Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-20
"Made in America"

The most enthusiastic promoters OF
the Made in America" idea are DEM
ocrats. They see the need of it, and
we welcome them at last on the right
track. We are not so dependent upon
Europe as we thought. We had formed
a lazy habit of letting our own re-
sources go by default and depending
on easily acquired imports. We also
had grown into the nonsensical notion
that all sorts of things were better II
characterization sardines to wedding
gowns. It had become quite the prop
err thing in boasting of possessions, to
patronizingly explain that this thing or
that .came from over the puddle" 1t
enhanced the possession's value SO
much!
And then a great political party got
the fad. 1t had an idea that the whole
American people would be happier II
about everything they wished to eat,
drink and wear were made abroad"
II would be so much cheaper. you
know The cost of living would be
wonderfully reduced if only there were
no trade barriers and we could obtain
the product of the cheaper labor of
foreign countries, at foreign market
prices plus a small transportation
charge. Why, common day laborers and
mill hands could lay up no end of a
bundle by the simple process of ac-
cepting American wages and insisting
on free access to the product of poorly
paid foreign labor. Easiest thing in the
world.
But that was before the Made in
America" slogan had been invented.
Now the high American wage and
cheap foreign living idea is all off, Mil
lions of American laborers and their
families are now clamoring for Made
in America" cabbages and corned beef
They don't care a rap for the import
ed" stamp of distinction Made in
America" turnips and corn bread
would today be welcome in thousands
OF American homes.
THE War" was not the origin of it
all, either. When the war started, the
people Of this country were ripe for the
Made in America idea. They had
been reaching the Made in America"
notion slowly and reluctantly. They
had been giving the political party So
luton fair trial. Patiently for many
months they had awaited the cheap"
products of Old World pauper labor.
Anxiously they had scanned the living
horizon every morning for a glimpse
of the reduction in high cost mirage
They saw it not. But during this
watchful waiting they DID see a re-
duction-at first here and thereof
the high standard of American wages,
mostly through curtailments of OUTPUT
Made in America wages were dis
couragingly less.
High cost of living was striking
higher
Surprising, wasn't it-that with the
importation Of great many millions
more of foreign made goods, the de-
mand for MADE in America" goods
should fall off?
And wasn't it strange that with Am
srican markets filled with foreign made
goods, the demand for made in Am
erica" goods should be less?
Peculiar, too, don't yoou think, that
when the demand for "Made in AM
erica" goods fell off, our American
mills and factories were obliged to
curtai their output
Have you considered the peculiar CO.
ineidence-the coming along of these
conditions just as great political
party had succeeded in getting its for
eian- made reduction of our high cost
of living into working order?
We have given this subject a great
deal CT thought and we have reached
this conclusion: That the Democratic
tariff for revenue policy (Which falls
hundreds of millions short of produc.
ing revenue enough to run the present
extravagant administration is not a
made in America" policy.
We have also about a million reasons
for knowing that the good old policy of
protection of American industries and
trade from the foreign exploiters of the
ground-dow labor of Europe and
Asia, and protection of American labor
from equal competition with that same
pauper labor Of other lands, is a
Made in America" policy.
The American standard of living is a
Made in America" inspiration. You
cannot buy It abroad; no man can earn
ii abroad.
You can only reach the American
standard of living through the made
in America" policy that produces Am
erioan goods for American buyers, and
produces American wages with which
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