Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1844-05-03
POLITICAL.
THE TARIFF DEMOCRATIC,
PREFERABLE MOMARCHICAL

of The United States, March 10, 1914.
ask the Committee upon what principle Of Ma
tional policy this measure Production Of duties is
sustained?
[Mr. Dromgoole replied, to enable bare-headed
people to buy cheap hats Il
To enable bare-headed people to buy cheap hats
Sir let me tell the gentleman, if he carries this
measure, the poor people Of this country would not
only go bare-headed but bare backed; they would
be doomed, like the paupers of Europe, to go half
fed and half clad The Tariff, sir, is the poor
mans law !" it is this and this alone that gives him
employment and wages. Just as the Tariff goes
down, the wages of labor will go down with it.
Repeal the Tarif-adopt the gentleman's favorite
plan of "Free-Trade," and you will bring down the
labor here, in every department of industry to the
level of the labor of the serfs and paupers of Eu
rope. This is certan-it is inevitable. AS certain
as the laws of gravation as inevitable as that the
removal of obstruction between two unequal
bodies of water will reduce the to the level of
the other. Repeal the Tariff and what is there to
prevent our country from being instantly inundated
with the productions of the low priced labor of Eu-
rope? When hatters, shoemakers, and blacksmiths,
must come down and work as cheap as they do, or
give up the markell With the present facilities of
intercourse by steamships, you might as well at
tempt to establish higher wages and higher prices
on side of a street than on the other, to
tablish and sustain higher prices and wages here
than in Europe, under the delusive and Ethiopian
scheme of " Free-Trade." But sir, this scheme
would bring in its train other and more fearful conse
quences. Adopt this scheme, and you will soon bring
) down and degrade the now free and prosperous la
Dor of this country, not only to the moral but to
the political condition of the slaves and serfs of
Europe. By reducing their wages, you deprive the
poor man of the means of educating his children
and fitting them to be free By thus depressing
one class of your people, you necessarily elevate
} another. You divide society horizontally into up
per and lower Observation-Disclosures and titles su-
pervene -iealousies and finally hosttes follow,
, and liberty itself is in the end swallowed up in
s monarchy. Such are the political and moral ten
denotes of every step in the direction of Free Trade
The Protective policy is therefore democratic in its
character and tendencies, it is policy which pro-
notes equality not by depressing one class, but by
elevatng abby elevating sustaining, and protect
ing the labor of your own country against the ru-
II nous and degrading effects of too free COMPETE
! ton with the low priced and depressed labor OF
d Europe These are views which belong to this
l. subject and should not be overlooked disregar-
ded by those who represent the free labor of this
country, and especially by those who make profess
n sons of democracy and Lore Of the people. Now is
Il the time, and this the question, to test their SINGER
e The Duties added to The Price, not true.
The great and leading objection to the protective
policy u.s. that the duties added to the price, and
paid by the consumers. This objection lies at the
foundation of the opposition to this policy; and It
unfounded, this opposition ought to cease. The
s. duty is added to the price, this the theory. Now
ne sir, how is the fact? what says experience? All
10 experience proves that this objection has no exls-
er tence in the maginations of those who make
it
II Now, sir lay it down as a general proposition,
tie that there never high duty imposed upon any
Is article from the foundation of this Government
IT, the present day. the price Of which has not been in
in the end reduced-greaty reduced-in many Install
or ces to one-haf one-thrd and one-fourth of what
ON it had been before these protective duties were in
no posed. This, sir, may seem to gentlemen on the
If other side to be a strong declaration; but sir,
IA make it deliberately, with full conviction of Its
truth, and challenge gentlemen to disprove i'll
e- defy them to point out single instance to the con-
la rary. Let them examine, and they will fn inva-
h. rably that wherever the duties have been highest
of the prices have ultimately down the lowest,
h and for very obvious reason-hlgh duties promote
of competition, and competition never fails to bring
ri down prices. This effect is nvariable and univer
to sal; but unfortunately the duties always up
the prices run down hence the frightful lists of
or duties exhibited by the Committee of Ways and
II Means amounting to 200, 300, and 400 per cent.
he When first imposed these duties but 80 40
led per cent but now owing to the reduction of pri-
of ces they have up 10 200 or 300 per cent. By
gs way of illustration, take the article of glass; on
led which a duty of 81 box imposed at time
when glass cost Sl2; this was then duty Of 80
al per cent, but when home competition, induced
ess by this protective Duty has brought down the price
les to 50 box the duty owing to this reduction OF
cir price, is 200 per cent instead of 3d. the same is
true of many other articles on which the duty, when
imposed, did not exceed2 20 or 80 per cent but now,
NJ, owing to the reduction of price produced by home
competition, they amount to 200 or 300 per cent
ich When four cents per pound duty was put on cut
me- nails, the price twelve cents per pound, and
re this duty of course was 80 per cent but now, when
the effect Of this protective duty has been to reduce
' the price of nails from twelve to three cents per
pound, the duty is increased to 100 per cent TINS
is equally true of spikes rods wood screws, &c.
Inc Again: eight cents yard duty imposed on
I'M cottons when imported at twenty cents, be-
en ing duty of 40 per cent but now, when the price
has down to five cents per yard the duty goes
I'VE up to l60 per cent.
sh- Sir, | could 90 on and enumerate more thar
IN twenty such instances where the duties, though
ev- moderate when imposed, actually exceed the
are price of the article; yet told that in all ca
or the duty is added to the price, and paid by the
WI consumer! That is, that the consumer pays 81 G
IN box duty on glass that he buys for 90; cents
L pound on nails that he buys for 3 and cents
,ta yard cotton goods that he buys for s.
ect Such the absurdes into which these stale anti
lips Tariff theories involve their votaries but suppose
po what they aedge were true In point OF fact an'
re- that the duty is really added to the price, the
dis of cotton goods being 20 cents when the duty of
ex- cents was imposed, add the duty the price woul
Not be of course, % cents yard and the duty only 2
mes per cent instead of l60 stated by the commit
OF Tee; hence, if you raise the price five fold, thei
an the duty is quite reasonable and there will be nj
ne objection whatever to its payment Let the manu-
'ru acturer, then, run up his price from to 20 cents
pills. he commttee of WAYS and Means, as this wou
ley fix the duty at 10 per cent lust what they want il
But suppose the manufacturer were to reduce hi
price to one cent yard, then the duty, being
cents, would be 800 per cent Horrible oppression
Ned Who would submit to pay duty OF ooo per cent
in Who could then refuse to 60 with the Commute
of Ways and Means for reducing such enormou
the duties?
pom .4bsurdities Of the kepor&
him, But the Committee of Ways and Means say th1
off the object of this bill is to increase tie revenue
reducing the duties; yet, in the very same pare
Their graph they say, that should the revenue be foun
redundant to avoid the horrid evils of deposites
,cs distribution among the States the duties should
instantly red,lced so as In reduce the reyenue to