Combination Vs. Competition

The radical artiflciality of our proBent industrial proaperity io in nothing so apparent as in the persistent offorts of 1most overy branch of industry to proteot itaelf, not alono against domestie competition by means of tariffs, but also against doiiKistiu competí tion by means of oombination. Within the last few inonths we hare notioed in this city, in Philadelphia, and in Pittsburg, Pa., conventions of manufacturera of pig-iron, iron platsu, nails, copper, glans and papor, not to spoak of the coul-mine ownors, all held for the purposo of dovising remedies against over-production and against tho doolinc in prices inevitably reaulting from contimied oompotition ; and within t day or two there has been further held in this city a con vontion of the bar iron manufacturera of tho Atlantio States, who havo formed " The Eastern Iron Masters' Association " -Íot the purpose of preventing "depression of business and local jealousies " by mean of " concerted action." Now, what do all these convontions and associations mean ': They mean t luit the promotors and meiribers therecf believe they can defy the laws of trado and tho laws of common senso, and can continue to iloece the public in the future as they . have dono in tho past, without mercy and without justice. They mean that the tarift' swindlo has enabled thom to charge tho community moro than a reasonable profit for their goods ; that the unreasonable profit has induced more men and more capital to enter these protected industries than can find remunerative employment in them ; that their unreasonable profits have so impoverishcd the community as to disable it from consuniing even the former liniitud produotion, mnch less tho present increased production ; and that all these protectod industries are now in a positi.n of seiuibankruptcy, against which thoy try to protect themsolves by signing plddgesnot to scll their goods below oertain prices, so that thoy may still mako a profit on their limited sales. If it were supposable that these men could nccomplish tlie object they have in view, their coiubinutions and conventions would require the most energetic eft'orts on the part of the public to defeat land destroy them. But their plans can have no permanent innuence, and heneo would only be worthy of public contempt or indifterenco did tliey not furnish such an admirable illustration of the inevitable results to which tho practice of protection leads, did they not clearly prove to what straits these protcted industries are driven, did they not distinctly forshadow tho desperate cfforts these Radical monopolista wiU niako to rotain their present tariff protection, and, if possible, still further increase it. Tho whole liadical party is to-dgy sustained by the influence of corrupt leaders who havo socured their own election or that of their friends and tools for tho sole purposo of perpotuating and strengthening the present tariff scheme, which is, in plain words, tita most gigantic scheme of robbery ever invented by man. Stripped of all disguises, rubbod clean of all "circumambient foam," the tariff is a law by which tho prico of a foreign article is intended to be artificially advanced, so as to enablo the domestie producer of a similar article to obtain from the domestie consumer a precisely similar advance in price. All tho talks about protecting domestie industry, about clevating domestie labor, about creating homo markets, are either ignorant delusions or wilful false pretences - mainly the latter. The object of high-turiff men, not tho political economists, whom wo may credit with honesty, but the practical high-tariff men, tho men who, as iron-snielters and rolling-mill ovnors and salt-makers and cotton-spinners, get themselves elected to Congress and put on cominittes of ways and means and committees of commeree and manufactures, or who spend winters in Washington lobfrvine all dav iiiu. iiaiL mu mgiii- mese men have no othcr object than to be enabled by law to charge the domestic consunier more for their producís than they could got without the law. Befog it as you please, that and none other is thn practical object of all protecttKitivo tarift' legislation. Disguise it, twist it, minify it as you please, no man ever went to Congress to ask an increased duty on any iraported article except for tho purpose of being enabled to charge every domestic consumer just so much more for his own similar domestic product. Now, as long as the domand keeps pace with the production these protected individuals do succeed in getting this extra price, do succeed in plundering their fellow-citizcns just so inany dollars a ton or so many cents a yard, ander color of law. But the moment the demand is no longrr equal to the supply, either bocausc the profits of the business have tempted too many to enibark in it or because the plundcred and impoverishod people are no longer ablc to pay, then even the tariff will not enablo tho manufacturera to keep up the price. They begin to competo with ono another ; the natural result of competition is lower prices. The lower prices benefit the people, but of eourso they are not relished by the protected manufacturera. They have become so accustomed to largo profits, guaranteed to them by law at the expense of the community, that they have come to believe that thoy have a vested right to put their hands in the pockets of tho people. And when they find that the tariff no louger eoosblea them to do so they meet and coaibine and agroo and pledge themselves to still help one another to keep up tho old swiiuüe. i oreign competition is tho policcman, tho more fe.-ir of whoru prevenís tho domestio manufacturar from ovorcharging his customor. Against tliat polieeman the manufacturera proteet thomsclves by tho tariff. Tbey then liavo tlie vietim at thcir morcy. But now they aro in danger of quarrelling nrnong themselves about the división of tho plunder. The strong ones want it all for themselvoR, and won't lot tho littlü follows share. But the little follows are smart, and cry out : If you do not let me share I shall oall the policeman '. In other words, at two of the recent conventions in this city the larger manufacturera were foroed into the combination by the tlireat of the smaller me to declare, for free trade. But free competition is not only the policeman who prevonts the manufacturer from plundering the public : it ig also the groat stimulus to eoonoiny, skil], invention, and progresa of overy kind. We are assurod by competent authority that in niítny respect-s our iron manufacture is to-day more clumsy and wasteful and oxpensive than it wasten years ago, beeauso larger profite have madt) the manufacturera indifferent; and we are furthermoro assured tliat many manufacturera are roally losiug money and far from prosperous. Wti do notdoubt it at all. Even in unprotectod industries there is oomplai&t of hard. times. But gurely the protectcd ind'tries have never len promised that they should be gjwmnteed against loss. Thay cartainlji, are least entitlod to it, because ttley luivo wiWully shut theuiglviH out from the only influence which could' make thenj pcnwaucntly proeperous - ñco competition. Wlien the iron manufacturare find it imjwssiblo to keep the members of thcir association to the plodpis they have signed let thimi join hands Wlth the free-traderg and abolish protection, and they will flnd thcir industries rovive a if by magie. They will flnd tlmt instead of running away from the policeman of forpign competition, and hiding their iniquitou schemc behind thetiiriff, they will be glad to wclcomo him as a friend and adriser, they will be able to look honetit men aquarcly in the face, and will have no nood to mnet in KOrot c mclave ard hold mysterious convontions like oonspiratorsplottingt againjthe public welfare.