New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-02-12
Protection done Brown.

Mr. William Brown. formerly an American, now
British merchant, has indicted epistle 70 Sec
rotary Meredith, 70 let Mr. NJ. know how much he,
the said William is shocked and scandslzed b.
the Secretary's Annual Report 90 far as It athrms
the policy Of fostering our own Industry M'.
Brown has hitherto eyinced like interest in the
affairs Of this country, 50 far as they happen 70
Affect his own chance Of making money yet moth
lax quite equal in ooolness 10 this letter has o. er
before flowed even from hu pen. Without pre-
senting a single new idea W Justify his easy as
sumption Of immessursble superiority IN pohtioo-
economic knowledge to the Secretary Of rivsl
nation without adding anything 10 what had been
n hundred times offered on bis side and considered
ty ouu-without really answering one argument
relied on by the friends OF Protection-Mr Brown
launches out on the stormy sea Of PolemIos as iol
lows
"Iwas regret and surprise, thai fesd the Pre-
dens Message and your Report to Congress- recommends
Ing restrictive policy CANNOT reconcile YOU ngni'n
when you almost IN and the same hrcan admit mat 10
laws should he passed but Tor NE gooa o. s ne s
psDse q the mason feel too mush Interested In your
prosperity as adding 10 he prosperity OF a. onei neLs
with whtrn trade particularly 70 TINT Of Grehi bfitsn
sndesvouY show the hllscy OF your reasoning j.
ias, such a. should loeh for from ts' ess' hS s@'
for advantage. a, The expense Of oher' h1 no, non
gentleman holding the distinguished position Of Secrei6
OF ths Treasury 10 great ana enlightened peopf
Mr. Meredith, 1t will recollected, had plainly and
iorcibly argued that the Protection Recommended
by him was not calculated, as had been represent
ed, to benefit one class or any portion at the e.
pense Of the rest, but really and truly to benefit
our whole People. Sir Brown sets all this aside
by his own assertion that Protection implies sdyeI.-
tage 20 part at the expense Of the rest, and cant
possibly mean anything else Nay more be even
sondescends 10 be amazed that a man holding Mr
Merediths exalted position could possibly be IL
such state of ignorance and mental darkness rs
toadvocate Protection Knaye or ignorsnus Pro
tectionist must be in Mr.. Browns Judgment, and a.
he ia disposed 10 be charitable, he leans 10 the more
ienent hypothesis. and proceeds 10 read the Secro
tary an easy lesson in Political Economy design
ed for the use of beginners-Let us endeavor t.
profit by his bengnity. Here is his principal
illustration:
ga" all commerce Is barter have part with less Of our
Industry TO procure Of that Of other countries nDdef
NV Tariff than Of high Let ine give you simple
lusraton OF this Suppose bug bale OF frenci
silks for 500 dollars, hl 10 protect your manufacturing W
ie@ ,ss eo. 70 the consumer eco Dollar Nov & m
per cent duty did exist 100 barrels Of -four a! dos
ira duty you either put Ii Of the farmers consumer
power 10 buy or he must pay 200 barrels OF -four OF Ice
With due submission. let US endeavor TO show
Mr.. Brown some things he does not seem to know,
on disdsins 10 consider
la the first place, while he thinks lac is talking 81
Protective duty he is in fact dealing exclusively
with RercaUe one. So long our SILKS should
continue " he almost wholly imported ""de' """i'
duty as he suggests, that duty would have no
Protective efficiency. IL could only begin 10 oper
ate Protsctiy ely BY diminishing the amount OF lm
portation and replacing it by Home Production
Now the moment Home Production, to any oonsit-
cradle extent began to suppant Importation, thot
6ct would be evidence that the 100 per cent dUly
nd not increase the price Of the article to our con
sumers 100 per cent nor very near u for 1t d.
have tina, effect the Importation would not civ
place 10 Home Consumption Fashion and tie
natural prejudice Of consumers in favor OF the anti
cles W which they are accustomed, and of whose
qualities they feel certain IA contrasted with tie
crude products Of an infant home manufacture. CON.
bincd with the command OF ali the advantageous
channels OF trade by the factors of the older inter
est, would secure immense advantage To tie
Foreign Silks countcrv ahns in part the high duty,
and rendering it necessary Tor the American sllk
makers 10 sell much below the price here OF tie
Foreign fabrics OF like quality in order to compete
with and gain ground upon their rivals. a dechp
ing market aud the fear of losing even this would
impel the Foreign saPpliers Of our markets To pat
their fabrics at the loves, point, ~ long as the
could hope ~ maintain the struggle. We say.
then, that Mr.. Brown is clearly wrong IN his
sumption that Protective duty of 100 per cent, n
Silks would Increase in that ratio their nominal osi
TO our consumers
This 10 at the sutset. which is his best point II
American Silks should prove able, under such n
duty TO start into life TO make for themselves chan
nsls Of approach to the consumers, TO establish a
reputation OF relative oheapness and excellence,
they could not fan, after having done this 10 lie
afforded cheaper and still cheaper Experience.
invention. machinery, capital competition, markets
everything would tend to cheaper the American
article from the day that ii should be demonstrate 3
that could be pro6tsbly produced here under the
existing duty. The DUTY nigh, remain unchanged,
but the price would be graduated by the diminish
ias cost OF production and 80 fall ultimately 10 the
cost OF importation If there were no dsty. IL was
thus that ia Free Trade hsranguer was confuted
when telling a listener that he was taxed by P,o
lection n'ns cents per yard ON the very shirt be
then woss' ne wss answered that 1t might be 50.
but the wesrer Of the shir, conldn see how since
he had only paid ogat cents par yard Tor
But tins is only hall ,hs error into which Nr
Brown has plunged He asserts that cur Sill
under a 100 per cent aaty must inevitably Cos,
not only twice as much sosey but twice as uau.l
sesr or of the products Of farming generally as they
would uader Free Trsde-which is quite snOthel
shns. weses clearly that TIE Silks wOald no, oul,
not oost twice as much money. ba, that even III
money they did cost would represent q far smsle
proportion Of the products Of our Industry than !
now does Our Silk Growers wead necesssnl
be drawn nom the ranks Of our idle and inefhcieH
population. who are direct and total burden O.
our Productive Lshw-in which case their iois
product would b. - much added 10 the sgsrsgst
Of our National weather. they must be sstrsctc,
from abroad, and thus swell the ranks OF sur farm
err customen---or they must be diverted 6Vn
osher branches Of Home Industry, becoming Gus
toners instead Of Evals 10 those engaged therein