The Forrest City times., 1897-07-09
peRFEcrINe PROTECTION.
Two slight Changes Suggested in the Intcra.t of E,n rrn CTS and Lahorern.

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 Two slight Changes Suggested in the
 Interest of Farmers and Laborern.
 The senate is now engaged in remedy ing the small imperfections of the Ding ley bill, which, as ali good protection ists assert, is one of the best tariff bills ever drafted. It distributes its bless ings to all-farmer, laborer and manu- facturer. Without Goubting the good intentions of the makers, we wish to suggest one or two minor details which might possibly help the bill to fulfill the expectations of its authors:
 First.-Lubin's export bounty scheme might enable the farmer to get small slice of the benefits of protection. or course the farmer doesn't expect-espe- cially at frst-to get as much of the benefits as the manufacturers have been getting for 30 years. A protection of about 20 per cent.-that is ten cents per bushel on wheat, five cents on corn, etc. would satisfy him, while it takes four times us much to satisfy ordinary tariff infants.
 This small export duty would not make good the farmers loss because of import duties on manufactured prod ucts, saving nothing about past losses, but in course of time, after his industry had felt the stimulating effects of real protection what protects" the farmer might muster up courage enough to fol- low the example of Oliver Twist which example has grown into GUS tom with protected interests-anG ask for 'more." Possibly also he might form political trusts or combines to de- mand more" and raise millions of dol lars to send Hobbies to Washington to bribe congress. While protection is in order export duties are the farmers only hope. With them he may hope not only 10 change his losses to profits. but also to regain that power and position which were once his, but which have long since passed into the hands of the manufacturers.
 Second.-It is also fitting to recognize the laborer in the distribution of tariff profits. Like the farmer, he now puts his hand into his pocket to help swell the profits of protection, practically none of which comes his way. IL is not an easy matter to equalize the benefits of protection so that the worEingman shall get his full share. X prohibitive duty on imported labor might in the course of time afford some protection by restricting the supply of labor, so that manufacturers could carry out tbeir good intentions Depressed when asking for higher duties) and pay "American wages to American work fnTmen."
 At present the condition of working anen in the protected industries is pitia- hle in the extreme. The Philadelphia hadger, a good republican paper. told us about May 1 that in the protected iron and coal industries of Pennsyl- varta the wage rate has been reduced so low that it is scarcely sufficient to pro- vide the necessaries of decent, sanitary living" It says "the lowest classes of Oliens sheap labor swarm in the iron and coal districts of the statc," and the competition for work is so fierce that they contend, not against the employ CTS for the highest wages. but among each other for the lowest 9" As ap- IN"'9 DS 'hS 'NSIiiiiOii9 IT cStiiteu uO tue legislative committee, x they herd in squalor, subjects of abiect pen ury, and are beset by disease, dirt and hunger" The Ledger thinks our i'm migration laws are defective and im- proyident" and suggests that "to prop erly protect American workmen con- gress should pass an immigration as well as a tariff bill" This is d good idea and should be acted upon at once. The only wonder is that some of the good manufacturers, in their anxiety to protect and raise the wages of their workingmen, did not think of this plan before. Then, if they should have law passed which should make it com pulsory for them to give at least one half of their protection and monopoly profits to their employees, protection would begin to be an all around bless ing. The manufacturers might still be getting the lions share, but they would not get all.
 When these changes are made in the Dill it will undoubtedly be what the New York Tribune declared it's proto- type, the Mckinley bill, to be-"the brawest and best tariff bill ever passed" VIII they be made ?-Byrou ". Holt.
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