition of protection.
In the ordinary sense this is not par
tisan political question, but an economic
one. 1t is question which
Vifally effects US in our everv
day life, and is highly essential that
we have thorough understanding of
it. If protection is benefit to us, will
help us to get higher wages and more of
the good things Of life-We want it, and
want lots CT it. If. On the other hand,
it has contrary effective don't want
little bit of it-away with it.
L shall not deal in statistics, nor i'm
quotations from musty and foggy works
on sO-called political economy, Justly
styled the dismal SCIENCE" but will
review the subject as suggested by my
own thinking and observation, and in
sdch manner as to be readily under
stood. CHARLES H. KoHLMAN.