The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1911-07-21
FALLAClES OF
PROTECTION.

A MANUFACTURER TN CONGRESS
THROWS LIGHT UPON THEM.
Personal Experiences DIV. C. RedfieId
Of Brooklyn Told for Benefit OF Ills
Fellow MembCrS---LdbOf Cost and
Foreign Markets. Duties COmpOun.
ded to Consumer.
Washington, June 19.-One of the
best speeches that has been made In
the House at this session was deliv-
cred by Representative William @.
Redf1eld, of Brooklyn. Mr. Redfeld
is serving his first term in the House.
He is a manufacturer who does not
believe in high protective duties. His
tariff beliefs are based on personal
experience and observation in the
market places of the world. He
showed the House that he had an in
innate first-hand knowledge of the
things he talked about. That alone
would have made it an unusual
speech. Most talks on the tariff in
Congress are made by theorists who
derive their information from govern
ment statistics of one sort or another.
The average member talks abstractly
about concrete problems. Mr.. Red
field gave substance to his remarks
by giving personal experiences and
quoting actual instances.
He maintained that cheap labor
was dear labor, and that goods could
be manufactured as cheaply in the
United States as they could in Europe
or in the Orient, where wages are
much lower. Moreover, he maintain
ed that it was impossible for any tar
iff board or Congressional Committee
to ascertain the actual American cost
OF production or foreign cost of pro-
duction, and, therefore, impossible for
the Republicans to base tariff legisla-
ton on the difference between the
cost of production at home and
abroad. Mr.. Redfield's speech in full
Is printed in the Congressional Re-
cord of Saturday, June IL. Because
1t is transcript OF actual experience,
1t should be read by every one inter-
ested in impending tariff legislation.
The Brooklyn member began in this
way:
Republican Protective Theory.
In the year 1908 there appeared
certain sacred words, familiar to this
House, which at the beginning of
what / have to say 1 desire to read
as the text OF my remarks. These
words are:
I'm all tariff legislation, the true
principle Of protection is best main
tanned by the imposition OF such
duties as will equal the difference
between the cost of production at
home and abroad, together with
reasonable profit to American indus
tries
Being the tariff statement from the
Republican platform Of 1908. 1t is
great pity that these words we're
printed only in the English language.
1T is a great pity they were not trans
lated into Japanese, that they might
adorn the cabs Of the 720 American
locomotives on the Japanese railways
for the benefit of the Japanese en-
gine-driyers. IT. Is great pity they
were not translated into Chinese, that
those in Manchuria who are wearing
American cottons might know how
Self-sacrificing the makers were in
selling them to them. It Is a great
pity they were not translated into
Javanese, that the machinery my own
house has sent to the Dutch East
Indies might tell to the Malays there
how beneficent factor we have been
to them. It Is great pity they were
not translated into Hindu, that the
stokers of the Calcutta electric-light
works might know how generous was
the American firm that sold them
their forced-draught plant
1T is great pity they were not
published in Melbourne, that my &C
quaintance there, who bought half a
million dollars worth of American
hardware between New York and San
Francisco for sale in Australia, might
know how kind those American man
ufacturers were to him. It is a great
pity they are not printed in Dutch
or German, that my former custom
ers in Antwerp and in Berlin and
Dusseldorf might know my generosi-
ty.
How does il happen that in a quo
tation recently made for machinery
to mine in Japan the American
price was $125 less than the English
price? How does it happen that
those American locomotives are run
ming upon the Japanese railways, up
on those of Formosa, upon those Of
Manchuria? How does it happen
that American engines are sold in
Hongkong? How does it happen that
sent one day before yesterday to
Rangoon? These are sold in open
competition with the makers in
Great Britain. / happen to know
what those locomotives cost, relative
to those made by German and En-
glish manufacturers, and I happen
also to know this, which is one of |
several stories which will illustrate
this particular contention, namely |
that last January I was in the city of |
Toxic, and friend who was with
me took large contract, by the way,
from the Japanese Imperial State
Railways, in open competition with
Germany and England, for several |
million dollars worth OF locomotives.
Labor Cost Higher jim Japan.
That gentleman went to the head
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