Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-05-05

william employees of the government of
Porto Rico
This attempt of the administration
TO squelch the scandal did not lave
the looked-for effect, for a dispatch
from Porto Rico says:
The grand jury to-day called many
witnesses in the smuggling cases in
which officers of the United States
navy and other prominent men are
involved. and secured from the court
commissioner who presided at the for
MGR hearings, copy of the testimony
taken.
The prisoners who are confined In
the penitentiary for smuggling lave
presented petition requesting that
they be pardoned and released unless
others guilty of the same offense are
punished"
The Porto Ricans evidently believe
that what is sauce for the native
goose should be sauce for the United
States gander, but they will find that
official influence is a powerful lever to
protect the influential criminal, and
that those without such friends must
bear the full brunt of the law
Presidents Mistaken.
President Roosevelt said. in his
speech at Sioux Falls that "the nation
al government has a small field in
which it can work in labor matters"
The truth of this statement Is chal-
lenged by several labor leaders. who
assert, in tie language of Mr.. John w.
Hayes, president of the knights of
Labor, that the field is infinite. The
National Congress could be kept much
buster dealing with labor matters and
enacting labor laws of a national
scope than with all its dealings with
capital"
The most interesting part Of Mr..
Hayes interview on this subject is the
following: Il might mention the inimi-
grafton laws. There should be a pro-
tective tariff law against the impor-
tation of cheap labor. We tax the ar
ticleS that these men make while liv-
ing in their foreign house; but they
can come to this country and work
just as cheaply, placing their goods on
the market free of duty and drive our
producers into n continual poverty.
Why not have tariff on the men as
well as on the stuff they makeP
This most important point appears
not TO have actually occurred to most
labor men. If they understood it they
would certainly not vote for the one
sided protection advocated by the Re
publican party. Such protection, in
stead of bel citing labor, increases the
prices of manufactured goods and the
cost of living and, therefore, actually
lowers real wages. But it Injuries la
Dor in another way. Because most pro-
tected industries charge higher prices
than they coald charge, If unprotected,
there is diminished consumption of
these products. This means diminish
ed production, fewer hands employed
and, therefore. reduced wages. for
wages are fixed by the law OF supply
and demand in the protected as in the
unprotected industries.
How the Republicans have duped in
labor on this question is beyond COM
prehension. In most protected Euro
pean countries, where wages are low,
1t never occurs to the protectionists 10
try to make it acceptable to the work
ing people by telling them that tariff
on goods will increase wages The
thing would appear too absurd. They
find other excuses and preteXts, or per-
haps the Gar just claps tariff taxes
on to the people, without saying by
your leave and without taking the
trouble to invent lying excuses and
sophiStical arguments. He does not
need to stultify his reasoning powers.
He knows that the people will pay the
taxes and that certain men. none of
them workingmen. viii share the pro-
ceeds with the government. He needs
his share and DEGREES protection
that'S nj