Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-06-24
PERFEcTINe PROTECTION.
Two slight Changes suggested In the In
terest Of Farmers and LMborers.


Two slight Changes Suggested In tie In
terest Of Farmers and LAborers.
The senate j. now engaged IN remedy
ing thu small irnperfections Of the Ding
ley bill, which. as ali good protection
lists assert, Is one of tho best tariff bills
ever drafted. II distributes its blessings
to ail-fanner, laborer and msnufac-
turer. Withput doubling the good inten-
tons Of the makers, we wish 10 suggest
one or two minor details which might
possibly help the bill to fulfill the en-
pectations of its authors:
Firss. 3 export bounty scheme
might enable The farmer to get q small
slice Of tb, benefits Of protection. OF
course the f,srmer doesn't exrecs-espe-
cialiy at first-to get as much Of the
benefits as the manufacturers have been
getting for 80 years Il protection Of
about 90 per cent-that is 10 cents per
brshel On wheat. cents on corn, ETC.
would satisfy him. while il takes fow
times as much TO satisfy ordinary tariff
infants.
This small export duty would not
make good the farmers loss because of
import duties On manufactured pred
ccts, saying nothing about past losses,
bat III course of time. after mis- industry
sad felt the stimulating effects o. real
protection what protects, !" the farmer
might muster Up courage enough to fol
low the example Of Oliver Twist
which example ms grown into Gus
tom with protected interests-and ass
for mere. = Possibly also he might
form political trusts or combines to de-
nand more" and.raise millions Of dol
lars 70 send Iobbies 70 Washington 20
bribe congress. While protection is in
order export duties are the farmers on
~ hope. Wit5 them ne may hope not
only 10 change his losses to profits, but
also to regain that power and position
which Were once his, but which hayo
long since passed into the hands Of the
manufacturers
Second. 1t isralso fitting To recognize
the laborcr IN the distribution Of tariff
profits. Like the farmer, he now puts
his hand into his pocket to he y swell the
profits Of protcction, practically none
Of which comes his way. Ii is not an
easy matter 20 eqGaIizo the benefits
Of protection 50 that the woykingman
shall get his fall share. \ prohibitive
duty on imported labor might IN the
course Of tlInc afford some protection
by restricting the supply Of labor, so
that manufacturers could carry ont
| their good intentions depressed when
| asking fer higher Guties) AID pay
American wages to American work
ingmcn
At present the condition Of working
men in tho protected industries il pltia-
bic in the extreme. The Philadelphia
Ledger, n good Republican paper, told
! Us about Nay / shat in the protected
| iron and coal industries Of Pennsylvania
| tho wGge rate has been redaced so low
that it is scarcely sufficient TO provide
| the necessaries Of decent, sanitary liv-
ing" 1t says 'the lowest ciasses of
| alien cheap labor swarm il the iron and
| coal districts Of the state, = and the com
| petition fer work is 80 fierce that they
| contend, not against the employers for
| the highest wages, but among each
other for the iowest?'' LAS appears bv
the Testimony presented to tho lecisla-
tive committee. they herd in suua-
Tor, subjects Of ahjocf penury, and arc
| besee by dise2ee, dirt and hunger. " The
| Ledger THINKS cur immigration laws
are defective and improvidcnt" and
suggests that Ito properly protect
American workman congress should
pass IN immigration us we'll as a tariff
bill, ibis j. a good idea ard should
be acted upon at Cuce. The only wonder
IS that sCmc Ct the good manufacturers
in their anxiety to protect and raise the
wages Of their wOrkiugmeu, did not
think Of this plan before Then, It they
should have a law passed which should
make it compulsory for them TO give ne
least ore-half Of their protection and
monopoly profits to their employees,
protection would begin 10 be an all
around blessing The manufacturers
might still be getting the lions share,
but they would not Eet al
When these changes are made in tho
bill, it Will undoubtedly be what the
New York Tribune declared is proto-
TIE, tho Mckinley bill. to be-'.the
hravest and best tariff bill ever passed.
Will they be nade?-Byron " Holt.