The advocate., 1895-07-17

labor.saVing machinery has been tol
many long years displsCing human
labor, and all through the Ions
period Of high protection in this
country the army Of the unemployed
has been constantly augmenting
The labor problem can never b,
solved by tariff. Whether the tariff
be high or low, or whether we have
no tariff at all, the condition of the
American laborer will not improve
until some scheme is devised to com.
pensate for the displacement of man
by the machine.
But while upon this subject Of
''COld facts" concerning the tariff, it
may be well to submit some of them
for consideration. In a speech II
the United States senate in January
1889, the late Senator Plumb said
Who pay these taxes2 When the manu-.
fSctuFer Of iron comes to the senate and
says, ~ can live, and make a certain profit
il a certain duty is imposed" what is he
ssying3 he is simply saying, 'if you give
me certain duty, you put 10 in my power
TO charge over shat duty as an additional
tax on the farmers Of the United States"
These manufacturers were not willing to
enlarge their production and thereby meet
the entire American demand. but preferred
10 manufacture q limited supply at enOr-
mously increased profits, and that, think,
is q feature of the iron manufacture Of this
country to q very considerable extent.
That is TO say, those who manufacture these
articles s-beams-do not care 10 supply the
entire American market, but prefer TO
supply only thRt portion Of ii which they
Can supply ct an enormous profit.
Again on August 1, 1890, he said:
But, Mr.. President, there is abundant
evidence TO anyone who looks about him,
that they do not care 10 take all the mar
ket, but only 10 take that part Of il which
yields them the greatest profit. I think
could prove, il I had petit jury and pro-
cess for Subrmnaing witnesses, that they
have more or less openly and notOriOusly
and constantly arranged with importers sc
that the importer and the manufacturer
have avoided each other, the importer tax
ing one portion Of She market end the man
ufaOiursE the other,R practical com binatiol
which did not take into account the inter
eSts Of commerce.
know, Mr.. President, shat when che
contractor for the construction Of the stat,
house at Topeka came 10 buy steal beam
TO 60 into that building, he found il TO hi
interest," to buy in Belgium and pay Che 10;
per cent. duty which the law imposes. Was
that because the American manufacture
could not furnish the beamsp No, be
cause he offered TO do ID. Was it because
he could not afford TO furnish them at th,
foreign price with 1OS per cert /. duty added
Does any one believe thSbp II 30, then th,
duties on structural iron ought 10 hRVl
been increased in this bill. But the man
ufaCburerS were in combination, and Woult
only sell at an agreed price, which was IA
above that Of the foreign manufacturer
with transportation and duties added.
In other words, they proposed TO take Chi
customers whom they could catch short
or who had not the facilities to buy abroad
from whom they could exact an enormous
profit, rather than do all the business Of Che
United States at a reasonable profit, and
take possession Of and maintain this home
market which we had given them an enor
NOUS duty that they might do.