Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-06-23
COST OF PRODUCTION |
Deceptive Plank In Indiana Re-
publican Platform
THE VOTERS HOODWINKED

Plausible Declaration conceaIs q Mis-
ehievous Fallacy-False Theory Of
Economy Exposed-The Right Prin-
eipIe Made Clear.
1--WE believe in a protective tariff
measured by the difference between
the cost Of production here and
abroad" These words are taken from
the Indiana Republican platform
adopted couple Of weeks ago.
The Republican national platform of
1904 said, ''The measure of protection
should always at least equal the diff
ference in the cost Of production at
home and abroad"
And the platform of 1908 affirmed
substantially the same thing. 1t said,
1.-THE true principle Of protection is
best maintained by the imposition of
such duties as will equal the difference
between the cost of production at home
and abroad" ;
Now, all these declarations Of prin-
ciple look very plausible, but they
conceal a mischievous fallacy all the
same.
They contradict the elementary fact
that foreign nations can make some
things cheaper than we can and that
we cannot afford to spend our time in
making for ourselves such goods as
we can get more cheaply from those
nations.
You would not think 1t economy for
a merchant earning $500 week to be
doing washing which he can get the
Chinaman to do for dollar a week,
would you? And yet many sane peo-
pie think it economy for high grade
American labor to be employed on
jobs that are unworthy Of it and are
only f1t for the foreign "pauper." to
give him his classical title.
The right principle is to keep Ameri-
can labor employed in lines Of produc-
ton where it will reap the largest
product and to buy everything else
that we need from the foreigner, pay
ing him back with the goods that we
produce. That is true economy and
common sense.
The other principle, the one we are
adopting now, is to keep producing
everything-the thing we are fit to
produce and the thing we are, not fit
to produce-and then to charge the re-
sulting deficiency to the account Of
the poor American consumer.
However. we are fit to produce q
great many things more cheaply than
the foreigner. To look at the tariff
schedules it would seem that we can
produce next to nothing. We have
plenty Of coal, plenty Of iron, plenty
OF technical skill and intelligence and
plenty of land and OF everything that
a nation can expect Ought we not,
then, to be able to undersell the, for 4
eigner with his obsolete ways and his
impoverished territory We ought,
and we are here is no need for
tariff. SO far, MS protection. to- labor is
concerned, but there Is q, need for a
tariff to protect monopoly. That is
Just what the tariff is for and what
It does. y. 81, !, IT,. -
1.-THE difference between the cost Of
production at home and ,abroadv' Be-
fore the tariff was made did it's franz
ers ascertain what that difference
was? They did not. They rejected
the idea as absurd. They went ahead
and put up the schedules to suit the
appetites Of the tariff gluttons and not
the interests Of the consumers.
When Senator Owen Of Oklahoma
asked Senator Aldrich why the Diff /
ference in cost of production had not
been compiled as a basis for framing
the tariff Aldrich's answer was that
che would have a clerk compile for
him list of publications relating to
the tariff, but would be unable to fur
nish him with the intelligence to d.
gest them"
That is how the tariff trainers met
the honest demand Of those who want
ed the party pledge to be literally kept.
The machine politicians had no inten-
ton to keep this pledge when they
made 1t. And they had the best Of all
reasons for their action. A true In
vestigation Of the relative cost Of pro-
duction would have shown that the
tariff was not necessary, and they did
not want this damning fact to be
brought out.
Thus have the voters been deceived,
and thus they may be deceived again
If they are not watchful.
THOMAS sCANLON.