The Coconino weekly sun., 1895-05-02
THE STATE OF BUSINESS.
Some Improvement Since the Democratic
 Defeat.

| Defeat.
 It is too much to expect that those
 who care more for their private opinion
 or for their profit in importing than
 for the good of the country and the
 happiness of fellow beings will be led,
 even by the events of the last three
 years, to give up their worship of free
 trade theories But there are millions
 in this country who have only accepted
 such theories because they were taught
 by respected college professors or by
 favored political leaders, and these
 millions arc learning fast from ex-
 perience. It is to them that the story
 of enlarged importations and reduced
 wages and manufacturing products
 comes with convincing power. That
 free traders feel this is confessed by
 their eager citation of every advance of
 wages at a single establishment, and every resumption or increase of work,
 as if by isolated instances they could
 disprove the personal experience of the
 working millions. Let it be distinctly
 understood, once for all, that these
 facts are neither denied nor overlooked
 nor deprecated by any sensible Ameri-
 can. They only prove that the tariff of
 1894, which was as disgracefully de-
 fective as it was infamously dishonest,
 according to the president and other
 democratic leaders, fails to accomplish
 as much as it's advocates expected.
 The avowed purpose was to stop the
 defense and support of home industries
 lN,, T
 the duties are left so high that they afford full protection to the home in dustry against foreign competition
 the democratic congress at that point
 was false to democratic principles and corruptly favored monopolies. The country has to learn by costly and somewhat prolonged experience how far and in what cases this is the fact; and if 1t should turn out that the du- ties remaining are at every point high enough to protect home industries and epable them to bear foreign com petition without reducing wages, the result would only prove that the du- ties are not what the people were promised, but are base betrayals of democratic principles and pledges, cor ruptly granted to monopolies in return for shares in the profits of sugar and whisky speculation. But every body is learning that this is not the truth, as respects many of the industries.
 In good many establishments wages have been advanced; that is, part of the reduction made in prepara- tion for a democratic tariff has been rescinded. Where twenty or twenty five per cent. was taken off in many cases ten per cent. has now been re- stored. When it is found that partic- ular industries are in no way affected by the new tariff or enjoy all the pro- lection they formerly had the old wages have in some cases been re- stored. But the fact remains that a large proportion of the workers are now receiving lower wages than they received in 1892, and they know both the fact and the cause. ... .:.I...
 A good many establishments which stopped while democratic tariff was in preparation have now resumed, wholly or in part. This also is gladt deuing. The fact remains" that many have been wholly idle for two years, and many more have as yet been able to resume only with part of their force or working part time. This also the workers know by their own experience, and the cause. Day by day, as the ex- tent of foreign competition and the effect of new duties come to be more correctly measured, some concerns are increasing force or resuming, while others in different branches are re- ducing force or suspending work, and | while it must be months before the full | effect of the competition on new terms | can be realized, every enlargement of | for American labor will | be hailed with joy, as gain for the | country and an additional victory over T blundering democratic tariff At | this date the banking returns show that actual business is 20.2 per cent | smaller than it was early in April two years ago, before the breakdown came, and largely increased part of that di- unfinished business is due to the mar keting of foreign products, of which in February the imports in many leading branches were twice as large as in 1893. This necessarily involves a de- crease greater than the average in the of trade resulting from the of domestic products.--N. Y TrIhupe