The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-07-12
LABOR rs THE LIMIT.
EXTENT TO WHICH PROTECTION
SHOULD BE CARRIED.
Our Tariff Should Be Adjusted to Equalize
Wages sere and Abroad-Cheap Labor
and G""ds Capture a Market - Give
American Workmen a Chance.


and Gr"ds Capture a Market - Give
American workmen q Chance.
Will you be kind enough TO write on the fol-
lowing subject: "What Should Determine the
Limit of Protection For American Industriesf''
1t is quite subject and there great
many opinions. b. f. MEIIoR.
| Rockville, Conn.
This is an exceedingly, interesting
question. According TO the principles of
the American Protective Tariff league
the object of its existence, as expressed
in article 2 of its constitution, is, "by
adequate duties upon imported products,
to protect American labor, whether agri-
cultural, manufacturing, mining or COM
mercial, against the competition of low
priced labor in foreign countries"
All friends of protection believe that
the American people should not and
will not submit TO the low standard of
wages prevailing in other countries 1t
is the desire of protectionists to amelio-
rate the condition of American labor,
and this can only be done by excluding
from our markets the products Of cheap
er labor. The question then arises, To
|
lection are we prepared to 60?
We believe that the limit of protec-
tion to American industries should be
determined by the cost of labor in SINH
lar industries in other countries For in
stance, if certain work in certain fac
| tory costs an American manufacturer 81
per day, and similar work in similar
factories III Europe can be performed
for 81 or 81. so per day, then we believe
the product Of the American factory
should be protected to the extent of that
dollar, which is the difference between
the lowest rate paid abroad and the rate
paid in this country.
In framing tariff for protection it is
essential to bear in mind that the great
est amount Of competition will natural
ly come from such countries as pay the
lowest rate of wages. If an article can
be made in England for 81 and in Ger
many for rs cents, the two being of
equal quality, the German article will
secure the trade and the American wage
Garner must be protected against the
lower German rate. The knowledge of
what such rates are should be in the pos
session Of business men engaged an diff
ferent industries
In any future tariff for protection that
may be framed there are some entirely
new considerations to be borne in mind.
The termination of the war between
China and Japan will stimulate indus
trial progress in the latter country,
which is already rapidly advancing its
manufacturing industries But few years
will elapse before Japanese goods will
be found in our own and i'll the Euro
pean markets, supplanting such as we
have imagined it would never be posi-
BILE to make except here or in Europe
japanese cotton and wooden goods of all
kinds will very shortly be strong COM
petitors with our own cottons and wool
ems. Russian cotton goods are also to be
looked for, and now we find that the
cotton industry is being planted in Chi
na, upon English lines, no less than ten
mills being erected or equipped there,
which will, of course, be worked main
ly with Chinese labor.
This is undoubtedly England's ad-
vance move TO offset the progress of
japanese manufacture. But what are
we doing? We have simply begun to
lower our tariff SO as to give the manu-
facturers of England, of continental Eu
rope, Of India, of China and Of ia
pan greater opportunities and greater
facilities for reaching our market, which
is the largest and the best IN the world.
We are inviting foreign made goods TO
take the place of our goods, inviting
foreign cheap labor TO compete with our
own labor, and gradually forcing the
American wage Garner to give his CAPT
tai, which is his labor, on the same
terms as labor that endures mere ex-
istence, without comfort, without re-
finement and without regard to its flu
ture condition.
The total American consumption of
our own manufactured goods, Of our
farm products and the foreign goods
which we imported in 1890 reached
nearly $12, 200, 000,0 900. The total for
eign imports of all other countries in
the world, representing those foreign
markets, aggregate little more than
81, 500, 600, 900. Our own home market
is worth to us nearly ST. 500, 900, 900
year more than the foreign trade Of all
other markets Of the world, even if we
could hope to secure the whole Of it.
The policy Of free trade is to throw our
greater and better market open TO cheap
labor competition and TO pauperize our
wage earners. The policy of protection
is to prevent this.
CHARLES r. BUCKLAND,
Editor American Economist