The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1913-01-30
of industry, levying tribute upon the
many TO enrich the few. s-al

of industry, levying tribute upon the
many to enrich the few.
To take money from one mans
pocket and give it to another man is
none the less robbery because 1t is
called Protection and is done under the
forms OF law.
Term after term the party Of Pro-
lection bought the Presidency right
out OF hand and before the eyes OF the
people. When blocks of five would Lot
suffice, they made it blocks OF ten and
twenty, frying the fat out OF the manu-
facturers, who were thus both duped
and plundered.
A 5per cert. tariff duty was originally
enacted TO aid in the development of
"our infant industries" Infants a
hundred years old, protected by so
and 100 per cent, Of duty, are clamor-
ing as loudly for their bounties as ever
they did. They are telling as many
lies as ever they did. Whenever the
tariff is up for consideration they rush
to Washington with their fairy tales
and false entries, even as they are do
ing now.
Take, for example, the plant OF the
boot and shoe men. "There can be, )"
says President Hanan, the boss-primo-
genial of the boot and shoe industry,
"only one result from lowering the
tariff on shoes. 1t would mean such a
adjustment OF wages as must pro-
duce industrial conflict ifnot stagnation
in the trade, Under the present tariff
rates the foreign shoe is gradually but
surely invading our market, and it will
not be long when it will do 50 under
circumstances of great disadvantage
to the American manufacturer"
Mark how a few facts and figures
will put this witness down. According
to the latest compilation Of official
statistics the value Of shoes imported
into the United States was $l05,075 in
1909; Bill ,s07 in 1910; 9,2l3 during the
first eight months of 1911, and 1922, 40i
during the corresponding period of 1912.
The exports OF boots and shoes for
these same periods reached total of
81, 18l, 1865 during the first eight months
of 1910, Sl2, l6l, 749 during the CORE
spending period of 1911, and $l4, 439,-
948 during the first eight months of
1912. We are now importing from
foreign countries about 1850, 900 worth
of shoes annually and exporting to for
eisn countries about S22, 000, 900 worth.
Thus we sell to foreigners sixty-odd
pairs of shoes for every pair we buy
from them. But, oh, no, we must not
reduce the tariff on boots and shoes,
for that, as President Hanan tells us,
would be ''of great disadvantage to the
American manufacturer"
The boot and shoe men need no pro-
lection. They are in no danger of an
invasion of foreign boots and shoes.
They already sell abroad cheaper than
they sell at home, underselling their
foreign rivals in their own markets.
Mr.. Underwood should place a very
low, accommodating duty on boots
and shoes, as on every commodity
entering into the daily use of the
people.
The protective system is answerable
for the low standard of morality among
the people engaged in commerce and
at the same time for the bad name as
traders we have in every part of the
world What wonder the wide and dark
contrasts of living, and the vast for
tunes piled up at one end OF the coun-
try in single generation!
During the last fifty years our laws
have taxed the many to enrich the few,
50 that the marvel is not that the few
have so much, but that the masses
have anything at all. Louisville
Courier Journal.