The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1903-10-22

The Turn of the Tide.
In these days of retrenchment and
sagging exports. which are the natural
results of high protective tariff, our
manufacturers have been looking for
markets abroad that were not walled
in by protective tariff against them.
The British colonies in South Africa
seemed the best field for exploiting and
quite a nice business was springing up
in that direction. The Department of
Commerce. which now includes the
bureaus of statistics, was quick to call
attention to our increased trade with
South Africa, and the protectiOnist Or
gans pointed to 1t as an example OF
foreign trade that had not been re-
duced by our own protection wall. But
alas! those wicked BritisherS. who are
free traders at home, where they can
not raise enough necessities TO supply
themselves, when transplanted to
new country with infant industries,
which they are trying TO build up. have
determined on protection.
The Department of Commerce now
informs us that all British territory in
South Africa has put in operation a
preferential tariff system in favor Of
Great Britain of % per cent. This will
soon wipe out the trade that our ex-
porters have built up. with so much
expense and care. The business thus
lost with South Africa amounted to
$4,000. 600, or about one-fourth Of
what the same territory bought from
creased with surprising rapidity. In
1895 our trade there amounted to Onfy
One-tenth of the British. which shows
the great increase since that date.
Our trade with Canada is being cut
on in exactly the same manner and
all the European governments are also
raising their tariff walls higher and
higher against us. The principal suf
ferers by this system of protection
adopted by other countries. will be the
American workingman and farmer.
Both will be cut off from markets for
the surplus they produce over and
above what the people of the United
States can consume. The workingmer
will suffer by the decreased demand
for what they manufacture and the
farmers by the decreased markets for
their surplus. As the demand decreas-
es, prices for goods OF produce fall and
wages decline, which is the immediate
result that may be looked for in this
country. In fact, the process has al
ready begun and some Of the greater
manufacturers-the trusts-have al
ready notified their workmen that the
reduction must be made. The steel
trust has posted notices that on Jan. 1
a new agreemnt with its employees will
be necessary. The Dover, n. j., Index
of Oct. 2, says:
"Some of the employees of the mines
in this section have received notice
that their wages will be cut 10 cents
per day, and it is said that the same
rule is to prevail in all of the mines
in the country in the course of a few
days. This is occasioned by the big
slump in steel and a consequent re-
duction in the price of pig iron."
That is from a local newspaper pub
lished In the iron mine region and the
information therefore comes at first
hand.
A Chicago special correspondent OF
the New York Evening Post Of Sept
30 says:
''The railroads and machine shops
are not using as many men as recently,
the night shifts having in a number of
instances been dispensed with, owing
to falling off in business"
Thus we have the natural result of
protection brought home to us, by the
efforts of other countries to preserve
their markets for their own goods. AS
the foreign demand for our surplus
productions decrease, We must reduce
our output. To reduce means men out
of work and lower wages.
During the height of the trust boom
that has now run its course wages
have been increasing; they will now
begin to fall. and only the best skilled
workmen will find steady employment.
The protectionists would have us be-
iieye that the Dingley bill. If un-
touched, will continue prosperity, but
the facts show that it has bred trusts
and monopolies; raised the price of liv-
ing far beyond the increase of wages;
forced foreign countries to increase
their tariff wall against American
products and produced panic in the
stock market which seems destined to
extend TO all branches Of trade.
That the tariff has been the mother
of trusts was a sworn statement of
one of the great trust magnates, and
that the trusts have been selling their
products cheaper to foreigners than to
our own people has been proven. Yet
with all this evidence Of the harm that
the protective tariff has done and is
doing, the Republican leaders have de-
termined not to reduce or reform it,
and are already engaged in packing
the committees of the coming Congress
so that the subject cannot even be con-
sidered.
Shaw to the Rescue.
Secretary Shaw for political reasons
wants to stave off panic as long as
possible, and at the Maryland and
Washington bankers meeting at Old
Point Comfort he declared that 1.-The