Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-05-13
THE NATURAL RESULT
Shutdowns and Failures Follow
In Wake of High Tariff.
PROTECTION DOES NOT PROTECT.


Shops Close Their DoOrs-TaxIns
the People to Benefit the Trusts.
The principal argument in favor OF
protection is that it brings prosperity
| by preserving the home market to pro-
ducers, by preventing the importation
OF foreign products, by allowing the
manufacturers to pay high wages and
keeping the factories and workingnen
| fully employed. That is the pleasing
picture which the Republicans tried TO
present in the closing debates in con-
gress. But the facts do not substanti-
ate their claims, for ON the same day
that Congressman Dalzell. who -epre-
sents the Protective Tariff League. was
closing the tariff debate Tor the Re
publicans the Boston Transcript-goOd
Republican authOrity-published a
number of kilograms from industrial
centers which show the disastrous con-
dition of many industries. Among these
are the following:
Philadelphia. April 2G.-The textile de-
preston in Philadelphia is so great that
some carpet. cloth and blanket mills here
time in fifty years. Dealers are wary OF
placing orders for any of the goods made
here. and buyers are instructed TO take
no risks. Fully 1000 men are idle as a
result of the depression.
a long telegram from New York on
the state OF the wholesale textile mar
ket gives a sad account of the staena-
ton that cOnfrOnts manufacturers and
wholesalers y sample sentence or two
tell the tale:
Having no confidence in present prices.
1t gems to be the determination TO force
all risk of carrying goods upon the manu-
facturcrs. All lines OF giDghams and cam
brics are stagnant. In the hosiery and
underwear arkets similar conditions pre-
vail. 1t is a stand pat situation all
around. There is no change in the worst
ed yarn market. and spinners talk OF
shutting down until there are signs Of
Improvement.
From Fall River is published an ac-
count of the condition OF the fancy cot
ton industry at the meeting of the
stockholders of Barnaly company. The
report of the treasurer among other
things said, Since year ago curtuil-
ment of production had gone on. and
still there was no call for the prod
ucts." AS sample OF the condition of
operatives idle at this time in Philadcl-
phia alone. and there has been no
demand for the ginghams and shirt
ings, and from all he could learn this
was substantially the case in fine and
white goods.
y telegram from Newark, y. j.,
tells of the failure of the SOmerville
wooden mills; another telegram from
San Antonio. Tex, announces the
of Il receiver for the Ray
wood Rice Canal and Milling company,
which has $4,000 acres Of rice III cult
vation;" another reports the failure
of one of the oldest Drewerics in New
York and gives as the cause cannot
meet its obligations owing to general
duIlness of business and inability to
make collections"
All this is from one newspaper on
one day, and yet the Republicans are
declaring the whole country is on the
top wave of prosperity. Now. all the |
industries quoted are protected 10y the |
tariff from 80 to 100 per cent and !
should be, according to the protection |
lists, most prosperous. but little if any |
foreign goods can compete with them |
Ey the Dfngley bill. The price which |
the people pay for these products Is |
much higher on account of that prOtec- |
ton than ii would be if the tariff was |
reduced or abolished. The overproduc |
ton of these products has been stimu |
lated by protection beyond what the /
consumers arc able to purchase, with /
the inevitable result of shutdowns, fail |
ures or restricting the output until pur |
chasers appear. The manufacturers !
have dumped" on the foreign markets |
all that can be sold at much less |
price than they have sold here for, but 1
foreign tariffs have been raised TO pro- /
tect the home market of those coun- |
tries, except England, and the dump !
ing is not as profitable as it was, and /
England can only take what the people |
can buy.
These shutdowns and reductions !
make it impossible for the idle work
men to purchase, and thus the home +.
market is restricted for not only the |
articles they have been employed in
but of everything else OK
cept the barest necessities of life.
If this depression in so many protect
ed industries had occurred when the
Democrats controlled legislation and /
had passed Il bill to reform the tariff /
of its enormities, what howl would .
20 up from the Republicans that the
Democrats were running the country,
But as the highest protection has been
on the statute books since 1897 and the
have had full control OF
all departments Of the government
there must be something wrong with
the protection theory or in practice it
only works when the periodical "beom"
comes around. VIII it pay to continue
protection that enormously increases
the price of nearly every article of con-
sumption and taxes the people for the
benefit of trusts instead Of n moderate
tariff on n much less number of arti-
cles that will produce the revenue that
the government requires honestly adj
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