President Eliot At Dinner

Editor American Economist : In the "Kpringfield (Mass.) Republican' is a report of the monthly dinner, in Boston, of the Free Trade League in February, f rom whicli this is an extract : "President C. W. Eliot of Harvard University said the grasping persons who appeared before the Committee on Ways and Means were tlie legitímate sons of the Tariff system which the Protectionists have been teaching since the war. He told an interesting story to Ilústrate the point of a fond fatlier who, rebuking lus little son, called hiin a pig and said: 'Do you know what a pig is?" wherein the child replied, 'Yes, papa, he's a big hog's little child.' (Laughter). 'Republican Congressnien' continued Mr. Eliot, 'eannot afford to permit the present mougrel Tariff to demónstrate that it is much better than the McKinley Tariff law. The support given protection by the working people of this country is due to the mistaken view they have that protection enables ;hem to secure higher wages. The fact is that wages are lowest in the most iiighly protected industries. "Protection at first and temporarily redounds to the benefit of the capitalist and not to the benefit of the woikingnien. Protection is a fundamentally mean and low idea. We should bring ïome to the people the manufacture and distributiou of power is prevented iy protection." President Eliot has a high reputation as a scholar and a cultivated gentleman. But in this brief speech the scholar shows ignorance and deals in assertions without proof and contrary to fact, and the manners of the gentleman are a ong way from either reünement or courtesy. He tells of the "Tariff system which protectiouists have been teaching since the war." Had not the i(a of protection been taüght from tlie laya when Washington, as president, signèd, with cordial approval, the second act of the first Congress, a Proective Tariff act? "The present monrel tariff better than the McKiuley Tariff." This, in face of decrease of )auk cleariugs mounting up intobillions of dollars, loss to workmen of over ;100,000,000 yearly ; revenue less than yearly expenses of national government by oyer $50,000,000; matters in suck hape that the sweeping side of this 'mongrel TarifF' is a necessity. "The act is that wages in the most highly 'rotective countries are the lowest!" President Eliot ought to know that in he United States, under Tariffs held to )e highly protective, wages have been ligher than in any other country. If he is ignorant of that plain fact thouands of working men who gladly voted or McKinley and protection, after years of reduced wages and loss of employment under the mongrel Tariff," found t out without going to Harvard Univerity. "Protection is fundamentally a mean and low idea." What a pity that Washngton, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Garfield and othera whose memories are dear to the people, had no President Eliot, with accurate historie cholarship, and with wisdom and weetness and light, to lift them above heir advocacy of this "mean and low dea." With slight change Shakespeare's vords fit the case : "On what meat hath this, our Eliot, fed That he hath grown so great?" Doubtless there are those who are able and sincere Free-Traders, others of high character who are protectionists, and each may serve some time to corect the extremes of the other; between hese plain criticism is always in order, detraction and assertions without roof never. Take, for instance, Henry C. Carey, .he great protectionist, and John Stuart MUI, the great free-trader, each strong or his own sincere convictions, but ach holding the other in respect, never even telling illustrative stories of pigs and hogs. But they had enjoyed the )enefit of the teaching and example of bis Harvard University president. Detroit, Mich., March 28.