The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-10-05
THUNDERBOLT WEAK
THAT LAUNCHED BY DEMOCRATS IN
THIS YEARS CAMPAIGN.


BourISe Cochran Greatly Relied Up
ON by the Democratic Congressional
| Campaign Committee.
| Washington. Aug. 27.-The report Of
a purpose on the part of the Demo
| cratic congressional committee to cir
culate millions of copies of n speech
| delivered in the house by Representa-
| tive Bourke Cochran of New York two
| days before the adjournment of con-
gress lends special interest to that re-
markable speech. 1t is assumed from
! The course the Democrats will pursue
with this speech that it is believed by
them to contain the latest outburst OF
wisdom, from the standpoint of up 10
late Democracy-the real philosophy
Of the denunciation of protection.
Mr.. Cochran dwells upon what he
terms the protection doctrine-that the
government by protection is enrichlng
| that this is impossible without what he
claims must be an attendant fact, that
the government by its policy has en-
Ibled the laborer to take something
from somebody else without justifica-
| ton or warrant. Now, the fact is that
industry by requiring that the foreign
er who would sell in the United States
his commodities, produced under q
lower wage scale than prevails in this
country, shall pay into the custom
houses of this country a tariff duty
for that privilege. Producers in this
country secure thereby opportunity to
pay better returns to labor. All the
government has done for labor is to
create opportunities. Labor has had
splendid opportunities under protec-
ton.
| After asserting that government can
not enrich labor except at the expense
of somebody, Mr.. Cochran plunges into
the doctrine of labor cost with all the
glibness of the one time famous states
man from Corsicana, Tex, the knight
of the field of old. who upheld the
Mills free trade tariff bill Well re-
membered are the arguments of that
economist from Texas, who sent out to
wondering world the doctrine that
the more you pay your laborers the
less commodities cost He predicated
that idea upon the principle that dear
labor is the cheapest labor, and the
| cheapest labor" such as is found in
India or China, is after all the dearest
labor. Mr. Cochran asks the people in
this campaign year to remember this
doctrine, and he adds that wherever
| the products of the laborer are album
dant his wages must be higher" That
is true where the laborer is REINFORCED
by machinery and where the laborer is
intelligent, well fed and we'll clothed.
But" says Mr.. Cochran, 1.-The es-
sentlal policy of protection is to make
production expensive" That is pre-
cisely what protection does not do. i
secures the domestic market against
cheaper labor competition and opens
the way for reduction in the cost of
production ut home by improvements
in methods of production through ma
chinery without lessening the returns
traders regarded the idea as the basis
Of economic production, that every in
crease in wages was q tax upon the
consumer. Now it is recognized that
economic reduction in cost Of produc-
ton lowers prices and at the same
time adds to the emoluments Of labor.
The browning feature of his 'philo-
.1f tIn 90
by Mr. Cochran is this: 1.-The Repub-
lican idea is to establish prosperity by
narrowing production and allowing the
producer to increase his profits by
taxation" Let us see:
In the five year period from 1900 to
1905 the increase in the value Of the
products of American manufactures
amounted, according to the census re-
turns, to nearly S3,5O0,000,0O0. The
percentage of increase In that five
years in the output of American mills
and factories was more than 80 per
cent.
That is an illustration Of how protec-
ton has narrowed production"
During the five year period the in
crease in the total wages paid to work
men in the mills and factories of the
country was more than So, 100000.
The increase in total wages paid to
workingmen in our mills and factories
was more than 80 per cent :
Mr.. Cochran probably would admit
that American prosperity has been
quite universal and genuine during
these five years. With this prosperity
has come 80 per cent increase in
wages paid to labor.
This northern philosopher of free
trade, this modern disciple Of Calhoun,
tells the American people that 1t Is
cheaper to employ highly paid labor,
for highly paid labor is more effective
and efficient. Then he denounces pro-
lection, which is the policy Of employ
Ing high priced American workmen,
paying them the highest wages and
waiting for economic reductions \ cost
of commodities by improvements IN
machinery, which saves labor cost and
reduces the price of commodities with
out reducing the wages of labor.
Millions Of Cochran speeches may