The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-07-15
Insists That High Tariff AS :
y Protection to Workers Is 3
Consummate Fraud.
IDEA FIRST CONCEIVED
BY WILEY POLITICIANS
Insidious Pretense Of Big Inter
ests to PLAN of Private Pro-
fits AS National Issues, . &.

Hon. Victor L. Berger Of Wisconsin,
the only Socialist member of our ma
tional house of representatives. de-
livered one Of the most telling tar
If speeches heard in congress dur
ing this session. We heartily COM
mend its perusal to. all trades union
lists. He treats the tariff question SO
concisely and pointedly that we
would advise every reader Of this
paper to procure a copy OF the speech
and make a careful study of Mr..
Berger's argument.
The speech is too long for repro
duction in the Labor World, but some
of its epigrammatical statements are
SO singeniously and cleverly put that
our readers will fully justify our
quoting them. s
Excerpts from Speech.
81 want 1t understood that there Is
no such thing as protection to labor
in any tariff bill. I want to say this
in the name Of the many millions OF
enlightened workingmen in this coun-
try, and in all other civilized coun-
tries, who think for themselves.
Moreover, gentlemen, you are not
in the habit Of making laws for the
protection Of labor.
Your are continually making laws
for the protection OF life and pro-
perty- for the protection Of the lives
Of those who own the property. and
for the protection of the property
they own. You are continually max
H<~ ER- -
and merchants.
But the workingman who has no
other property than his labor gets
scant protection, indeed.
I am not concerned with the manu-
facturers' side Of this question. The
manufacturers are we'll able to take
care OF Themselves. and they are ex-
lceedfngly well sc 5sntad III thI1
house. 81 3sS .ss Is 1,s7 #59.7
What I want to bring out is that it
never was intended that the high
tariff. should protect the working
man. That pretense was simply an
afterthought. because the working
men have votes. $a Gi SIS .E4.
It was only In this country, after
the infant industries had become
giants, that some Of our Pennsylvania
politicians conceived the idea of
claiming that the high tariff was here
to protect the sworkingman.
Cause Of High Wages In America.
There can be no doubt that wages
are better here than in European
countries. But the causes Of this
fact have little or nothing to do with
the tariff. .:r., .sz 1: I, .#=
The workman In highly protected
Germany has somewhat the advan-
tage. in wages and hours, over the
workman in highly protected France.
The workman In free-trade England
has a shade the advantage over the
workman in highly protected Ger
It can not be shown that the tar
If has any general effect upon wages.
Higher wages In the United States
are due to number Of highly COM
plex factors. Il j.. :.s 5..s. ..: 81
Starvation Wages.
Since the great strike in PittsburK
in1S92-which ended with the bat
tie ION the Monongakela-the claim
that the high tariff protects the
Workingman has become more rare.
should not advise the gentleman
form Pennsylania or lany other
gentleman to make such g. claim be-
fore an audience OF workingmen Of
Pittsburg, Chicago, or Milwaukee,
when there is q strike on for living
wages In some branch OF the iron
industry. tsf SlEEas - 80
There is always free trade in Ia
bor. II
Owning the Trusts. M
We can not destroy the trusts With
out destroying our ctvilizatio
Moreover, we do not want to des-
try them. The trusts bring some
system into the Industrial chaos. They
are the forerunners Of g new social
order. They have put the nrst ef-
fective check upon the disastrous
evils Of competition. s3SsS
What we must do therefore, lie to
entend the benefits OF this ownerships
to the entire nation.
The national ownersl.ip OF the
trusts must be our next great step
IA evolution The Sherman law
ought to be repealed and law en-
acted to nationalixe every industry
whore the out nut and the prices are
controlled by trust or privately
owned monopoly.
And the very worst OF the social
- S11esS ~ SS<sAkAs -
| the greatest, one Nigh it sAy the only.
social power. All human worth sisss
estimated "a, terms Of wealt II dol
lars and cents
Things can NOT 30 on ike stlsls in-
definitely. Nhite men will not III
ways stand II Within short time
with present endenctes unchecle
We shall have two nations III thtg
country both Of native growth. Ora
will bos very lar8e ID number. seln11 y
|ciyilixsd, ], half starved, ana dessns
atSd fhrolgh n,isery:: i: tho oeAsr lg
HE snall s. mum nbeisY ovetle 49,
[ciyllissd md ysnsss D B