Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-08-07

severity OF CTfInindl prosecution, IN Or
der that methods pursued in the opera
ton of their business shall be brought
within the law. To destroy them and
to eliminate the wealth they represent
from the producing capital OF the coun-
try would entail enormous loss and
would throw out of employment myriads
of w-0rkingmen and workingwomen. Such
a result is wholly unnecessary to the
accomplishment of the needed reform,
and will intict upon the innocent far
greater punishment than upon the guilty.
The democratic platform does not pro-
post to destroy the plants of the trust
physically. but 1t proposes to do the same
thing In q different way. The business
OF this country Is largely dependent upon
a protective system OF tariffs. The bnsi-
ness lone by many of the so called trusts
is protected with the other businesses OF
the country. The democratic platform
proposes to take Off the tariff on all
those produced by the so called trusts"
and to put them on the free list. IL
such a course would be utterly destruct-
I've of their business. as 1t is. indeed, 1t
would not only destroy the trusts, but all
OF their smaller competitors.
The ruthless and impracticable charac-
ter of the proposition grows palmer as
its effects upon the whole country are
realized.
To take the course suggested by the
democratic platform In these matters is
to invoke the entire community, innocent
as 1t is, in the punishment of the guilty,
while our policy Is to stamp out the spe-
cific evil.
Doctrine of Protection.
The republican doctrine of protection. as
definitely announced by the republicans
this year and by previous conventions, Is
that a tariff shall be imposed on all inn
ported products, whether of the factory,
farm or mine, sufficiently great to equal
the difference between the cost OF pro-
duction abroad and at home, and that
this difference should, of course, Include
the difference between the higher wages
paid In this country and the wages paid
abroad and embrace a reasonable profit
to the American production. A system
OF protection thus adopted ana put IN
force has led to the establishment OF a
rate of wages here that has greatly en-
HANGED the standard OF living OF the Ia
boring nan. 1t is the policy of the re-
publican party permanently to continue
that standard of living. In 1897 the Ding
ley tariff bill was passed. under which
we have had, as already said, a period or
enormous wealth.
The consequent material development
has greatly changed the conditions under
which many articles described by the
schedule of the tariff are now produced.
TIL tariff In a number of the schedules
exceeds the difference between the cost
OF production OF such article abroad ana
at home, including a reasonable proht 10
the American producer. The excess over
that difference serves no useful purpose,
but offers a temptation to those who
would monopoiize the production and the
sale of such articles in this country to
profit by the excess overrate. On the oth-
er hand, there are other schedules IN
which the tariff Is not sufficiently h!gh
to give the measure OF protection when
they should receive upon republican pr1n-
ciples, as to those the tariff should be re-
duced- "A revision of the tariff under
taken upon this principle. which Is at the
basis of our present business system, be-
gun promptl upon the Oh the
new administration and considered at the
special session with the preliminary In
xya.4t,otsAn. nlraol, haouo hU the nnnr0-
pirate committee of the House and Sen
ate. Will make the disturbance OF business
incident to such a change as little as
possible.
The democratic party In it's platform
has not had the courage of its previous
convictions on the subject or the tarlI
denounced by it in 1904 as a system or the
robbery Of the many for the benefit OF the
few, but il does declare its intention to
change the tariff with a view to reaching
a revenue basis and thus to depart from
the protective system. The introduction
into power OF party with this avowed pur-
pose cannot but halt the gradual recovery
OF the more recent financial depression
and produce business disaster in COM
parison with which our recent panic and
depression VII seem small indeed.
Question of Labor.
We come now to the question Of labor.
One important phase of the qualities of
the present administration has been
anxiety to secure for the wage Garner an
| equality of opportunity and such positive
statutory protection as win place him on
a level in dealing with his employer. The
republican party has passed an mploy-
ers' liability act for interstate railroads
and has established an eight-hour law for
government employees and on government
construction. The essence of the reform
affected by the farmer is the abolition of
the fellow-servant rule, and the introduce
ton of the comparative negligence theory
by which an employee injured in the SER
vice OF his employer does not lose all his
rioht m rpCnVar hpCn1SQ of slight npQli-
gence on his part. Then there is the act pro-
viding for compensation for Injury TO gov
eminent employees, together with the va
rious statutes requiring safety appliances
upon interstate railroads for
the protection Of their employees and linz
iting the hours of their employment.
These are all instances or the efforts OF
the republican party to do justice to the
wage Garner. Doubtless a more conserva-
tive measure for compensation or gov
eminent employees will be adopted In the
future; the principle In such cases has
been recognized, and is necessarily some
what slow course of legislation Will be
more fully embodied in definite statues.
The interests of the employer and the
employee never differ except when II comes
to a division of the joint profit OF labor
and capital INTO dividends and wages.
This must be a constant source OF perl
odical discussion between the employer
and employee as indeed are the other terms
of the employment.
To give to employees their proper posi-
W IA obNAL " III o. ~ 49,
to maintain themselves against employers
having great capital, they may well unite,
because in union there is strength
without 1t each individual laborer and en-
ploye would be helpless. The promotion
Of Industrial peace through the instru-
mentality of the trade agreement Is often
one of the results of such union when in
diligently conducted.
There Is a large body of laborers, how
ever, skilled and unskilled. who are not
organized into unions. Their rights be-
fore the law are exactly the same as those
of the union men. and are TO be protected
with the same care and watchfulness.
Rights of Labor.
In order TO induce their employer into a
compliance with their request for changed
terms of employment workmen nav the
right to strike in a body. They have a
right to use such persuasion as they may,
provided It does not reach the point OF
duress, to lead their reluctant co-laborers
to join them In their union against their
employer and they have a right. IL they
choose. to accumulate funds TO support
those engaged in a strike. to delegate to
officers the power to direct the action OF
the union, and TO withdraw themselves
and their associates from dealings with. or
giving custom to those with whom they
are in controversy.
What they have not the right to do Is to
injure their employers property, to in
jure their employers business by use of
threats or methods of physical duress
against those who would work for him or
deal with him or by carrying on what IL
| sometimes known as a secondary boy