The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1897-07-01
PERFECTlNG PROTECTION.
Rzo Slight Changes Suggested IN the H.
terest of Farmers and Labo-ers

| terest of Farmers and Labo-crs.
The senate is now engaged in remedy
ing the small inperfactions of the Ding
ley bill, which, IS all good protection
lists assert, is one of the best tariff bills
ever drafted. 1t distributes its blessings
to all-farmer, laborer and nlanufac-
turer. Without doubling the coed inten-
tlons 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. st.-Lubin' export bounty scheme
might enable the farmer to get small
slice Of the benefits Of protection Of
| coarse the farmer doesn't expect-esDe-
| cially at frst-to get as much Of the
benefits as the manufacturers have beer
getting for 80 years. a protection Of
about 20 per cent-that is 10 cents per
bushcl On wheat. 8 cents on cora, 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 Oh 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 de-
mand more and raise millions Of dol
| lars to send lobbies to Washington to
bribe 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, b,ss
| also to regain that power and petition
| which We're 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 the workingman
shall get his full share. A prohibitiye
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
tAmerican wages to American work
| ingmen."
At present the condition Of working
men in the protected industries is pitia-
| BILE in the extreme Tie Philadelphia
Ledger, good Republican paper, told
US about May l that in the protected
iron and coal industries of Pennsylvania
the wage rate has been reduced so low
that it is scarcely sufficient to provide
| the necessaries Of decent, sanitary liv-
ing It 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 so fierce THAT they
! contend, not against the employers for
! tuS highest "GSscS, Uuo dLlULS5 ctiCl
other for the lowest?" AS appears by
the testimony presented to the lesisla-
/ tive committee, = X i they herd in scua-
lor, subjects Of abject penury, and arc
| beset by disease, dirt and hunger" The
Ledger thinks cur immigration laws
are ''defective and improvident" and
suggests that Ito properly protect
| American worEmen congress 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,
| III their anxiety to protect and raise the
| wages Of their workingmcn, did not
| think Of this plan before. Then, if they
should have law passed which should
! make it compulsory for them to give at
least ono-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 lions share,
but they would Lot get all
When these changes ere 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. P"
Will they be made?-Byron W. Hol-
Republican, History.
There is 10 study the Republicans
| are so much interested in discousaginS
rs the study of history. but. unfortun-
ately for them, there are those who
read the records of the past. Only
seven years ago the Republicans calm
| ed themselves to be the ardent cham
nierS of silver The National Republi-
| can Campaign COMMITTEES issues 4
pamphlet in September of that year
which they doubtless wish now they
&adn't issued. On page is Of that
Ghlet there begins a very interest
1nIs bearing the title. ''Silver at
sEully Restored by Re