New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-02-18
Productive Industry.

To the Editor Of The Tribune:
Any branch of industry, to be advantageous and
remunerative, must produce at least,
lst. The average remuneration to the labor en-
ployed that this labor could have obtained if EN-.
ployed in the other branches Of the National In
dustry;
I'd. The cost of the raw materials employed
Sd. The average remuneration for the caPital
employed which this capital could have obtained
if employed in the other branches Of industry.
If any branch of Industry, to obtain this result,
requires contribution from the other branches OF
Industry in the shape Of direct tax for its main
tenance, or OF enhanced prices to the consumers,
consequent upon the prohibition Of or high duties
on the importation from foreign countries Of SINH
lar articles to those produced by this branch otin-
dustry it is evident that the other branches OF the
National Industry maintain this particular branch
at their expense and from the profits Of their own
industry and consequently that the real total
profits of the National Industry have not been
augmented by the addition OF this branch OF in
dustry; for the other branches OF industry would
be lust as productive were they 20 MAINTAIN IN
;,aleness the labor aud capital employed in this
branch Of lnuGstrv requiring their all, as 1t they
continued to maintain them while employed IN
this unproductve industry. Is not this Theory
self evident and can Mr.. Carey or any other ad-
vocate Of Protection prove It TO be erroneous
Let us now illustrate this theory. Suppose the
entire population Of the United states to De
25.OO0.CUO. of which 100000 are employ ed ll the
production OF Iron I'VE may err IN these figures,
Tor We possess no statistics on this point, bat this
in no way affects the question, and that this
branch of industry, as stated by the friends OF
Protection, cannot produce sufficiently 20 pay the
usual average remuneration 20 the labor and cap
itel it employs without taxing foreign Iron from
% 10 100 per cent, and thus enhancing the price
Of this article Of first necessity TO the $4,000 900
consumers, for, be il remembered, there IS not
single inhabitant Of the United States who does
not consume Iron, directly or indirectly would
net the whole aggregate profits OF LABOR OF
the entire population OF the United states
be Just rs great or greater, were these lvV'OOV
persons now employed in the manufacture OF Iron,
to be maintained in idleness by the contributions
of the remainder of the population OF the United
States and the capital now employed uRproduc
lively in this branch Of industry, applied to the
development Of the productive branches OF the
National Industryl c. NJ.
Reply.
VIII that blessed, dear old time, where
in when the brains were out the man
would die ne'er return Here is ques-
ton belonging to the very A B Cs Of PO-
litical Economy, which we have been
hundred times asked and have fifty times
publicly answered; and now &C. NJ in
stead Of asking Us to direct him to what Pro-
tectionists say to it, brings it up as though
he had Just discovered or invented 1t, and
gravely asks a solution Of his difficulty as
though that had never been attempted
What a waste Of time and effort i involved
in this process intelligent Protectionists
DO not need our answer; Free Traders will
not read il; and the next one who looks
through Baptist Say. Wayland or McCul-
loch will light upon and appropriate II as
a fresh discovery, and dare Us TO retute his
syllogism; and, when we have complied.
the very next reader Of the Economic Doc
tors will make the discovery sfresh, and
challenge Us 10 grapple with it. Is this
the way to elicit truth! Is Progress by
such means possible Our correspondent
NAV consult on this subject articles from
our pen in "Hunts's Merchants Magazine,
Vol. T." again in a subsequent No. in reply
TO Mr.. S. g. Arnold, Especially under
head ILL., See also speech at the Taber-
pacle Discussion, Feb. 10th, 1913, report
ed in Am. Laborer, PIP. 1918; also our
Introduction to AlkinsOn's Political EconO-
nv: also Hints Toward Reforms PIP.
24l-6; also Structures on Barhydt's POliti
cal Economy, Tribune for March, 49,
and at least forty others.