The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-05-25
B. B. JOHNSON SOUNDS
DEMOCRATIC SLOGAN
Continued From Page One.)

into privilege for capital, until the cry
has become bitter mockery and the
protection itself has become a stone
instead of bread.
The long drawn out injustice done to
the consumers of this country by the
operation of our tariff laws is at last
a matter of common knowledge. The
protective tariff is now admitted to be
a tax. The people know that the many
are being despoiled for the benefit of
the few. and they know that the pres
ent high cost of living is largely due
to the tariff trust combination.
The people know the protective tariff
was never intended by it's authors to
protect American labor. in the sense
of increasing American wages. Its
avowed original purpose was to pro-
tect American manufacturers in paying
the current and existing rate of wages
without being at any disadvantage in
with foreign manufacturers
in the American market. Skilled labor
was then scarce here-and-therefore dear
while common labor was plentiful and
cheap. 1t was not the original pur-
pose to give the American manufactur-
err a monopoly of the home market but
he was simply to have a fair field
and no favor" The tariff never raised
wages directly. 1t was never meant to
do so, except as it increased the de-
mand for labor, but when combined
hn tr,, hot N
order to raise American wages tax
must be put upon incoming foreign
labor, as we'll as upon foreign goods.
The only protection American labor
ever had from foreign labor was the
cost of transporting the latter to our
shores, and that same protection the
had without any tariff
law. But If the tariff did increase
wages in protected industries. it would
be an unfair discrimination against
labor in unprotected industries.
If there ever was a reason for pro-
tective tariff, as republicans claim to
believe, it must be admitted that such
reason no longer exists, even from the
point of view: because 1t is
the infant industries" have become so
big and strong that they are able to
send their products to every part OF
the world. pay the freight thereon.
and make a profit on the transaction.
while paying. as they always have. the
American rate of wages. This means
paying Just what they are compelled
to under the law of world wide labor
and not dollar more!
Whatever higher wage. il any. is paid
TO American labor skilled or I'M
skilled, is not the result of the tariff.
but is partly due to labor unions ana
partly to the admitted fact that Amer
lean labor is the best in the world
more intelligent. more conscientious
and more valuable than any other on
the average.
The Democratic party offers the
true remedy for these sinister evils.
these serious abuses and discrim1na-
tons. The lust Of riches. corporate
greed. encouraged and entrenched by
the protective tariff. has carried our
ship of state far from her traditional
moorings. II We would do justice to
the great body OF our citizens; II We
" ould return to constitutional govern
ment, to a recognition of the indepen-
ience of each of the coordinate
branches thereof; If We would do
away with the despotism of the big
stick" on the one hand and the des-
potism of the party machine controlled
by an oligarchy Of wealth on the 9TH
err, it is the duty of the hour to wipe
out the present monopoly tariff and
ultimately establish in it's stead a tar
if for revenue only!
We wage no war against capital.
however concentrated. if its owners
are subject to the laws and not mas
ters Of the laws. We wage no war
On commercial enterprises, however
arge, if their managers are willing to
live and let live" We wage no war
on the rights of property, but We de-
rhand that the owners of property re-
spect the rights of man! We denounce
he Payne-Aldrich tariff law as among
the worst of bad lot Of tariff laws.
like its predecessors, it was created
by the trusts and for the trusts. Its
violate the spirit OF
,rr institutions and outrage our sense
If Justice. 1t makes the rich richer
and the poor poorer. It knows but one