Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-04-06
A TARIFF ON DAYLIGHT
Illuminating Industry Not SUI
ficientIy Protected.
CAPITAL FAv0RS ITSELF.

CAfI AL FAvUhS ITSELF.
How Employment Might Be Found For
Millions Of People by Consistent
Application Of Protect;onist Pr;nci-
pies Applied to Peoples Needs.
Since the protective principle is such
good thing for our people. giving
them plenty Of work at high wages. it
would seem that. we ought to have
more Of it. If that principle is true
there Is one industry al present IN
protected which employs about $4,000
people. but which If it were properly
protected in the manner hereafter sug-
gested would easily find employment
for five or six millions Of our people
So that here exists an opportunity for
cOurag eOus protectiunStS to earn the
everlasting gratitude of the wage
earners by consistently carrying out
their policy as regards this Que indus
try.
The industry l refer to is the ilu-
minating Industry. do not speak of
mental illumination. since that and
protection do not go we'll together. |
mean physical illumination. such as
that afforded by gas and electricity
Reference to the statistical abstract
of the United States for 1907 shows
that the average number of wage earn
ers engaged in the gas. Illuminating
and heating industry in 1905 was 3d.
566 and that the total wages paid to
them was $17.057,917. 1t to these tg-
ures we add those for gas and lamp
fixtures and gas machines and meters
we should get 4 total of 4l.3S1 en-
ployeeS receiving total annual wage
fund Of $22.S.!SO9S. This works out
to an average of $551 tO d head, by
the way. which is not 50 bad for Il
nonprotected industry and comnares
favorably With the wages paid in some
protected industries. such as cotton.
But ! am arguing for protection to
this Industry. and my reasons are as
follows: Sunlight is on the free list
and so is sun heat They come to us
from the east, the very place where
all our panper made foreign goods
come from. They food this fair land
regularly year in and year out for
one~ha!f OF the twenty four hours with
the whitening blight Of free sunbeams
I'D utter defiance of our protectionist
policy and to the great injury of the
artificial light industry. How long
are we going to allow this condition
to last? Surprising England and Ger
many manufactured this light and not
the sun. Would we not shut these ma
lions out? And shall we not also shut
out the sun? Cheap goods made by
pauper labor are wicked enough in all
conscience. but goods for nothing at
all. and such useful goods. too-how
can any nation stand that? Indeed
the wonder is that our whole trade
has not been ruined long ago.
or course free traders will tell us
that cheap light is a benefit to every
body. But did they not say the same
OF cheap meat. cheap socks and cbean
blankets, and did not our people scout
the idea? 1t Is the old story again
tie perverse stupidity Of free traders
that prevents them from seeing that
1t Is not cheappess the nation wants.
but work-work at American wages
regardless of anything else. The light
thus dumped upon us by the sun could
be made just as we'll in our own coun-
try In our gas and electrical lighting
works and would. as above stated.
give employment to several millions of
our people at American wages, of
course. Thus we could be independ-
ent not only of other nations. but even
OF old Sol himself, which. in addition
to the economic advantage gained.
would be another glorious feather in
Uncle Sans cap.
The way to 60 about it is simple.
we cannot put an ad valorem duty of
lOO per cent on sunlight. nor can we
prevent the earth from turning on it's
axis once in twenty-four hours-not
TOR the present. at least. But we can
pass law compelling all household
'ers in the land to keep shutters on their
windows in the daytime. and we can
draw thick awning over all towns so
as to shut out all daylight Then
there would be boom in the gas and
electric light business the like of
which no map ever saw since God
first said. LET there be light" The
American match Industry, too, would
receive u tremendous impulse, and
have said nothing about the manufac-
ture Of awnings, which. instead of
employing 1880 men. as at present,
would be employing 100000 under
the new conditions
What a boon all this would be for
American labor! Of course some will
say 1t would be difficult for men to
carry on their multifarious tasks un-
der artificial light. But that's Just
our point. Difficulty is what we want.
for the more difficulty there is the
more work. and have We not already
said that work and everything that
makes work is what we are after and
that such things as ease and cheap
ness are things the protectionist never
considers-except when he is paying
his help. Of course.
The outline here given is imperfect
l admit. but the idea is there. and
the reader can develop it at his pleas
ure. IT ever there was clear case
for protection this is it. Remember
that the light we get from the sun is
doing us as much harm as if it was
made IN Germany and shipped over