Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1912-10-24
The WAnAMAkER
PROSPERITY PLEA
FaIlacies OF His Argument Dis
seCted in Counter Appeal
to Merchants.
FREE TRADE NOT PROPOSED
panIcs Occur Without Regard to Tar
In RevlsIon-BusIness Men Direct
Ina the Wilson Campaign.

To the Merchants and Business Men
OF the United States:
Mr.. John Wanamaker has issued
@'note of warning" against the de
utruotion Of industries" which he says
viii follow the election OF Woodrow
Wilson.
TO bark back twenty years In Amer
lean industry IL to deal with ancient
history. During this score OF years
American industries have advanced SO
Ear tn competing power that com"
parison even with 1890 Is ridiculous.
In that year our exports Of manurac-
lures were less than two hundred mil
lions In annual value; today they are
IT the rate OF twelve hundred millions,
. gain Of 500 per cent.
How is disaster to come from the
competition on our ground Of those
manufacturers with whom we are sue
cessfully competing on their ground!
L Ia q poor time TO cry distress when
We are exporting steel manufactures
nj the rate of q million dollars daily.
During Mr.. Clavelands first admin
gstration, 1885 to 1899, there was no
Danic-there was only prosperity. But
Mr.. Wanamaker forgets this. Mr.,
Harrison, q Republican, succeeded IN
1899. serving till 1898. During this
time Mr.. Wanamaker himself was in
President Harrlson's cabinet, and IL
was then the conditions matured
which resulted in the panic Of 1898,
four months after Mr.. Cleveland took
office the second time.
Mr.. Wanamaker quotes from various
sources certain records Of distress, but
neglects to say that every one Of them
bears a date not less than sir months
before the tariff bill of 1894 became .
law and. as q matter Of fact, before
Its terms were known.
The truth Ii that neither = Repub-
lican administration nor high tarin
Ia any protection against panics, and
they occur 81 everybody knows, az
sept Mr.. wanamaker, quite without
regard to tariff changes. Our very
worst panics have occurred under Re
publican administrations.
In 1908 the Republican party IN It's
platform declared "uneQuivocally fer
the revision of the tariff" but thif
promise. soon so reoklessly broken
had no deterrent effect upon improve
ment In business conditions. It can
not therefore be said that the mere
threat OF tariff revision causes dis
tress. for there was no doubt In 1904
not only that the tariff was to be re
vised but tAat II wa to b revised
downward.
ignoring the Present.
Most important, however. In Mr.
wsnamaker's letter Is his failure Il
refer TO existing conditions. He prom
Ises all sorts Of disaster In : very
general way, but has nothing TO say
about current facts OF industry. Fol-
Example. It has been we'll known since
1910 that the public demanded th'
downward revision OF the tarin which
Dir. Taft promised and later denied
: Democratic house OF representa-
kives was elected in 1910 on that spe
cial Issue. That house passed series
of tariff measures. some OF them ove1
the presidents veto. On each or these
measures q number OF Progressive Re
pubIicans voted with the Democrats
One of these bills reduced the duty OF
steel. Yet. although : revision OF tn
steel schedule was and IL pending. tn
steel industry has revived. prices ar
advancing and. strangest OF all. from
mr.. Wanamaker's point of view, lar5'
investments are now being made Il
pew steel plants.
II the danger that Mr.. Wanamake
foreaess IL real. how ig II that tAes
investments proceed? How Ia Il tina
manufacturers All over the counsr.
are increasing their plantaT
Mr.. wanansaker seems ignoran
also Of the actual labor conditions
High wages are not necessarily sig
OF prosperity. As Professor Ffshe
points out, . century and : half Sc
laborara In Rhode Island received
wage Of 80 daily. but II took fou
days work to buy : pair OF shoes
Nor are high wages the result Of tn
protective tariff. The Lawrence strik
brought out this fact wildly. Their
the textile manufacturers have yer
high protective tariff to favor then
but the wages Of their employees wer
shown to BE- indefensibly low. 4 TAI
comparison L. that between Engian
and Germany. both thickly populated
one having no protection and the otf
er high protection. How do wage
stand in thege countries todayy Tnos
IN Germany are II per cent lowe
than English wages. and not only %
but the cost Of living In Germany
II per cent higher, 50 that the PR
fectad German workman earns u
smaller wage and pays the highe
cost
rree Trade Boay.
Is 1t not truly ridiculous. Tor Nj
Wanamaker to raise thu bogy Of fro
Sraaa9 M marty advocates that h