The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-27
What Is Right?
Editor Palladium:

CuiIoA
In firm belief of your sense of fair
play accompanied with an exalted
opinion of your standard of intelli-
gence, / am led to ask sufficient space
in the public columns of your paper to
PROFOUND a few questions on the po-
litical muddle with which we as wage
earners, are confronted. l would like
to suggest that you take upon yourself
the responsibility of replying thereto
editorially, single or serial.
There can be no question but what
the day Of red fire and hip, hip, hur-
rah method OF procuring votes is be-
coming thing of the past and God
speed the day when it shall become
absolutely obsolete.
There is one set of politicians who
advise us that a protective tariff is
essential to commercial growth; an
other set tells us that such a tariff Is
the moisture applied to the roots of
trusts and combines, creating a
growth of such stupendous power as
to throttle all competition and pre-
vent the possibility of any prices be-
ing created other than what they
shall deem proper to set.
Then again we are told that a tariff
is necessary to enable the employer
to pay higher wagese than that of
European countries, that we as wage
workers may maintain proper stand,
ard of living and if there should be
reduction in the tariff schedule
there must necessarily be a proper
tionate reduction in wages.
Against this we have statement
that England under free trade pays
higher wages than protectionist
France, Germany, Belgium, Austria
Holland and Russia, where the popula'
ton to the square mile is uniform
leaving us to imply that If the same
density of population existed in the
United States that prevails in Eng
land, our protective tariff would be as
useless and futile in maintaining
wages as a two-foot board would be
| to keep the ocean in allegiance.
! Another set Of politicians tells us
! that the foreigner pays the import
duty and the justice of tariff is basee
on the equity of compelling those who
enjoy our markets to pay its proper
ton of our revenues.
Then Uncle Joe Cannon comes bacl
and says, since the foreigner pay:
nothing to our revenues, 1T is onl,
right and just that our own people
should have the exclusive privilege o
/ L. - a ~ "A work
the benefits Of higher wages creates
by the tariff.
Against that, Tuesday, Mr.. Mana
han at the coliseum, reasoned tina
the power of fixing prices led to tn
advantage Of fixing them so high tina
the purchasing power Of the dollar 1
reduced in proportion to the increas
in prices and we who toll in the shop
with a fixed wage have got to conced
that in an effort to make both end
mHN, there might be some logic Il
that method of reasoning.
Mr.. Editor, we depend very Target
on our city papers. as the avenu
from which to secure information, an
realizing your power and influence i
molding public opinion, and your az
cess to corroborative proof OF actua
conditions, won't you kindly accept
this as serious suggestion and Civ
us editorially an unbiased version c
your consistency in being Republ
j-ca1 professionally or personality. o
Democrat, which ever the case ma
be? Give US some light.
Yours truly,
N 10th st. A. B.
Richmond