The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-09-22

very MODERATE intelligence can unuer-
stand. This is the bounty given to sugar
refners. The sugar bounty was sum OF
money given to retiners of sugar by the
government according to their production
OF sugar. No one could obtain this bounty
unless in the command OF capital. The
larger the producer the greater the capita
required. So that the tax went to those
already rich, and the richer they we're tn e
more they could get. The money from
which the government paid these boun-
ties came out of the general treasury. 1t
was derived form all the sources OF rev.
eDue at its com mand. Who paid the tax?
Is it not clear that the mass OF the Amer
lean people paid this taxi Is 1t not
equally clear that a coterie of capitalists
received it? How can sensible man
escape from the plain fact that the gov
eminent used its great taxing power to
force contribution from che American
people for the benefit of very few7 The
withdrawal OF the bounty laws incident
ally showed that the sugar refining indus
try needed it no more than any present
free industry, like house building, rail-
roads, etc.
Twill re-ssk Mr.. Barrows this question :
II the government protectionist sincerely
desires high wages, why does he not give
a daily subsidy to the carpenter. the
bricklayer. tho engineer, the conductor.
the cook and all the laborers? Why give
the bounty to rich men, like Carnegis,
who build castles in Scotland and port
Huns whom they brasstag in their WORKS?
Protection Is simply an insidious wedge
of socialism. 1t is founded on private
greed sarved by political panders. Its
CLAN that cheap man is cheap pro-
Queer is fallacy fatal to humanity, and
fortunately con.radicted by the exper-
iencs of humanity. The history OF indus
try throughout the world is that a man
is becoming better and more efficient
producer. This has resulted In dmin-
ished cost OF products and increased
wages to the producer. Wages nave been
constantly increasing and are closely pro-
portioned in every country to the pro-
ductive power of the laborer, whether by
hand or brain. If we can keep the world s
riff raft out of our bounds We will feel
this more clearly than any ons now
realizes. 1t is the low type of humanity,
so often and so largely introduced here,
that prevents the free institutions, the
freedom and order, the free schools and
the interstate free trade from being more
grandly telt than they have been.
The word free" has glorious signifi-
canoe, and no one should fear to apply it
to anything orderly an d honest.
A cheap man is not a cheap producer.
A state can not direct its citizens what
industries they shall pursue W ithout gen.
ersl loss. Trade, whether domestic or
foreign, ought to be free. 1t is only car
fied on voluntarily and for mutual advan-
tage. If either side gets no good from
trade. trade stops. The production of all
an individual needs by him or all society
nor no nation OF men trade for what they
do not want. What men do is to trade
a surplus of their product for the surplus
of another. If let alone in a free country
they gravitate to those things they can
do best, anu so achieve the highest re-
suits. II ruled by privileged class or
forced, as in thu protective scheme, into
less copgenial or remunsrative activities,
their productive power is diminished.
The nation as a whole loses, though some
favored class grows rich.
Look at the results of the com plete pro-
lection Of American ships. No American
can buy a ship except from protected
coterie. He has no freedom; he is ship
protected. The result is lot of old,
played.out coasting tubs in the protected
coasting trade generally in com bine
with the land transportation for the usual
protective cinch, and as for the rest OF the
great free ocean, once frightened with
the free flag Of a free people, where are
WEI Our flag has been swept from tho
sea to enrich two or three gigantic com
pinations OF capital. Even in this it has
fsiled of doing as m UGH as freedom would
have done for these political ship build
ers. MY dear sir, give up this rank her
esy against free America.
Let the government maintain order;
protect, yes, protect tho franchise from
those unworthy or incapable of its exer
else; restrict emigration; defend the flag
against all corners and give our citizens
fresdom. lie, US be free to farm or mine
or manufacture or to trade.
The highest hopes of the American re-
public rest in the preservation of free
country for free men.
The re-establishment of McKinleyism
will be reloading of the curse upon us
from which we have just escaped. We
want no pampered, pdp-fed few; no priv
ileged class drawing down tax money
wrung from the people. We want no
Scotch castle1 steel baron squandering
American taxes in private pleasure in
some lordly foreign estate. No, sir. This
country is founded on freedom, and that
is what we must have. Liberty and JUS
tice, supported by free men, cannot toll
crate taxes and bounties to the rich, no
matter how plausible the pretext for such
plumber.