The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-01-17
For the Sentinel.
Tariff Duties and Protection.
No. 6.


Protect tionists point with much exulta-
greatness produced by the protective poll
cy. Truly an illustrious example. There
it is we behold the iron heel of privileged
aristocracy firmly planted on the necks of
the laboring classes, and thousands and
tens Of thousands, starving to death
through the effects of protective tariffs and
measures of like tendency; and here we
have men who pretend TO be friends to
American labor, working the same conse-
quences on the laborers of our own coun-
try.
But if our protectionists have no mercy
for laboring men, they ought at least to
pay some respect to those who are engag
ed in Commerce and Agriculture. They
tell US that without protective tariff the
country will be flooded with foreign mer
chandlse and there will be no market for
domestic manufactures. This is a fallacy,
but for argument sake let us suppose it to
true, and that we prohibit foreign importa-
| tions, TO remedy the evil; what will be the
consequence? The business of commerce
must be destroyed. Commerce exists by
reciprocal interchange of commodities
between countries, and if we destroy the
reciprocity we destroy the business alto
gether. If we purchase nothing from fol-
eign countries, they viii be able 10 pur
chase nothing from US, and there must be
an end 10 commercial intercourse. Will
any of our protectionists now be kind
enough 10 demonstrate to us, which Com
merce or Manufacturing has been or is
more likely to be the greatest benefit 10
the country at large, or majority of the
individuals composing it. To commerce
we owe the discovery of civilization and
| independence of the country, to COM
merce we owe our intercourse with all the
| world, and to it we are indebted for the
greatest part of our national greatness and
unparalleled prosperity. 1t furnishes
market for our surplus products and gives
an additional value 10 every branch of in
dustry. 1t has built our cities, cleared our
harbors and gives employment to thous-
ands of our laboring poor.
What is to become of thousands OF la
borers who are engaged in building cities,
wharves and ships, and performing all the
labor belonging 10 the commercial business
if their calling is TO be destroyed to pro-
tect few capitalists engaged in the manu-
featuring business who in point of fact
need no protection, having the most profita-
bic business in the country, Independent of
all human protection, but that of industry.
But the protectionists say that the laborers
can go TO manufacturing establishments and
get employment there. Heaven protect
them from such an alternative! Crowd
these establishments with furnishing labor
ers from every other department of busi-
,ha f,ll fr,1,
tion-the woful reality of the protective
policy. Capitalists will then have the
pleasure of seeing poor men begging from
door to door and from one establishment
to another for employment of any kind
and at any price-compelledb by necessity
to be put on allowance like ship-wrecked
mariners at sea, and to labor from daylight
till dark without complaining, lest even the
meagre allowance be denied them, which
barely keeps body and soul together
And with all the charity | am able TO eX-
ercise | cannot help believing that this is
what every protectionist who understands
I the policy wishes to see.
This is the way perhaps in which Mr..
Meredith the Secretary of the national
treasury intends TO procure laborers to do
the manufacturing of which he speaks in
his late report. He says that by manufac-
turing our raw material ourselves we in
crease its value fourfold, and that this will
be so much clear gain, over gettingit man
ufactured abroad But he forgets TO tell
us who is to do the manufacturing. He
does not say whether he intends to manu-
tacture laborerS to do the work or whether
he will import the ''pauper labor of Eu-
rope here to compete with our laborers on
their own soil, or lastly whether he will
take men from other and perhaps more
useful employments to do his manufactu-
ring. But the presumption is that he
must do the latter, and i'll that case we are
at loss to know what he is to gain by
taking men from one employment and put
ting them to another less useful one.
Again the Secretary says that by in
creased protection we will increase home
consumption and thus create home mar
ket for our produce. Here again he for
gets to tell US who arc to be the consumers
Does he suppose that taking men from one
employment and engaging them in another
will enlarge their capacities for consuming,
or increase their numbers faster than the
order of nature consummatcs that end,