Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-09-25

PROVIDENCE, R. l., Sept. 18th, 1916.

DTGIef1CG IHdt AIlelSCll o
compete with the foreign, and that the busl-
ness must, in consequence, meet with aseVere
check in this country, ii true, stamps the mark
of falsehood on one common declaration OF the
advocates of protective duties-viz that high
duties make low prices" 1t is virtual con-
| fesson, that American manufacturers cannot
operate with profit unless their commodltf''
will command higher prices than thos lo'
which they can be procured from abrr1u ro'
instance, it is pretended that dut u ~ p''
cent. is not sufficient to prote' 'le 'o.'oi'
manufacturers; and what is t'lS more OF less
than an indirect confession" 'iid' 'iie iio"uiS''-
turers require their felb"-cltlzens to pay them
something more thapone dollar and twenty
FIVE cents for an ,Sdcle that they can import
% u. oost of or dollar' Hence it follows,
that. to protst American manufactures, under
tho crv w high duties make low prices, it
now fly appears that the consumers of cot
ton 6loths have, under the protective tariff,
on the article, over and above the cost at which
foreign manufacturers would have been glad
to supply them. This is the true state Of the
case; and the splendid fortunes realized from
manufacturing operations in four years only,
under the tariff, by manufacturers of iron, cot
ton, &c, could the aggregate be ascertaned,
would show that the public had paid a tax to
them, of nearly an average of 90 per cent.
over and above fair profit, on the entire cap
ital invested, as premium on their products.
know it is argued that the entire people of
the Union participate in these benefits, and
particularly the operative anil workingman :;
and that, consequently, the tax, whatever it
may be, is a common offering, which returns
to each contributor his full share of the profits
| If this proposition were true, then a protec-
tive tariff were right and proper. But such is
not the effect realized nor is it, or was it, the
effect intended. To benefit the manufacturer
alone was the intention of tariff, leaving it to
other portions of the community, incidentally,
to derive from it what benefits they possibly
might. Some have been benefited by it; but,
to others, probably the majority, it has been
real and permanent injury. Take for in
stance, the cotton planter of what benefit is
protective tariff to him The proportion of
his product manufactured in this country, when
compared with the aggregate quantity made,
is quite small. And even were it very large,
the American planter would require no protec-
ton, as no foreign cotton grower could COM
pete with him. And were not the comparative
small quantity of his cotton manufactured in
this country, male use of here, it would be
demanded elsewhere But when the article
| has been transported to Europe, and there sold,
and the producer wishes for cottons, or wool
|
or production, he is required to pay an ad-
vance, as has been under the tariff, of 40, so,
and in some cases 100 per cent. to protect the
| interests of the American manufacturer, whose
operations do not benefit the cotton planter to
the value OF one cent per annum.
Then it is said, the tariff greatly benefits the
agricultural interests in general-but how so !?
Wheat, corn, beef, pork, butter, and cheese,
the great staples of the North and West; and
tobacco from Maryland, Virginia, and North
Carolina, ask for no protection, and need none.
The supply vi oil tl1voU articles is 1cdltI tl.an
the demand Tor home consumption; and they
can be raised here at less cost than that at
which they could be imported. Large quanti-
ties are exported to foreign markets, and the
supply would be abundantly increased, did the
demand warrant it. But it is said, manufac-
turing operations much increase the demand
in the home market, and enhance the prices
How far this statement is true, let any farmer
ask himself, when comparing present with
past prices Of the products of his fields, and OF
his stock. The present prices, and as they
have ranged al the time under the tariff of '42
of flour, corn, beef, pork, bacon, &c, &C., &c,
do not tell very loudly in favor of that system
of protection, as far as the interests Of the far
mer are involved. And during the entire Pc
riol, almost every article of American manu-
facture has commanded high prices, towards
which, the farmer who has been selling his
corn at 40 cents per bushel, and his bacon a
from to cents per pound, has had to pay
at least 80 to 40 per cent. by way of duty, as
a premium, to the manufacturer, the iron mon
ger, the sugar grower of Louisiana, &c, to Sc
cure to them monopoly and its profits. Now
it is past the utmost stretch of my obtuse in
tellect, to discern, in all this, any benefit &C
cruing to the farmer.
Weare next informed that the tariff has op
Grated benefcially to the working classes, by
, giving them constant employment at good wa
ges and that its repeal will work an injury Il
them, by reducing wages, and throwing many
out of employ. Hence, in order to conciliat'
those classes, and to gain their support, tn
! tariff has been christened, The TARIFF FOL
? THE PROTECTION OF AMERICAN INDUSTRY" 4
more perfect mlsnomer was never applied Il
7 any thing on earth. In the first place, little O
no change in the prices of labor has taken place
l for the better, under the tariff, as a conse
quence of the operation of that system; an
1 it is impossible, I'm ler existing circumstances
that any such change ever should take place
Let US look carefully at this part of the sub
/ ject, and examine it minutely, in orler to de
:ect the fallacy OF the pretence for here the prn
cipel cheat lies, by which a very large mum
+ Der of workingmen have been brought up t
4 the support of the tariff system, and withou
/ which support, it could never have gainel
= footing among us. Three articles enter int
: the account, when we speak of manufactures
: they are capital, the raw material, AMI the Ia
: Dor. For protective duties to operate equally
: and to be productive of mutual benefits, the
e should of course be imposed on all the mater
: ais, if required. Yet, it will be seen, that i
d our tariff, the capital of the manufacturer-on
d material-anl that acne, is protected by law
1t is readily seen that, in passing from the
/, original, in manufactured state, all three {
e the materials become combined capital in tn
manufacturers hands; and then, and not ii
d then, is the protective system brought into OF
Grafton. The manufacturer says, the cotto
grower requires no protection, and the opers
d tive and workingman are secured by the pre-
tecting shield cast over us. In this latter DEF
laration lies the false pretence
d The labor, by far the greatest item that er
;. tiers into fabrics, finds no protection until
:, reaches the hands of the empower, and become