The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1895-07-13
THE KIMBALL GRAPHIC
CLATE R. TINAN.
Official pauer Of the Cityot KimbaII
One oftheIn1ured


St. Paul Globe:-Gov. Mckinley is one
OF the chief sufferers by the Fourth of
July demonstration. No small boy with
singed eyebrows and scorciled fingers is
IN worse plight than this gentleman, at
ter cannon cracker of his speach at
Chicago has exploded In his hands. Gov.
Mckinley attempted, in honor of the
day, to sink the partisan Ill the patriot.
The moment that he did so, he not only
lost sight Of the fayorite issue which
constitutes his one title to public promi
nence, but he directly challenged and
contradlcted his own positi on. 1t was a
tribute to the workingman. Aud this is
the way he did it,
But with our improved and superior
machinery, each American laborer is
enabled to accomplish relatively more
than his European competitor. The
American laborer mol only does more
and better work, but there are more
skilled, intelligent and capable artisans
now here in proportion to the total pop
ulatl0n than IN any other country in the
world.
The working power OF each American
according to Mr.. Mckinley. is more than
twice that Of the laborer of any other
country.
Ii we set this statement side by side
with the Mckinley act and with the ar
guments with which Mr.. Mckinley has
Invariably advanced in support of it and
OF the high protective system, we shall
lind them to be utterly contradictory
and Obstructive to each other. McKin-
leyism says that the American working
man is inferior to his foreign competi-
tor. 1t says that the circumstances un-
der which he labors are so unfavorable
mat he cannot compete on equal terms
without the assistance of the state. 1t
says that to deny this subsidy to manu-
facturers is to distroy American indus
try and take bread from the mouth of
the American workingman. This is the
way that Mr. Mckinley talks when he is
making political speech or playing for
nomination for some high Office. When
ne makes a Fourth of July grafton, how
ever, when his good taste tells him to
keep politics in the background, and
when, for once, he speaks only as plain,
honest and sincere American citizen to
his fellows, he throws all these argu-
ment into the rubbish heap. He says
that the producing power of the working
man, as compared with that OF the work
ing man of any other country, is more
than two to one.
He tells the truth. Recent statistics,
including those Of Mr.. Mulhall, which
the speaker quoted, establish that point
6eJond controversy. If this is true, then
there is no possible excuse for a protec-
tive tariff duty to enable the American
laborer to live. The man who, under
equal circumstances, can produce twice
as much of a given commodity as his
competitor. needs no assistance from the
state. Again, what is the reason of this
superiority on our part? Speaking
honestly and unpremedltatedly Mr.. Nc
Kinley says it is improved and superior
machinery" That is part Of the truth
and the other part is that the American
laSorer is more intelligent, energetic
and better cared for physically than the
artisans of Europe. Taking these two
items together, he is able to produce a
daily output which no one else can ri
val.
Mr.. Mckinley was quite right in sell
ectlng 1T as subject for his elouuence
on Independence day. The tariff has no
part i'll it. All this contributes to the
glory OF the American name. 1t Is alb
solutely fatal. however, to the theory
that American industries cannot exist
without protection against competitors
from without. The same spirit which
makes our venturesome youth take great
chances Of being blown into the next
world by fitting celebration of the Fourth
seems to have moved Gov. Mckinley
when he thus commemorated the day by
a speech which gives the lie to every
argument of that theory on which all
his political pretentions are based. or
all the victims of Fourth of July hilarl-
ty. he seems to us to be the most severely
and incuraDly wounded.