Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-01-06
"THE GREAT TARIFF LIE"

urday Evening Post, publishes con-
vincing article in opposition to our
present tariff system. Inasmuch as
the Post opposed the election of Mr..
Bryan, who stood for tariff revision,
il seems little inconsistent for it'll
tt, open its columns to writer's who
show by convincing arguments and
indisputable facts that our present
tariff rests upon lies"
The article to which we refer was
written by Will Payne and illustrat-
e. by j. J.. Gould and it occupied the
st pages of the last number of the
lvening Post.
1t was not our intention when we
first read the article to do more than
reproduce in our columns a few of
its best paragraphs, but at the re-
quest of prominent republicans, who
have no use for our present iniquitou
tariff, we give below the entire ar
ticle:
When it comes to revising the tar
iff one especially should be kept
i'll mind-namely, that the present
tariff rests upon lies. The popular
arguments in support of it simply are
not true-however admirable other.
4 wise
We had moderate tariff when we
had infant industries. For twenty
years before the Civil War the duty
on dutiable imports averaged around
% per cent. Since the Civil War
We have never had anything but high
protection. The lowest average duty
on dutiable imports in any year was
over 3S percent In only three years
has the duty ever fallen below 4(
So per cent.
During these forty-three years o.
high protection, with the duty never
under 3S per cent, the country ha.
Usually been prosperous; so they sa!
high protection makes prosperity
in short, that we have been taxing
ourselves rich. But the country ha
also enjoyed three important panic
and at least two prolonged period
OF great industrial depression. Th
last panic, the effects OF which hav.
not yet passed away, happened whel
the duty was over 42-per cent.
But the great tariff falsehood, afte
all, is that high duties are for tn
benefit of workmen, who would Other
1 wise be. ruined by competition wit
!, the pauper labor of Europe. 1t
doubtful If the political annals z
mankind contain bolder, bulkiel
more altitudinous lie than this.
We have, it is true, high duties an
high wages. But England has tn
highest wage scale in Europe, an
free trade; therefore, free trad
makes high wages. Or, Russia ha
very high duties-higher even tina
q ours-and about the lowest wage sea
g in Europe therefore high duties NAL
low wages. Either of those argumen
c is as sound as the protectionist arg
ment that our tariff benefits labo
Men who have studied the subje
scientifically, without prejudice. kno
that the tariff does not benefit labC
and have said so. Big protected ma
ufacturers know it, too, but ha
mostly omitted to say so. And lab
itself knows it.
High duties cannot protect Anne
can labor. for there is little dou
tt at it is already the cheapest lab
in the world-not the lowest price
but the cheapest when measur
against its output, giving, for d
lar in wages, a greater product tn
any other This is in part due
/. the character of the workmen, h
more to the fact that machinery
IL used in American production to
1T greater extent and to better adv;
tage than elsewhere.
We all hear of some great lab
Or saving inventions-the cotton-gin,
reaper, the telephone the linoty
But what we hear of is only +
drops in the bucket. There were
sued at Washington last year thir
six thousand patents. and over Il
ty thousand in each of the four ?
ceding years. Numberless impro
ments in process and organizat
which cheaper labor by making
more productive are not patented
i,a all. We lead the world in mech,
cal inventions. in the use of macl
e"y and, probably. in organization,
of which mean more productive lal
The increased efficiency of the An
lean workman is not matter of
single great invention now and til
1t goes on constantly. The la
constantly produces more per n
High tariff or low tariff good til
! or bad times, the steady tendency
- labor-cost is 10 fall. Iii Massat
setts shoe factory the labor-cost
making first ualiqty shoes fell Fl
- 34 per cent. of the price in 1855
only IS per cent. in 1880. In a
Jersey cigar shop, machines ope
ed by children produced cigars al
labor-cost of two dollars and
cents thousand. against seven
lars for the best handwork. The
dustrial world is dotted with it
like that.
- Labor-costs Falling as Wages RI
~ From 1900 to 1905 wages, gem
lW ly speaking, rose. The census re
III en- all factory industries of the I
NJ ed States shows that total wages
n increased 29.9 per cent; but the
ue of the product increased 297
I ~