Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-04-07
Labor Is Suffering.

Labor Is Suffering.
The New York Journal of Commc rec,
the only financial and business paper
that is independent of Wall street and
trust Influences, thinks that American
mills should seek foreign markets. 1t
quotes the opinion of man connected
in an executive and practical way with
one of the largest industries in this
country, who said that 1t was only by
entering into the competitive business
abroad could ii be hoped to prevent one
of the most trying, cruel and disastrous
periods that labor has experienced.
THE public have not yet begun TO APP
preciate the severity of the labor out
look" he continued. They hear of
the hundreds of thousands of workmen
of all kinds being out of work in the
great cities, but they do not begin to
realize the situation and the prospects
at tie wooden manufacturing centers,
for instance, throughout New England
What is needed are foreign markets to
act as a regulator or insurance fot the
home market"
But how is the American manufac-
turer to overcome the high tariff rates
lean products in retaliation for our
high tariff duties imposed on their pro-
ducts? Virtually only the English mar
kets are open to our wares and even
n Canada
and Australia, now impose tariff pro
lection to protect their own manufac-
turers. Every country but England
has a tariff wall around 1t and the
United States has the highest tariff
wall of all, with the possible exception
Of Russia.
TO seek foreign markets for our sur
plus products under such conditions Is
a tbankless task. for our manufactur-
ers would have to offer their goods for
a price. that with the tariff rates of
other countries added would be less
than the price the manufacturers or
foreign countries sell for. We cannot
compete with England for her manu-
facturers have free raw materials and
the lower cost of living for her work
men and thus lower wages and cheaper
cost of production than the manufac-
.urer of the United States has.
The sad state of affairs that the Re
publican policy of protection has pro
duced both for the manufacturer and
the workmen cannot be much bettered
by the trusts and tariff protected indus
tries selling cheaper abroad than here,
because after all but little internation-
al trade can be accomplished between
those who want to sell and refuse to
buy. If we want to sell to foreigners,
we must buy of them as a general prop
osition. No country can afford long
to pay gold for foreign products, ex-
cept for raw materials which 1t re-
sells as finished products. The pro-
tected interests here must abide the
conditions they have created and moth
ing but reforming our own tariff with
free raw materials and other reductions
that will allow our workingmen to
1--WE CHedpeE VIII IOICt open
markets for our surplus products.
AS long as the business boom was
on everything was lovely for awhile,
but now the breakdown has come we
are helpless under the inelastic work
;ngs Of the Republican policy OF tariff
protection.
The Republicans now propose tar
if commission to investigate the tariff
statesman, former Gov. Douglas of
Massachusetts, has lately said:
'While the commission will be slow
ly prosecuting its investigation the tar
If trusts will continue to plumber the
helpless consumers and will raise a
campaign fund that will almost insure
the reelection of standpatters and the
defeat of revisionists. Instead of this
program of delay, would have Pres
ident who would call an extra session
of Congress to revise the tariff imme-
diately and radically.
THE proper time to get rid of some
thing bad is right now. Nor do / be-
lieve in compromising with an evil and
In agreeing to abolish it piecemeal-
say, 10 per cent year-when it Is pos
sible to get rid of it at once. If have
an liberated tooth that should be ex-
tracted, l do not want it pulled by in
stallments, 50 that the process will last
several hours or several days; l want
the agony of the separation to be as
short as possible"