Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-05-06

NiiiaH eIlplOyeS Vi tuc SOSeTlHH
Porto Rico" E
This attempt Of the admin
10 squelch the scandal did nj
the looked-for effect, for IN
from Pc Rico says:
''Th> -efand jury to-day called
witnesses in the smuggling Oh
which officers of the United
navy and other prominent m
involved, and secured from the
commissioner who presided Mt 4
mer hearings, copy of the testS
taken.
1.-THE prisoners who are confined In
the penitentiary for smuggling have
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 powerful lever to
protect the influential criminal, and
that those without such friends must
bear the full brunt of the law.
Fresident's Mistaken.
President Roosevelt said, In his
speech at Sioux Falls that "the nation
al government has small field in
which 1t can work in labor matters"
The truth of this statement Is chal-
lenged by several labor leaders, who
assert, in the 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 national
scope than with all It's dealings with
capital"
The most interesting part Of Mr..
Hayes interview OH this subject is the
following: ~ might mention the immi-
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 clleaply, 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 OH the stuff they maker
This most important point appears
labor men. II they understood 1t they
would certainly not vote for the one
sided protection advocated by the Re-
publican party. Such protection, in
stead of benefting labor, increases the
prices of manufactured goods and the
cost of living and, therefore, actually
lowers real wages. But 1t Injuries la
hor in another way. Because most pro-
tected Industries charge higher prices
than they could charge, IL 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 protectionlsts to
try to make 1t acceptable to the work
Ing people by telling them that tariff
OH goods will increase wages. The
thing would appear too absurd. They
find other excuses and pretexts, or per-
haps the Car 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 kYows that the people will pay the
taxes and that certain men, none Of
them workingmen. will share the pro-
ceeds with the government. He needs
his share and DEGREES protection
tmt's all.