Distribution Of The Protected Bonus

Distribution of the Protected Bonus.

Hon. Roswell G. Horr said some time ago in the New York Tribune that "the tariff is levied in the first place simply to enable the people of the United States to pay the high wages everywhere prevailing in this country." Yes, it may enable some of our manufacturers to pay higher wages, but they seldom do so. They have other uses for the bonus which protection puts into their pockets--some of it goes for castles in Europe and some to hire Pinkertons to compel workmen to accept lower wages, but the largest portion of all is invested in lands, stocks and first mortgage bonds to enrich the tariff beneficiaries and annex them to our army of millionaires, which has increased 10,000 per cent, since high protection began thirty years ago. The portion that reaches the wage earners, even in a second handed way, could be carried with safety in a tissue paper purse. Perhaps McKinley was right when he said at Providence last April that "no one ever claimed that protective tariffs were intended to increase wages." It was only intended, as Mr. Horr explained, to enable higher wages to be paid. There is a sharp distinction here which has caused considerable misunderstanding. It will be well for wage earners to make a note of it for future use.