New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-04-07
The Scientific Law Of Protection.

10 me Edtfor of The TrtbnRs
Assuredly there is nothing 10 be added, in point
OF facts aud illustration your refutson of the latest
OF the Free Trade Champions-whose omnous name
must leave you 10 spell for But would not your
demonstation be rendered compact and thu, con
vincing by presenting also the fundamental Law upon
which is ,de quite correctly but perhsp. no, clear
ly enough, to resti Cavers OF all kinds well the
incapable as the unwilling to be convinced, very much
resemble cells they cannot indeed pass through the
sOs" themselves Of your statistics but will easily
cape you through the crevces between whereas their
wrggling becomes patent and powerles, on the open
plain Of principle.
The principle you contend for 10 one Of the two upon
fetal Value. For this value is produced by operating
In the rude materials furnished by nature double
der of changes. One, change Of Form the other
change Of Place. The former operation we call Manu-
fscture; the latter Commerce. They coordinate in
importance and coreative in effect but the second
far more extensive In It's range, being applicable
once TO the primary productions Of nature and to the
artificial productions OF II Ia of course no less
real than the other element II is only more abstract
because general and this 10 the Of later
Now this s the great principle Of nation
al economy with which the Free Traders are superb
cialy at war.
Its practical object IT, 10 furnish TO the consumers not
merely what they want but phoe and uhcn they want
IT, in the largest requisite supply, and at the smallest
effectus cost just the law OF manufacture profer.
In like manner TO produce the greatest amount OF
paIobe modification in natural objects at the smallest
expenditure rstof humsn labor and after Of mechsn
icsl power The mode too of promoting this modh-
cation of form is the progressive improvement, of
chiDery The mode Of eftcng the modif alton Of
distance by progressive approximation Of the seats
OF demand and supply; or as you express II practical
ly the establishing of markets so that this double
abrdgment (at Of space and tme) 10 exactly anal
ogeus to the invention of new machinery. and contrib
utes less but perhaps much more TO the end OF al
production, namely. the economy Of human labor and
the equal cation of natural advantages
The Free Traders, therefore, who clsmor against
efectusl this end do only the ignorant
of scarce half century did before them in respect
to the corresponding law OF Manufactures They insist
upon maintaining the hand loom against the power
loom, the wheel against the spinning jenny. They
depreca,e all abrdes ment Of the process, whether
whereby to enrich the capitalist at the expense OF the
consumer, and to the Unemployment OF the laborer.
Ii 10 now however felt by the multitude that the
once execrsted mschine-the mon,trous monopoly
only serves to labor, divert II from comparative
waste into more profitable channels, and by both the
results cumulativey, make the commodities cheaper,
and the time the sbOrer better able to purchase
them. The monopoly OF Protection, TOD mean
discerning Protec,on-you may expect TO soon see &C
cepted generally with you and yours In the same eel
enuhc light Not that Legislative Protection 10 sup
posed indispensable to the contamination suggested
Unless markets to arise spontaneously wherever
needed 10 process Of time the law which have been
explaining would have no existence In Nature and
then law Of Congress would be poor substitute in
deed But II 10 the Office and the privilege OF science
20 anticipate or accelerate the operations OF Nature-to
come In aid Of her maternal throes
There 10 still another principle-resultine from the
disparity of industrial Development betweea different
countries-which would reinforce additionally your
Whig policy of Protection. Bot my business was not
with the doctrine itself merely meant to back your
practical defence of II with the supplement OF theory
and this for sole sake of reason and OF truth oc