The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-05-11
HERALDS PRIMER LESSON.

declaration that the proposed changes
in the tariff would lead, so its trainers
calculated. to an increased importation
of 100000, ,000 and his declaration
that "of this $2OO,0OO,O00 worth of
goods hereafter to be imported from
abroad, which are now made here, from
90 TO % per cent. is labor" Senator Hoar
said: Zone hundred and eighty to one
hundred and ninety million dollars
worth of wages now paid to American
wage earners under Republican politics
are to be paid hereafter to foreign wage
earners if Democratic policy shall pre-
vail. What are these men, who now
earn this $lS0, 100000 to $4,000, 600
to do? have not been able, / say,
to find any one who can tell me. You
put the question to Democrat, and
he will go into the skies; he will di-
rect your vision to the disappearing
rainbow of foreign market. He will
talk about cheap articles making in
creased cons umption, without stopping
TO think how an increased consumption
is to be paid for about increased con-
sumption making increased production,
and increased production making in
creased demand for labor But the
one single specific thing which a man
who is doing som ething now, and is
getting good wages for an honest days
work in producing some article in an
American workshop, is to do when that
days work is taken away from him,
have not been able to find Democratic
statesman or a Democratic economist
who could tell me-"
The Herald, by way of reply, talks
about the economic delusions which
now ag;tate his brain" and then sug-
gests that it should be obvious even
to such politician that any loss through
importation would De completely Offset
through expectation"
"This," says The Herald, sis stating
an exceedingly elementary proposition,
which may be condensed in the words
that you cannot import unless you ex-
port, or you cannot export unless you
import-that in the long run the trade |
in one direction will be offset and coun-
terbalanced by the trade in the other"
Such puerile attempts at reasoning |
are truly astonishing in a paper like |
The Herald. 1t does not require the |
subtle words of the logician to prove
them absurd. The facts stand out |
against any such doctrine.
In what way will The Herald explain
our trade with Cuba prior to the passage |
of the reciprocity provisions? We i'm
ported millions of dollars worth of Cuban |
products annually for generations. We |
hardly exported as many thousand
dollars worth.
We have imported millions of dollars
worth of products from South America.
Oar exports to South America until
the reciprocity provisions were in
force were pitifully insignificant.
Aud we might multiply instance after
instance, but those already given refute
the Herald's exceedingly elementary
proposition that you cannot import un-
less you export"
The Herald, after thus calculating its
own peculiar theory of political economy
undertakes to "answer the direct ques-
ton which Senator Hoar asks, assuming
that there is direct displacement of
labor that he refers to-" by declaring
that 1.-THE men who now earn
this $ls0,00O,OOO to 100000, 900
are not only to continue earn
ing the same smount, but are to do it in
the easier way Of devoting their services
to the production of exportable goods.
Production is not to slacken or de-
crease, but. on the contrary, is
to increase, although certain arti-
ficially sustained industries may be
closed up. There is to be not
less, but more work for all workers.
more work in what the census returns
and daily experience show TO be the
best and highest paid departments Of
labor, for the simple reason that, unless
this increase takes place. unless we
produce more and send this surplus
abroad, we cannot by any possibility
import the added quantity of commodi-
ties to which Senator Hoar refers"
AS the present bill strikes its heavies
blows on the wooden industry, whic
presumably is one Of the "artificially
sustained industries which may b.
closed up ~as the Herald glibly remarks,
the thousands of woolen operatives in
Rhode Island would be delighted,
We can assure the Herald, to
learn how "they can not only con
tinue to earn the same amount, but do
it in an easier way"
With the industry "elosed mp" that
has for generations given them employ
ment, enabled them TO earn enough to
take care Of thrm,clyes and purchase