Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-25
"The Shabbiest Fraud"
Washington Post. I

J. w tpIl Oot'
The Hartford Courant, which was, a
venerable newspaper long before the
republican party was born and has
been II strong and consistent advocate
of republican principles ard policies
ever since the birth of the party. finds
1t hard under present conditions, to
put up the defense Of protection that
the system deserves. when open and
avowed enemies Of this beneficient pol
icy show up the trckery and hoggish-
ness of certain protected interests and
then denounce protection itself our
contemporaries trouble begins. When,
for example, the free traders, or tar
lrf-for-revenue- only" advocates show
that some of our principal manufac-
;urers habitualy sell their products in
foreign countries at prices far below
those which their home patrons are
compelled to pay, they put plausible
argument into the mouths Of anti-pro-
tectionlsts. And the FEASIBILITY of
that argument Is so difficult to expose
that 1t is often accepted as sound logic,
OF course, 1t Is fallacy. for there Is
not more thoroughly or overwhelm
ingly vindcated policy in the arena of
-N''ie''NA'' P''i''N' s'''''A -"
Of home industries. 1t stands so firmly
that its enemies cannot overthrow 1t,
even with the aid Of those false friends
of protection who persist in abusing 1t
for their own advantage. Some of the
Courants comments on this subject
recently presented in an editorial en-
titled Protection Imperfect by Hog
gishness." are extremely pertinent. We
quote a few samples:
The shabbiest fraud thai is played
on the United states by managers OF
protected industries is this trick or
msusing the protection that we pro-
vide-cf making 1t benefit foreigners to
our disadvantage"
"If II were necessary to maintain
certain price in order to maintain pro-
lection. then every one would accept
the situation unless he We're free
trader of the pronounced stamp VINO
advocates shutting up every factory
that cannot run without protection.
But it is different proposition when
n protected factory makes Americans
pay for the protection and then gives
foreign countries the benefits Of sue
cessive cheapening processes. 1T is all
nonsense TO talk of the policy as nee
essary IF the goods can be sold In
Paris at 30 per cent less than the price
asked for them in New York, then they
can also ne sold In New York at the
lower price: and the difference repre-
sents the excess of profit which Is ex-
torted from the American people"
Protection, like every other insti-
tuition or policy, must justify itself
Protection In America for the benefit
of European consumers cannot be 1usti-
fled"
There are not many protection news
papers that emulate the candor OF the
Courant but a great and growing num-
Der show their sympathy with the
views of our venerable Hartford con-
temporary. The American people are
too fair to complain of any man or
association of men for making money
by fair business methods: but they do
not believe 1t is fair for their con-
gress to legislate millions of money
out of the pockets of the consuming
masses into the hands of Il compara-
lively few persons The demand for re-
form is becoming extremely insstent.
A sense of Injury too long endured
calls for relief