Evening journal., 1897-06-19
WEEKLY TARIFF TALK
pERFEcTINe PROTECTION.
Two Slight Changes Suggested In the In
terest OF Farmers and Laborers.

Two Slight Changes Suggested In the In
terest OF Farmers and Laborers.
The senate is now engaged in remedy
ing the small imperfections Of tho Ding
ley bill, which, as all good protection
lists assert, is one Of the best tariff bills
ever drafted. It distributes its blessings
to all-farmer, laborer aud manufac-
turer. Without doubling tho good inten-
tions of the makers, we wish to suggest
one or two minor details which might
possibly help the bill to fulfill the ex-
pectations of its authors:
irst.-Lubin'se export bounty scheme
might enable the farmer to get a small
slice Of the benefits Of protection. OF
course the farmer doesn't expect-espe-
cially at first-to get as much Of the
benefits as the manufacturers have been
getting for 80 years A protection of
about 20 per cent-that is 10 cents per
bushel on wheat. cents on corn, etc.
would satisfy him, while it takes four
times as much TO satisfy ordinary tariff
infants.
make good the farmers loss because of
import duties on manufactured prod
ucts saying 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 a Gus
tom with protected interests-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 lobbies to Washington to
| b1ibe congress. While protection is in
order export duties are the farmers on
ly hope With them he may hope not
only to change his losses to profits but
also to regain that power and position
which wcro once his, but which have
long since passed into the hands of the
manufacturers.
Second 1t 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. 1t is not an
easy matter to equalize the benefits
of protection so that tic workingman
shall get bis full share. a prohibitive
, duty on imported labor might in the
course Of time afford some protection
by restricting the supply Of labor, sc
that manufacturers could carry oui
their good intentions depressed wher
asking for higher dutios) and pay
American wages to American work
iugmen.
At present the condition of working
men in the protected industries is pitia
BILE in the extreme The Philadelphia
e Ledger, a good Republican paper, toll
as about May ] that in the protected
iron and coal industries of Pennsylvani
the wage rate has been reduced so loy
4 that it is scarcely sufficient to provid
4 the neccssaries of decent, sanitary hv
/. ing" " 1t says "the lowest classes o
alien cheap labor swarm in the iron ant
coal districts of the state, and the com
n petition for work is so fierce "that the.
e contend, not against the employers 70
G the highest wages, but among eac
| DlItI AOI Tic AOMNnls A0 AllSdAH ~
II the testimony presented to the legisla
tive committee, 8 they herd in squa
: lor, subjects OF abject penury, and al
oeset by disease. dirt and hunger. Tn
% Ledger thinks our immigration law
70 re defective and improvident" an
d uggests that "to properly proteC
3 Nmerican workmen congress shoul
K Ass an immigration as well as 4 tart
"a o.ll. This is a good idea and shoul
le ae acted upon at once The only woadC
Il that scmc Of the good manufacturer
n their aESloty 10 protect and raise tI
y wages Of their workinsmen, did nC
. thinl, of this plan before Then, if the
q should have q law passed which shoul
h make il compulsory for them 70 give ;
)O least one-half OF their protection an
)O monopoly profits to their employee
lQ protection would begin 10 be an a
lV round blessing. Tho manufacture
W might still 30 getting the lions shar
33OO bnt they would not get all
~ When these changes are made in Il
er nill it will undoubtedly be what Il
New York Tribune declared its prot
type, the Mckinley hill, to be-''u
bravest and rest tariff bill ever passed.
IN Will they be madeg--Byrcn W. Holt.
oil Pushing Along r. Good Thing.