Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-06-20
DILEMMA OF THE REPUBLICANS

DILEMMA OF THE REPUBLICANS
| The Tariff . DIn1cnit sabjsct for the Nexs
/ Congress TO Handle.
| The republican politicians confident
| II expect the administration to ask the
congress which was elected last No
vember to provide more revenue They
have an overwhelming majority in the
house, where revenue legislation must
| originate. It is therefore for the re-
| publicans to say what sort of legisla-
ton, il any, there shall be on the sub
/ ject. II the administration wants
more revenue undoubtedly it will rec
| ommend some way of raising it. But
| what will the house do? That Is the
interesting question
Such of the republican politicians as
have expressed themselves on the sub
| ject declare emphatically that they
| will pass a highly protective measure,
and say to the administration: 'Take
this or nothing" AS UPdegraf, OF
Iowa. puts it, they will offer the adj
ministration its choice between pro
lection and poverty.
But when they come down to action
| will they dare do this? They must be
able to convince voters that there are
industries that need more protection
than they are getting or their legisla-
ton increasing protective duties will
be condemned at the polls next year.
To what industries will they extend
their legislative favors?
Take the iron and steel industry.
The captains" of this industry are
the men who are voluntarily taking
the lead in voluntary increase OF
wages. The other day the Carnegie
Steel company added ten per cent to
the wages of about twenty thousand
men. The same day the Cambria
Iron company made like advance. to
take effect June 10, thus adding twen-
ty thousand dollars month to tho
pay roll. These advances are made al
though the average of prices of manu-
featured iron is nearly forty-one per
cent. below what it was in October,
1890. What excuse, then, can repub-
lican house find for putting higher pro-
tective duties on iron and steel? They
will hardly venture to advance rates
in view of the proof that the iron and
steel industries do not need legislative
help.
Will they give more protection to
the cotton industry? The commercial
agencies report that the manufacturer
in this field is doing well and the de-
mand for his products is improving.
New cotton mills are going up and old
plants are being enlarged, especially
in the southern states. With the gen.
eral advance in wages demand will in
crease and by the time congress meets
it will be hard to invent an excuse for
putting more protective taxes on cot
ton goods.
Will they bestow their legislative IA
vors upon the woolgrowers and wool
en- manufacturers? There is no evil
dence that those people are worse off
than the rest of us, and if they were it
would not be the most popular thing
in the world to restore the Mckinley
wool schedule. The people have
learned the difference between high
duties and low duties on wooden goods,
and they will not develop enthusiasm
in support of any party which may
venture to give them another vista
ton of Mckinley high prices and
shoddy.
These industries have been the prin-
cipal benefciaries of protective legis-
lation. If the republicans think it un-
safe to Iegislate for their benefit they
may as well say nothing about pro-
lection and content themselves with
providing any revenue that may be
needed in the easiest and best way
open to them. They cannot expect
much gain in votes or campaign fiat"
in return for favors bestowed upon
mining industries, such as copper min
ing, and the manufacture of glass,
crockery and tin plate.
And yet the publicans must do
something with the tariff or else adj
nit that all their cutlery against tariff
reduction has beer mere sound and
fury, signifying nothing They are il
dilemma as to the tariff and the
dilemma grows more embarrassing as
times grow better. 1t becomes more
dangerous either to touch the tariff or
to let it alone just in proportion as
people come to see more clearly that
tariff reduction. whether prospective
or actual, SO far from causing panic or
hard times, serves to mitigate the eff
fects of panic and to hasten recovery
from business depression.
Calamity is the meat upon which re-
publican;sm fattens; prosperity is its
bane.-Chicago Chronicle.
THE WAGE INCREASE.
Explosion of the Empty Charges OF Pro-
lection Advocates.
There has been a very marked in
crease in the rate of wages within the
last fifty or sixty days in this country.
More than two. hundred and fifty
firms and corporations. employing one
hundred and seventy thousand men,
have raised the wages of their en-
ployes. and in all these cases except
three OR four such increase has been
made voluntarily without any demand
on the part of the employees.
1t is significant that more than nine
tenths of the concerns that have thus
advanced the wages of their men are
engaged in some branch of the iron |
and steel industry, and many of the |
rest are engaged IN some form of |
wooden manufacturing. When the re- |
auctions of wages occurred in 1892 the |
charge was made that the necessity for |,
such reduction was occasioned by the |
expected change in the tariff, and |
when such change came, in the shape !!
OF the present law, the decline in bust
ness and the consequent reduction in |
wages, or the entire suspension of
manufacturing, were cited as proof
positive that the repeal of the McKin-
ley law and the adoption of new law
was destined to bankrupt the manu-