The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-01-15
\ SUPREME ISSUE.
Manufacturers Rccord

day in politics and Statcsmans De
cisi"ns lasting decisions. are about
TO pc made which will determine. not
for one decade or one generation. bat
for ten decades aINI for all genera
lions the future and the power or
The American nation.
There IS Springing into being in
washington a magniiccnUy financed
movement that, ii successful, Will bc
disastrous 10 this nation. "Nlagnii-
Gently financed" we mean not i'm tho
mere money scns". hut financed in
tcllectually by adrOit and probably
sincere men, whose genius for a."u-
ment and talent for debate mako il
possible that thcir views. thoupr cr-
rOneous, may catch IN" passing fancy
and be translated into policy. The
forcrunnrr Of this school is Senator.
RoiS PrnroSe of PcuusylvHui.. choir
man Of the senate committee ON ln-
ancc, ana stronger III th1n are uo>I
senators Whcu VOL
IT is stated th5t ,hr economic h.r.
ricrS ~" are 60 crcr' Through th, iu-
strumoAtaiity "f ia, cu-toms-holi..o..
must be low barriers easily oNcrlcaH-
ed, because. l0rsoO.h. ltarnnn owes
us billions Iu money. Hnd shc c:,a rc-
pay only j! pcrmittcd 10 pour her
goods in pondcroUS masses into uur
markets. That is tn" frst 1r.umont
The vnicc of tn" SECOND is not vel
aNt.ruldtr, brt its purpose can br de-
duccd. j. f3VorS ana Viii nght Tor
the lowest possible prices conccyab-
able to be got for al foodS)UGs, that
lS, f0r all products OF She soil 4 ,su-
templates dliyinG down thc cost r.
iivin& IN America 10 such Il ponu thnt
wages can likewise b" brought la tl"
status where our great manufact0ries
may compete on even terms with the
products Of any other nation on
earth
This is q rcvarsal OF policy on the
part Of the manufacturing industry
Some sections of that industry have
net yet even heard or the new thought
They will hear enough to suit them
later or.
This nation is where England was
in 1S45. In that year the British
harvest was spoiled and the Irish po-
tato crop was disea scd. Peel deter
mined to move for the total abolition
Of the corn laws. the abrogation of all
duties. The people We're hungry; they
lacked the means whereWi:n TO buy
grains. What more simple, what
more popular than to abolish the
duties and lower the prices? That
was the decision.
There are two ways in which to
help starving man. You can give
him something TO eat or YOU can pro-
vide him with the chance TO earn
something TO eat. The prices for
wheat in England were not too high
but they were too high for people
whose wages We're ScandalOuSly low
Obviously the solution WAS not 20
give the people bread, but to provide
them with the means to get bread.
But craftsmanship always a couftier
seeks the easiest "oad and the easiest
road in England in lS45-46 was TO
avoid attacking the main problem
paupcr wages--by reducing the cost
OF bread To the point where the aver
age family might be able TO get
enough to keep body and soul togeth-
er.
1t was a fatally bad decision. oven
undc.' the peculiar conditions exist
ing. Half a century Of that policy in
operation produced the England OF
1914 where skilled labor often. even
when steadily employed. did not earn
enough TO buy sufficient free bread
Men slept in open fields in summon
weather because they could not al-
ford TO hire roofs for corcliu,,. uud
the industrial vase condition 10
, England WAS a disgrace. A-..cu.tGrr
90.