Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-02-03

through protection no one even re-
bukeu him. When Allison, the list
slippered-one, and Sherman and hun.
dreds of the Republican leaders of the
period following the war; talked what
would now be Democratic free trade,
they remained in good standing in
their party.
Clay and his contemporaries defined
an infant industry as being the industry
as whole, not as meaning some par
tlcular manufacturing plant or institu-
ton. When they talked of removing
duties as SOON as an industry ceased to
be an infant they assumed that there
would be new establishments ALWAYS
springing up that would not be separate
infant industries, needing continuous
protection. But it remained for our ex-
perts on the best way to fake the peo-
pie, in the year of our Lord 1902, to dis
cover that every shop was separate
and distinct infant and that protection
must be perpetual for the new born rs
well as for the hoary old infants that
were here before the revolution
That even if 'perchance' some
swollen infants like the billio,. dollar
steel trust were plundering us we must
not cut off their supply of tariff pap be-
cause we might hurt the little weakling
that arrived yesterday. Thus it is that
we must have the infants with us from
everlasting TO everlasting
AS a republican before 1888 was told
that tariff should only be fixed at such
rate as would make up for the differ
ence in wages, and that the only object
OF the tariff was to give the dear Labor
ing men high wages
The governor of this state stated in
the last campaign that any higher rate
of tariff duties than this meant monop-
| oily and not protection. Other able re-
publican leaders announced the same
doctrine, and their fellow republicans
enthusiastically applauded them. But
no one takes these learned pundits in
the science of protection seriously.
| If this be the true doctrine | would
like to ask the governor and the emf
nent gentlemen who has been selected
to represent the state in the United
States senate for the next six years if it
be not true that our present tariff is
| three-fourths monopoly and one-fourth
protection to labor Is it not true that
! as to most of the schedules of the pres
ent tariff law duties are at least loo per
cent. greater than the difference in lab
or cost? Is it not true that owing to
our vast natural resources we can today
| manufacture as cheaply as can be done
anywhere in the world?
| The Wisconsin Press association
made up largely of republicans, said
| that this was true by solemn resolution
about year ago. Scores of republican
newspapers in this state have said the
same thing during the last year or two.
Congressman Babcock said it was
true little more than year ago, and
he introduced bill in congress placing
iron and steel products on the free list
so that we should no longer be robbed.
Here is what he said
II maintain that ii is a part of the
policy of protection to protect the 1T
sumer. We can today produce and I'M
dersell the world. Shall we continue
the tariff on articles of export? If con-
gress maintains a tariff on such articles
the whole theory of protection falls to
the ground and it simply enures TO the
benefits of those who may secure the
control of such commodity, as by this
aid they can fix exorbitant prices in
! the home market"
| | admit that he has since taken this
back, and he has been taken back into
the ranks of the stand-patters Before
he returned 10 the true fold, however,
he made heretics of a good many re-
pubiicans in his district, aid the sky
rained approving resolutions from re-
! publican conventions there for some
time. Do not imagine that any repub-
lican looks on this truth telling as any
thing more than mere academical
amusement of the congressman.
To some minds truth is beautiful
theory, a splendid and seductive alb
straction, but it is a very poor thing In
practice. The shell game of protection
only needs the favoring soil of human
tnr Mi NJ .foi ont
ness. Truth is only intermittent with
the strong party politician. He may
sometimes lapse into forgetfulness and
speak the truth, but party loyalty wins
out in the end.
/ No Republican who believes in the
doctrine of protection as it was once
taught, should cherish the belief that
his party will ever correct its present
excuses. The only thing that will do
it is party revolt that will result in
party defeat.
The Republican congressman amuses
himself when is off duty eulogizing a
tariff tax that will make up for the
difference in wages, but at Washington
he falls down and worships the golden
calf of high protection, He becomes
there an invertebrate afflicted with
nervous disability and protection
| CA0SCON'CA
has enabled some men to acquire more
than their share of the wealth of the
country, but we of the Democratic faith
deny that this country owes any of its
development or prosperity to prott elton.
Protection has never added a dollar to
the aggregate wealth of the country,
although it has unequally distributed
this wealth. 1t has wasted our re-
sources in attempting to produce here
at great expense what we could have
had produced for us much more cheaply
in other countries.
For a hundred years we have been
trying to produce the sugar we needed
in an uncongenial climate and on an
uncongenial soil yet relatively the
amount of our production of this COM
: modify had diminished year by year.
Because of the more favoring soil and
J climate of the tropics we could obtain
our supply of sugar from them for one
half of what it costs to produce it here.
Il To shut as out from this bounty and
riches of the tropics by tariff tax is to
levy a tax upon the sunshine and the
soil of more favored lands so that we
J cannot enjoy them.
The true protectionist sees only the
wealth that he is able to pie up in one
place or in the hands of a few men, as
the result OF MS system. III never
occurs to him that this wealth must be
taken from some place. 1t cannot
come from foreign countries, but must
come from the industry of our own
people.
i If we could thus acquire wealth from
other nations, they may in ike manner
acquire our wealth, for they are ali
protecting themselves against us except
England, and she does not seem to be
growing any poorer because of her free
trade policy.
4 Our lumbermen insist that Trey must
have their share of protection, aud yet
along the gulf and from the Atlantic
and Pacific seaboard they are shipping
billions of feet of lumber TO farrell
lands, competing there with the Cana
dian lumber which they claim they can
not compete with here at home.
Our coalmasters have had protection
r..