The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-11

Two slight Changes suggsstsa In the In
forest Of Farmers and Labore-s.
The senate Is now engaged In remedy
Ing the small impcrfections Of the Ding
ley bill, which, as all good protection
lists assert, is one Of the best tariff bills
ever drafted. II distributes its blessings
to all--farmer. laborer and 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:
First. .-Lubin's export bounty scheme
might enable the farmer to get q small
slice Of the benefits Of protection. OF
course the farmer doesn't expeot-espe-
cially at frst-to get as much Of the
benefits as the manufacturers have been
getting for 80 years. A protection of
about 30 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.
This small export duty would not
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 Gus
tom with protected interests-and ask
for "more." Possibly also he might
form political trusts or combines TO do
mand "more" and raise millions Of dol
lars to send lobbies to Warrington 10
bribe congress- While protection 10 In
order export duties are the farmers on
~ hope. With them ne may hope not
only 10 change his losses to profta but
alsa 10 regain that power and position
which wore once. his. but which have
long dnce passed into tho hands Of the
manufacturers
Second. 1t h also fitting 10 recognise
tho laborer in tho distribution Of tariff
profits. Like the farmer, he now puts
bis hand into his pocket to help swell the
profits Of protection, practically none
Of which comes bis way. II 10 not an
easy matter 10 equalize the benefits
Of protection 20 that tho workingman
shall get his full share. A prohibitive
duty on imported labor might In the
course Of time afford some protection
by restricting the supply Of labor, %
that manufacturers could carry ont
their good intentions (exprsssed when
asking = for higher duties) and pay
American wages to American work
ingmen."
At present tho condition Of working
men In the protected industries il pitia-
ble in the extreme. The Philadelphia
Ledger. good Republican paper, told
a about May that In the protected
iron and coal industries Of Pennsylvania
tho wage rate has bean reduced 20 low
''that il is scarcely sufficient TO provide
the necessaries Of decent, sanitary liv-
ing" II says "the lowest classes of
alien cheap labor swarm in the iron and
coal districts of the state, and the COM
petition for work is 30 fierce that they
contend, not against the employers for
the highest wages, but among each
other for the lowest3" 'As appears by
the testimony presented to the leeisla-
tive committee, - = they herd In squa.
lor, SUBJECTS Of abject penury. and are
beset BY disease, dirt and hunger. The
Ledger thinks our immigration laws
are defective and improvident'' and
suggests that ito properly protect
American workmen congress should
pass an immigration as well 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 to protect and raise the
wages of their workingmen, did not
think of this plan before. Then, II they
should have law passed which should
make 1t compulsory 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 blessing. The manufacturers
might still be getting the lion's share,
but they would not get all.
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 be-''the
bravest and best tariff bill ever passed.
Will they be madel-Byron W. Holt.
Pushing Along Good Thing.