Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1844-09-27

tiveness ef revenue, and the enI of such
protection must be to sustain the manufac-
turer. SO that he may rise above the narrow
thought of a monopoly of the market at
home and seek by honorable competition
TO win the market Of the world; and, final
ly, there should be discrimination to avoid
the unreasonable taxation Of labor. This
last point, more than any other. is of deep
est interest 20 the community. One of the
Wing banners that waves in your city,
bears as its motto Protection to Amer
lean Labor-the Nations Wealth, the Poor
Mans Right We are glad the appeal
ON this subject is made to the forum of the
laborer. Mr.. Bancroft here proceeded TO
trace the relation of the high tariff policy
in the protection of the American labor.
Our opponents. said he, propose protection
to American labor by subjectlng American
labor to grievous taxation. Their philan
thropy has made the astonishing discovery,
that labor should sue for the privilege of
being grievous!y taxed. For cotton jacco-
nets for the clothing of his children, the
la5orer must pay 60 per cent. duty if
his friend dies. he must pay for the cam
brio for his shroud 60 to 80 per cent. tax !;
for the mourning Grape or silk, more than
sixty-four per cent. And this is protec-
ton to labor; our opponents proprose no.
thing better than to secure 1.-The Nations
Wealth and the Poor Mans Right" than
;. to tax him heavily from the cradle to the
grave. The system for the laborer fails
utterly of its effect. 1t does not enhance
the wages of labor. The prices of labor
in cur manufacturing establishments are
but about ten per cent. higher than those
paid in Lancashire; and that superiority
of wages is made up TO the manufacturer
by prooortlonate increase of production
through the greater ingenuity and activity
of the American laborer. Further, all tax
es enter into the cost of production, and so
into the price Of the article produced. As
taxes increase, prices must increase and
every increase in price narrows to the man.
ufacturer his market. Thus the neutral
market is lost, and the demand for labor is
consequently diminished. Further, the
system imposes duties in such manner as
to diminish the power Of labor to employ
itself necessarily in many branches. Wit.
ness the shipping interest. 1t has been
said that the first petition for protection
came from shipwrights of Charleston, S.
Carolina; probably from sojourners there.
But if the first petition for special protec-
ton did come from shipwrights, dearly do
they rue it. A hundred and twenty years
ago the ship-yards for English merchants
were very much in New York and New
England; America built large part o.
> British shipping, and furnished supplies o.
shipping successfully to the French ant
Spanish Islands. Now the duties on cor
dage, sail-cloth, chains, chain-cables, cop
per and iron bolts, make shipping deare
here than in Europe; our shipwrights are
utterly excluded from the supply of for
eigners. and our own ships are often sen
to foreign ports TO be reftted, and thus ou
. legislation, far from truly protecting Amer
. lean labor, condemns our riggers, sailma
l kers and caulkers to no inconsiderable los
} of employment. The old fashioned re
r strictive system also, of which the remain
still linger with us, levied and sill levie
taxes on consumption, on articles Of food
articles necessary to every family. Al
such taxes operate like poll-taxes, to b
' levied daily; they are injurious to the man
g ufacturer; and to the laborer they are mos
t unjust. as they virtually lay burden o.
e persons, and not on property. Nor is thi
: all. We have corrected much in the wors
: features of the restrictive system. Blu
: much remains to be done. The discrimi
nation of duties, as tnow exists, favors al
B, ticles of luxury, is grievously and mos
1 unequally severe Oh the laborer. The coal
It ser carpets for example, pay sixty per CEN
n duty; the finer but twenty-five per cen
# The coarser. and heavier, and more uni
y versally used silks pay nearly four time
> as much on their cost as the finer and NOR
a delicate. And this. holds true of many ott
= er articles of very general use. The dis
: elimination now (avors the luxurious, an
r burdens the poor, This should be revel
h sed. Are our opponents sincere? An
n will they agree to such reversal 3 Lou
l. applause.) ), One word more to our cppt
i nents. They profess to join US in regar
J for labor. But the relief aud elevation {
e the laboring class must be achieved by the
n own intelligence. loud cheers.) The
e demand the opportunity for instruction an
n intellectual culture. By means of ment
= culture, the hurnblest mechanic may stan
is among the .wisest, as well as among I'll
Y best of mankind. "a Cries of g That's tt
:. truth l,N HE iS a larro HORT oon,hIo