San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-09-08
For Sale by All Druggists
OUR HOME INDUSTRIES.

To the Daily Light:
The organization of manufacturers
in our city is eminently just and prop
er; their grievances are we'll founded
and it is certainly very creditable to
our community to enlist in their cause
and with the enlistment of our ladies,
who are ever ready to lend their assist
ance in a noble cause, success will
Ncrown our efforts to encourage home
Industry and prosperity and happiness
will follow among our mechanics and
laborers, which again results in pros
perity for all of US. But is it not very
remarkable and significant that the
Bryan party men in our city should
take such commendable interest in
home industry and then turn right
around and advocate free trade doc
trine under the Bryan platform. To
these gentlemen it seems to make all
the difference in the world, whose OK
is, gored.
Why don't they take a broader and
more patriotic view of national affairs
and appeal to the nation for protection
of our manufacturers, in order to pro-
cure employment to our suffering
wage earners, which means prosperity
and happiness throughout the land.
The grievances of the manufacturers
all over the nation are precisely the
same, what they are here at home; the
sufferings and the misery in the manu-
featuring districts still greater than
with us, because they have no other re-
sources to fall back upon.
Although protective tariff may be
aWNn1, 4.
economy as claimed by students of this
science; we must remember that our
industrial pursuits are in it's infancy.
practically dating back to the enact
ment of McKinley's bill.
Wages of employees were establish
ed upon prices under said law and the
families of our mechanics and labor
ers were enjoying the fruits and results
of such protective policy.
By the abrupt removal of protection
under Democratic rule by the so-called
Wilson bill, all former calculation Of
profits were wiped out; a new era began
by coming in contact with European
competition.
The question confronted our manu-
facturers either to accommodate them
selves at once to this new condition
by culling their profits and by a serious
cut of wages for labor, or else quit
business. The battle for competition
began in earnest; gradually the wages
OF laborers were scaled, until the en-
ployees could not see their way
though, to offer to their families that
degree of comfort which they enjoyed
under former protective laws; dissat-
isfaction and despair gradually enter
ed all homes, where formerly happiness
and joy reigned and the closing Of our
factories was the final result. The
question arises what did our nation
gain by substituting free trade for pro-
tective tariff? We have benefited no
body at home except perhaps importers
OF foreign plumber, our market is over
supplied with shoddy goods of foreign
manufacture, cheap but Of very infe-
rior grades. Has our national treas
ury gained by the change; not at all
we run behind in our income, we did
not realize enough Of duties to cover
current expenses and our administra.
ton had to resort to the issue Of new
bonds to prevent national bankruptcy
Our farmers who were promised large
gains by free trade, are suffering the
same agony, having lost their best Gus,
toners at home, our mechanics and la,
borers.
Our nation is not prepared yet t.