The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-18
PROTECTION AND THE STAND
Ard OF LIVING.

E01-Mayor Low, In his address on
THE United States as a World Power
before the American Academy of Politi-
cal and Social Science at Philadelphia
last Friday, said that devotion to a
high standard of living explains the
American policy of protection" He
said there were serious objections to
the policy. It lends itself to an Gin
crease of corruption in public and com
mercial life" and places 'four manu-
features and all our Industries more or
less on an artificial basis" but it is
sustained because it is believed to be
necessary to the maintenance of the
high standard of living enjoyed by the
American workingman." Mr. Low also
remarked that "it may be said that
by stimulating immigration it has re-
lieved the pressure of population in
Europe and helped to raise the stand
ard of living there. and had also so
stimulated invention as to lead Ameri-
cans to use machinery more than any
other people and to seek economy in
its operation with the result of enabling
the United States Ito produce the
cheapest goods. although paying the
highest wages and working its people
for only eight hours day" Discussing
those remarks of Mr.. Low the New
York Journal of Commerce says:
The latter part of this statement is
open to question on the score of ac-
curacy. Whether protection has stimu-
lated invention in this country depends
upon whether it has created and sus-
tanned the industries in which invention
is used, but it is certain that relief
from competition tends to benumb in-
VentiOn, and 1t is not altogether true
that we use machinery and economic
it's operation more than other people.
In textile machinery we have kept be-
hind Great Britain, and in other kinds
that country and Germany are lzeepiner
pretty we'll up to US. What has been
the stimulus in Great Britain? If we
are producing the cheapest goods we
can hardly need protection any longer,
and it would be hard to find any pro
tected industry in which the people
work only eight hours a day.
But is the explanation of the policy
/ of protection, that it mas tended to
/ create and is necessary to maintain the
I high standard Of living Of the American
wOrkingman," q valid one, and is the
I belief that it has done so and is still
necessary well fOunded2 That is a
+ question which Mr.. Low did not at
/ tempt to answer, and it was the most
/ important one that he raised. Doubt
/ less the policy did much toward trans
planting manufacturing industries to
/ this country and fastening their growth
! here through inducing the immigration
/ Of capital and labor by hindering the
Importation Of their products But the
capital and population being here. and
! the industries being established and de-
veloped, how does protection help tc
/ maintain the standard Of living? That
must depend upon the capacity to pro
duce and the volume OF production in
4 proportion to the number of those en-
gagged in it. That in turn must depend
upon wealth of natural resources and
the ease with which they can be turned
/ to account, and the efficiency Of the Ia
Dor employed upon them. IL our nat
ural resources and the efficiency Of oul