The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-24
MIR. wEYERHAEUsER,s ETHICS


Mr.. Weyerhaeuser's ethics will bear
no closer investigation and ANALYSIS
than did his statistics. 1t may not
have occurred to him, it apparently has
never occurred to any protectionist.
that tariffs, whether laid for revenue or
for protection, have their ethical side,
involving deep questions Of right and
justice. While Democrats of the reve-
nue. school admit that any tax on con-
sumption is immoral they extenuate
the act on the plea of necessity; but
orthodox protectionists flout this idea
and stoutly insist that their use Of the
taxing power is not only right. but
highly moral and Outstanding in its
effects. There is a blindness to morals
as we'll as a color blindness.
Let us look at Mr. Weyerhaeuser's
statement from the point of view that
takes in common human right and
leaves far in the BACKGROUND individual
and purely selfish interests. After it
is corrected by the statistician we have
252'129 male operatives over sixteen
years of age engaged in the industry
he represents, in the United States
who receive an annual average wage
OF 1892, or Of 81 cents a day. The per
sons who use lumber made bv them
number 100000, and they each use
he says, an average of 500 feet annual
Iy. This would give an annual con-
sumption of lumber of SO, 0OO, 00O, 900 feet.
Deducting from this the 7SO,OOO,O0O feet
imported from Canada leaves 35. 900
100000 produced by these operatives
Fairness would make the further de-
duction of say 625, 900, 900 feet exported
by our lumbermen to unprotected mar
kets. This would leave "a, 595. 600 900 feet
actually used in building houses. barns
granaries, fences, stores, mills and
other articles of daily use by the r.
100000 persons in the United States.
We cannot prevent the Canadians"
says Mr.. Weyerhaeuser, from import
ing (eXporting) their lumber. but we
can impose a duty of 81 per /, 900 feet.
which will bring their prices I'D and
give US a better fighting chance for
our own product. With a 81 tariff
presume we could practically make i'm
portation improbable" He had stated
that lumber making had been unprofi+-
able since 1893, and that. unless this
tax was laid, there would be more
tremendous collapses" Mr.. Viewer
haeuser is more candid than most CT his
class. He leaves no room for doubt as
to the effect Of the tax on the price
Of lumber 1t is improbable now to
make it because competition forces the
price down. If this competition can be
made practically impossible by MAX
ing imported lumber dearer by 81 a
thousand, it will render domestic Ium-
Der making profitable by permitting an
increase of 81 a thousand in the price
Of lumber. The plain English of it is
that and nothing else.
Going back to our statistics, what
600 persons shall be compelled by an
act of congress, to pay S65.19O,OOO an
nually more for their lumber than they
would but for that act in order. the
oretically, to enable employing lumber
men to pay 252,129 of those 1900 900
81 cents a day in wages. Or, to take
Mr.. Weyerhaeuser's own figures of
wages, $1.4O day here and rs cents
day in Canada, it is a proposition to
make the American users of lumber
pay SOS, 100000 every year extra for their
lumber IN order that the EMPLOYING
lumbermen may pay their 252, 129 work
ingmen the excess wages of IS cents
day over the Canadian rate, amount
ing in all to $163,SS3.S5 annually. Now
we submit to Mr. Weyerhaeuser in all
candor, if he does not think that this
is paying a pretty dear price for his
whistle? Is it fair to ask these 72,OO0-
600 Of lumber consumers to pay 81 in
order that lumbermen can pay 2 cents