The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-07-14
An Idle Army of Labor.


From Philadelphia (Pa.) Record. July 3.
1t is stated that more than 10000 wage earners
were thrown out of employment by the stoppage of
mills and facturies in Pittsburg and vicinity Sat
urday afternoon This is not the ordinary stoppage
that takes place in the summer in order to make
needed repairs of works and machinery, and Incl
dentally to give workingmen week or two of rest
Last summer there was hardly the suspension of
day. busy the mills in filling orders at rising
prices for all their products. This appears to be
stoppage for an indefinite period; at least no hint
has been given of the prospect of an early resump
ton. The explanation of the suspension is that il
is due to collapse of the market for iron and steel
products. notwithstanding the recent decline in
prices and tae great increase of importatons II is
alleged that this is the relapse from enormously
stimulated over-production-a term sometimes used
for under-consumption. In one respect the stop
page is extremely inopportune in occurring within
a week of the Republican National Con veniion,
whose platform and whose orators boasted Of the
tariff as the one miraculous source of industrial
prosperity and the only guarantee of constant en-
poyment at high wages for American workingmen.
During the Convention the Hon. Channcey NJ.
Depew, in lauding the tariff divinity, made the
tonishing statement that the overproducton in the
United States last year amounted to not less than
i2o00,O0o.Ooo. By what statistical process such
result was obtained it would be hard to conceive.
Inc rcsslt mas pernapS Deen eNCiNcu from frOtec-
ZIONIST science andhas been thrown out by Mr.. De-
pew dazzling proof of the wondrous power of
the tariff in stimulating production. Why should
system which falsely and unnaturally urges pro-
dueton so far in excess of the markets normal de-
nands be regarded as a boonf By what statistical
methods has 1t been discovered that production has
outstripped consumption to such a degree that the
American people accumulated last year two billions
more than they required of the necessaries of liv
ing, to say nothing of its comforts aud luxuries
Even IL the exports of merchandise should exceed
the imports by this amount in series of years that
would be far from proving that the masses of Amer
lean consumers have within reach at reasonable
prices all the commodities they need. from The
sugar that sweetens their morning tea to the mate
rails for constructing comfortable dwellings.
In regs ID 10 overproduction. never made boast
of until now there is no question that in spite of
the shrewdest calculations the markets often refuse
to absorb the supply. Manufacturers find that they
have no sale for their products even at prices far
below the rates they formerly obtained. They keep
on producing their goods and employing labor in
the reasonable hope that wholesome reaction
sooner later will lift their accumulated stocks.
But when such a phenomenon overtakes vast in
dustrial community in the midst OF prosperity and
throws out of employment 10000 workers at
stroke its cause must be sought in something else
tlhH tue OIulLhTy NlCSsllCues Vi tfauc.
It is significant fact that the mills and factories
that closed their doors on Saturday are all under
control of tariff favored trusts There is no need to
designate them. The Tinplate Trust. for whose
benefit the protective duty was increased by the
Dingley tariff at the xpense of American consum-
ers, has made idle $1,000 men by the suspension Of
its mills. Secure in its control of the home market
through the tariff the Trust went on from month to
month arbitrarily raising prices until the inevitable
reaction ensued People could live without buying
tinpate and they refused at last to pay the exorbi
tant price of the Trust But in spite of the reaction
production continued at high pressure until at
last stoppage of the mills has been ordered.
So with the Structural Steel Trust and the steel
rail combination Railroad companies that needed
new materials to repair their lines could not pay
the exorbitant prices without heavy loss without
causing public complaint by an increase of rates for
freights and passengers. Prices for structural steel
of every description raised h Ugh that many
large building operations throughout the country
were suspended and many more building projects
were altogether abandoned. II was found at last
that there was no use in the tariff benefciares en-
hancing the prices of products to such degree that
people could not would not buy them. But
when the steel and iron trusts began to arbitrarily
put down their scale Of prices they found no de-
mand at the reduced rates. as their ex xpected con-
sumers had made other arrangements Thus the
trusts IN THEIR grs0,A
and nothing remained but to close the Pittsburg
mills indefinitely in order that demand might
take supply Under system of which the Dingley
tariff is the latest fruit such vicissitudes frequent
and inevitable. When industrial reac tion arose
late in 1898 under an unwholesome stimulation OF
production the pseudomlniacs of Protection as
serted that it due to the Wilson tariff. which
had not yet been formulated. 1t would have been
well for every interest in the country, the trusts in
cluded, had that moderate of tariff reform
been left undisturbed.