Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-08-28
Whom does Protection Concern

We commend to the attentive perusal Of our
'eaders the following serious and thoughtful ar
icle from the National Inteligencer. The jour
nails Of Locofocoism among us are filled with
most unjust and indiscrminate dennnciations Of
The "bloated capitalists" who, they would have
by, the preservation of the policy Of Protection
to American Manufactures. How false, and alb
surd is the charge! Where one Manufacturer,
(whose enterprise leads, and whose capital ena-
bes, him to establish manuhctory,) is enriched
by means of protective legislation HUNDREDS of
the LABoR1NG CLASSES receive the advantages
and the blessings which flow from wELL-RE-
wARpED EMPLOYMENT.
There is no partizan cry, which is SO iniuri-
Gus to the POOR, and so reckless g. destructive of
their best ntercsts,a s that of 'the rich against the
poor,' the "iords Of The looms" the "bloated man
utdcturers," and the like stereotyped phrazes of
a partizan press, with which Locofoco newspa-
pers invariably abound Just before an election. 1t
is the language of the most ultra dcmagoguism.
There is no such thing in our country as sep
arating the trUe interests of the rich and the
poor, in legislation. What is beneficial to the
one class is rcciprocally beneficial to the other.
those intercsts--that throws the laboring classes
out of employment, and the rich man back upon
his boarded and unemployed capital, that is hurt
ful to the interests of each. Such legislation as
the new Free Trade Tariff is precisely of this
character. 1t aims blow at the great and pri-
mary INTEREST OF EMPLOYMENT it aims to
cripple and strike down AMERICAN MANuFAc-
TuREs--it discourages and, in a measure, pro-
hibas domestic enterprise and industry, and
throws wide open the door for the 'boatcd cap
italists" of Europe to nundate the land with the
products of their ill-paid, llfcd, and pauper la
Dor! 1t is such legislation alone that is Justly
chargeablc with the SIN of arraying the 'Poor
against the Rich" 1t is such legislation, by
shutting up the capital of the Country, and clos
ing the avenues to active and profitable invest
ment, that most unjustly and ruinously orrREs-
SEES THE POOR
Whom DOES Protection Concernl
This question. asked as to the Tariff. and as
to the greater interest of the poor or the rich in
Protective duties, is a good deal like asking.
Who have the greater need to be defended by
the laws. the weak or the strong! For, as the
strong are able to live with less aid of laws than
the weak, so can the wealthy better take care of
themselves than the destitute. For the latter,
there may be need of poorhouses and other public
charities: these therefore. though purely ar
tilicial contrvance, all Governments find it good
to create but is it the rich who require them I!
We apprehend not.
Now, to say that protective tariffs are adopted
for the benefit of the capitalist is Just about as
true as that laws are made for the benefit of law
vers only. or that poorhouscs are built merely
for the sake of the overseers of the poor. But
there are others that have much greater inter-
est in the existence of law than the lawyers. and
in that of poorhouscs than the overseers. 1t is
all the difference which man has between the
necessity of living and that OF getting rich
Laws and poorhouses may enable lawyers and
ovcrseers to grow richer but the rest of the COM
munty could not exist without tho laws and the
paupers would perish if there were not poorhou-
scs. SO it is with laws that. by what we call
the Protective System. create more lucrative en-
poyments for those dependent for subsistence
on their daily labor. The same laws help the
capitalist-a man already possessed of some
.I,l, q, ., ,.,,r,, l,,, ,,,,o+ l., ,ho l;,,I, , >, 4
ai'' ., bv '.L;.b aIdod ,a,,I
e"'i 'h hi VI on.;, ,.;,t 10 .o,;d
~, -, mihni, hod;,s of t,o 400,
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=, II I -, ,,,',sa,o, Ell,
s,n, T., ,hn, ,,;n,aI n,,,,I,,.a,, ,ho, -; ,,,.
ro ~ '''as ',.nao ' - Wv
''I re , i,''o " .l oJ,.,,oe,
-, ,''n' d liz ho Wv, I, III,
Al. .1,t,,. ,,,l
o"' 'l'1.'', ',',. aio " ~ . -; ~"
'''''2c ~ pot"'le i, ~ Poo', III .:,
hihhn'ac'or!'W',o co"'u sc''c.iy ne c'c.'M,'N'
OUT men, ana apo"t Wiioin' at any event .ne!
double ana 'rlpic' ana quiurul"e an .he securi'!
ana comfort anu rcSFeclao'i''! o' me-
To Judge more surely OF the fact which W.
are asserting, let any one look at the comparative
condition of the laborng poor, in those quarter
where the Protective System has reared up thcs
artificial empoyments, and in those other quar-
tiers where it has not. In the former, you Sc
all busy, diligcnt and well paid; the women a
proiltab'y occupied as 'he men, IN proportion
: their strcngth' ana 'he very ch,iureh e''her
WORK or at school, upon lu'us wiicl tllc s"rpi'i
OF thcir own wages mas III reaii'y oi'eh suPI,'r,
NO rags, no "retchGdhess, no nheii'ichol
cabin, nall rooiiess' ana WIN moor oil ihud Il 'a
tered troop OF via chlioreh about IT, sau iho'i
, err LOOKING nan E'ihihe struck 10 DC seen occ'
sionaliy through the dl,ihahtlcu door or proke
walls her husband Prooapiy gone lisli.i's ol