The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1912-09-05
NO AID TO WORKER.
TARIFF is NOT RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE PROSPERITY OF
THE WAGE GARNER.
PROVED BY TWO INSTANCES

Protected Steel Industry Is Bat
WnIle Plants of Moderately Pro
teeted Farm Implement Industr,
Are Bright Spots In Labor World
- agreement OF all observers. a
lie DIES hard There. for example, ie
the lie that asserts that the Ameri
eah "orkingman is dependent upon the
tariH for whatever he enjoys Of super
'oriiy to the 'pauper workman" OF Eur,
! ope IN wages and standard OF living
| Lex uB look at a couple OF great Amer.
lcaN industries, one very highly. the
oth'r very moderately protected. by
the theory, the wOrkiugmen employed
| IN the first ought to be better of
| thaH those employed in the second.
Tax" the steel industry and the
asfituItural implement industry. both
Houilshlng, and each enjoying a good
export trade. And in order not to
co"pIicate the tariff problem with
inc trust problem. suppose we leave
out the harvesting end OF the imple.
hoht industry and consider only the
manufacture OF plows and machinery
LOT planting and cultivating. an un.
m"uopoIized branch. The stpelmaker
Is protected by 40 per cent. tariff
IN" 'aTih on agricultural implements
Is Just Is per cent For the past nf.
teen ycars-thc period OF most rand
development Of both industrics-the
tariN on steel has ranged from two
ana one'Inartcr to three times az
much as that on implements.
ia" condition Of the workinrmen
IN IN" highly protected steel industry.
generally speaking. is bad, as the
world knows. A tariff barrier OF AZ
per cent. against the output OF the
pauper labor" OF Belgium. Germany
ana England has not kept the AmcrI
can workingman from making the &C
qu"iniance of the twelve. hour day
and the seven.day week. II is NOT
necessary TO resume familiar facts.
tho Ptttsburg Survey will supply de
taiis TO the curious, at any public II.
brary Since the degree OF prosperity
assured to the workinEman BY A.
per cent tariff is so low we SHOULD
be prepared. according to orthodox
Republican doctrine to find the ON.
pIoyeS OF pillow, planter and cultiva.
tor factories the pariahs OF the in. !
dustral world.
The very contrary OF this assump
ton Is the fact. There are no bright |
or spots In the American Industrial
system than these very plants whose /
hrIH protection is relatively so little |
In the pillow towns" Of Illinois YOU
md wages good Scrupuluus atten.
tion is paid to matters Of safety and
factory sanitation In no Industry
employing an equal amount OF un.
skilled labor are conditions more sta.
bic, From this, and the thrlftiness OF
the Worklngmcn, It results that
large proportion of them own their
own homes. II is not uncommon to
ind workingmen OF three generations
or the same family In a single organ.
ization one large concern has n sue.
cessful pension and insurance scheme
IN operation; another. instead of buy
Ing outright inventions OF employees
pays substantial royalties for the use
Of them
The tarifr was not designed to holm
the nottingham. 1t is n trick TO On.
able the manufacturer to exploit the
consumer Nothing could be more
conclusive on this point than the con.
trast between industrial conditions in
the two Industries under discussion.
Why is the infant" steel Industry.
by 45 per cent. tariff and
selling annually about $3.50 600 600
worth OF It's products In the foreign
unable to treat its working.
men as well as the pillow and planter
industry, which has only a 10 per
sent tariff and an export trade OF
lbout one.t@enty.nfth az much? And
now does It come that the implement
raker some years since. professed
heir Willingness to get on without any
ariff nj all while the steel industry,
according to no less an authority than
President Taft's veto message. would ,
,e withered and bighted II the du ,,
les on steel were reduced to figure q,
It'll substantially higher than the i'm.
element duties?
The answer Is that the tariff philos-
'phy is n farrago OF lies 4,