Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1897-07-15
RAILROAD TIME TABLE,
PeRFEcTlNe PROTECTION.


ing the small imperfections OF the Ding
lev bill. which, as oil good protection
lists assert. is one OF the best tariff bills
ever drafted. II distributes its bless
ings TO ull-farmer, laborer and manu-
facturer. without doubling the good
intentions of the makers, we wish 10
suggest one or two minor details when
might possibly help the bill 10 iulhh
the expectations Of its authors'
First.-Lubin's export bounty scheme
might enable the farmer 10 get snlull
slice of the benefits of protection VI
course the farmer doesn't eXpect-eSpe-
cially at frst-tO get as much OF me
benefits as the manufacturers have oeen
getting for 30 years. A protection OF
about 20 per cent.-thut is ten cents per
bushel on wheat. five cents on corn. etc.
would satisfy him, while II taxes lour
times as much to satisfy ordinary tarin
infants.
This small export duty would not
make good the turner's 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 10 Iol-
low the example of Oliver Twist
which example has grown into GUS
tom with protected intcrests-and 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
bride congress. While protection is in
order export duties are the farmers
only hope. With them he may hope not
only to 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.-lk 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. II is not
nm easy matter to equulize the benefits
| of protection so that the wOrliingman
/ shall get his full share. 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
their good intentions expressed when
asking for higher duties) and pay
american wages to American work.
ingmcn."
At present the condition Of working
men in the protected industries is pitia-
BILE In the extreme. The Philadelphia
Ledger. a good republican paper, told
us about May l that in the protected
iron and coal industries of Pennsyl-
vauia the wage rate has been reduced so
low that It is scarcely sufficient to pro-
vide the necessurics Of decent, sanitary
living" 1t says "the lowest classes OF
alien cheap labor swarm in the iron and
coal districts Of the state" and the
competition for work is so fierce that
they contend, not against the employ
ers for the highest wages, but among
each other for the lowest q AS APP
pears by the testimony presented to the
legislative committee, 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 inn
providcnt" and suggests that ito prop
erly protect American workmen con-
gress should pass an immigration as
we'll as tariff bill" This is good
idea and should be acted upon at once
; The only wonder is that some of the
good manufacturers, In their anxiety ia
protect and raise the wages of their
= workingmen, did not think of this plan
before. Then, if they should have q
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.
g When these changes are made in the
/. bill it will undoubtedly be what the
! New York Tribune declared its proto
type, the Mckinley bill, to beth,
p brayest and best tariff bill ever passed. ,
II