Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-06-08
THE FREEDMAN.


with regard to the operation of Tariff on the
poor mans interest. propose, Mr.. Editor,
with your permission, to examine the views of
this writer, and expose my own to similar exam
inaticn.
A few selEevident principles duly attended to
would guide us to a correct conclusion with re-
gard to the operation of protective Tariff.
In the first place, the poor mans labor is his
means Of subsistence. 1t is i'll effect the money
with which he buys what he needs. Whatever
therefore, gives value to his labor, and renders
it available, helps him
Secondly The producers wealth amounts TO
just the market value of his surplus produce
In other words, the surplus producer is rich or
poor according as the market is good or bad.
Thirdly The market is good or bad accord
ing to the abundance or scarcity of prodnce.-
If produce is scarce, its price is high lfabund-
ant its price is low.
Fourthy; If produce bears a high price, la
Dor will command high wages; for the value of
labor is necessarily proportional to the value Of
its productions.
Now let us suppose a community having no
connection with any other community on earth,
and consisting of three cIasses-farmcrs, manu-
iacturers, and rich gentlemen who produce
nothing. 1t is evident that there will be mu-
tual dependence between these three classcs-
The producing classes will depend on each 9TH
err, both on the rich, and the rich ON BOTH
Each Of the producing classes will consume the
produce Of the other and furnish mutual markets,
and the rich will afford market and money to
both. If the quantity Of produce is only sutii-
ciCnt to meet the wants Of the community, the
producer will have sure market and reasona-
bic price for his surplus, and the poor laborcr
may have sufficient employment and fair wages.
But if any article of produce becomes too a
bundant for the wants Of the community it will
have an inadequate market and reduced price.
The rich consumer will buy it cheap, and keep
part of the price he ought to pay, in his pocket
The poor labored engaged in its production
will have prccarious employment and low wa
ges.
Now let this community open such free
trade as will introduce foreign articles Of the
kind manufactured at home 1t is obvious that
these foreign articles will be rs cheap or cheaper
than those made at home; for they will not come
here unless they can supplant or compete with
the home articles. Suppose they barely COM
pete, and what will be the RESULT Just the evils
already described, inadequate market and low
prices The poor laborcr will have precarious
employment and low wages The wealth of the
surplus producer will be lessened, while the real
value of the rich consumers money will be in
creased, since he can buy more with the same
dollar than he could before. If, as A. II. 8.
says, the rich take advantage Of the necessities
Of the poor, they will be sure of doing so now.
But suppose the foreign articles are cheaper
than those produced at home. What then!-
The home manufacturers will be stopped and
the Iaborcrs thrown out of employ as surely as
if the manufacturing establishments were burnt
down. The mutual dependence of the above
named classes will be exchanged for foreign
dependence. The rich will be supplied with
cheap fabrics without paying or thanking their
poor neighbours How will these unfortunate
people obtain employment again! A. II. b.
seems quite unconcerned about them, and thinks
that if Free Trade would be the means of turn
ing them out Of employ, this is no sign that they
would not be benefited by the means. lie says,
"In country Astounding like this with innumer-
able fields for labor, there is no need of idle
ness" Does he say this considerably! Let us
admit its truth, and see what is the best which
can be made Of it. BY lcssening the number of
departments Of labor you increase the proportion
of laborers to each department, and thus enable
the employer to hire cheap. This lays the poor
iaborer under disadvantage. But this is not
all. lie will in many cases be obliged to 90 in
to employments for which his genius, skill, or
means are not suited He is skilled perhaps at
some trade, and would be bunglcr at any eth
err Perhaps he lacks both skill and means tor
farming. 1t would be poor comfort to such a
man to tell him "there is no need of idIcness"
And yet A. II. B. offers him no better consoa-
ton after having deprived him Of his appropri-
ate employ
Every community is composed in a great
measure Of persons whose natural genius and
inclination, or whose circumstances and habits
fit them for some peculiar cmpIoymcnts To OBJ
tain a living and be useful in those employments
is their natural and rghtlul privilege. Andthey
are as truly wronged when deprived of this priv
iege by foreigners as should be if German
or Engshman should dispossess me of my farm
and appropriate it to himself And why should
they not be protected as well as |! Is it a great
or wrong to deprive man of the benefit of his
farm, than to deprive one Of the benefit Of his
own skill
A. H. B. says, "If laws were just and men
were just, and looked equally to the benefit of
all classes---evcry man would receive Il
just compensation for labor, and every one who
labored would have competency" He might
have added, that the foreign capitalist, who en-
ploys in manufacturing poor starving people for
almost nothing, could not, if he was 'just," send
his products into another country so cheap as to
stop their being manufactured there This Free
Trade, which A. II. B. advocates, begins in
one country by grinding poor people, and ends
in another by turning them out of employ. 1t
gives to rich, hard hearted foreigners the benefit
of market which naturally belongs to poor la
borers at home.
A. H. B. says, "The whole object of protec-
ton is to benefit the rich at the expense of the
poor" If this assertion is true, do not I'M
derstand the proof of it. / had understood
that the whole object of protection, aside from
revenue, was to keep domestic industry from the
palsying contact of foreign competition. Pro-
FanE1oy J,roetI,, honoEts =, r