Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-07-11
RESULT OF REVISION
TARIFF REDUCTION WOULD COMPEL
SCALING DOWN OF WAGES.

To Sacrifice Protection In Order to
Would Be For the Workingman to
Commit the Act of Harakiri.
! Just in what respect there is need
for tariff revision at this particular
state Of affairs is not demonstrated by
those who shout for tariff changes.
Those who have any knowledge what
ever Of business affairs ought to be
| able to discover at a glance that the
revision of the tariff would not be SIM
ply blow at the trusts. If the trusts
are to be Crushed at one fell swoop
the men who have their money invest
eel will not be the principal sufferers.
To destroy any given industry would
mean to destroy the opportunity for
work now enjoyed by thousands of
men,
If any combination of capital is oper-
ated contrary to law the way to treat
such case is through the courts and
by the operation of the laws on the
subject. This has been done in the
matter of the Northern Securities COM
pany, and nobody is really hurt. No
tariff revision could affect such COM
pany as the Northern Securities; hence
the plea that the tariff should be re-
vised solely to ''kill the trusts" Is alb
surd on it's face. Should tariff revision
be brought about to the extent that
any given line of manufacturing in
dustries would be crippled and ham,
pered the first person to feel the effect
would be the employees, who are now
securing good wages and who are in
sured steady employment Precarious
employment and the flooding Of the
country with foreign made goods
would not serve to continue prosperity
here, but there would be a cessation of
work, and every man who went
through the period of 1S93-97 knows
what such a condition means. At that
time the English mills were running
overtime in order to furnish goods for
the American markets, while hundreds
of thousands OF workingmen in this
country were walking the streets The
discussion of revision of the Dingley
tariff for the purpose of assaulting the
trusts is not made for the benefit of the
American workers. They have reason
to stand firm for the continuance of the
present tariff rates, which have served
to keep the mills busy and the workers
active
The way to reach combinations Of
capital that operate against the people
is to attack them through the processes
Of the courts. This can be done, as is
being demonstrated, and the majesty
of the law is supreme. Tariff revision
as advocated by the Democrats is ap-
proximate free trade, but tariff revi-
sion as suggested by some Republicans
! is simply a reimbursement Of certain du-
ties, the changing of which would not
affect injuriously the interests of the
workingmen. Just at this time, when
wages are being increased almost ev-
erywhere, it ought to be apparent that
a reduction in the output of the Ameri-
can mills and factories by the letting
in of foreign made goods would bring
about a scaling down Of wages. De-
mands for higher wages can never be
granted with a falling market.
The English and Germans are send
ing shipload after shipload of goods to
this country Notwithstanding the Ding
ley tariff. One of the best markets that
Germany has today is the United
| States. To attack the tariff on the mis-
taken principle that destruction Of or
ganized capital is to benefit the work
ingman would be to commit harakiri.
Wilmington Del) News.