The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-04-30
TIL E r EP u BLIC.
The Prospect;
agricultural, Manufacturing Commercial, aud FL
nanciai: ut the opening Of the year 1851.
HENRY G.. CAREY.
CHAPTER v.

TIE TARIFF OF 1916.
The year 1916 brought with il great change in
the commercial policy Of the country. The advo-
Gates of the policy crroneously called frec tradc,
asserted that the effect Of the tariff of l542 had
been
First, TO divert labor and capital from pursuits
that did not need protection to those that did need
it, and thus to diminish the return to both.
Second, to raise the prices Of foreign commod
ties, and thus enable the domestic producer Of
similar ones to impose tax upon the consumers
for his especial benefit, and thus diminish the
power of the laborer to obtain food and clothing.
Third, to diminish the market for food and cot
ton, wool and tobacco.
These views were either true, or they were not.
If true, the return to labor and capital should have
increased regularly and steadily from 1876 to the
present time, and at rate more rapid than that of
the increase from l843 10 lS47 n only partially
true, the rate of advance should have diminished.
If absolutely and iDhoIIy untrue, labor and capital
should be now less productive f commodities for
the use of man than they were in 1916.
If true, the power to consume cloth, and iron and
fuel, should have increased at rate more rapid
than it had done under the tariff of 1912. If abso
luteiy untrue the power to consume those articles
must have diminished since 1916.
If true, the people of the Union should now be to
the farmers and planters of the Union far better
customers than in 1916, consuming more food and
cotton yabsolutely untrue, they must have become
poorer customers to those farmers and planters.
If true, they must have had so much more to sell
to foreign nations to enable them pay for more
of their productions. If absolutely untrue, they
must nave mad lnuCn less 10 cell tnat tney nave
become able to pay for less of those productions
would now beg the reader TO study carefully
the above and satisfy himself that such is the mode
OF testing the charges against the policy of S42
and am the more anxious for this because it is
difficult to hold the advocates Of the theory known
by the name Of 90 free trade" to any thing like
fair exposition of their views of what constitutes
prosperity" and what it is that we should have
to pect from the working out Of their prn
ciples. The great end in view, understand, to be
that of finding the system of policy under which
labor and capital produce most. commodities, en-
abling the laborer and capitalist to consume most
and have most TO sell, thus increasing trade within
and without the nation This ia, as conceive, the
true test OF any System OF policy BY that desire
the tariff of 1872 to be judged and by that ask the
reader to judge the tariff of 1916.
In various diminution of production has
long since become obvious, but they are ascribed
to cover production" an idea that had its origin
in the errors of the English politico economical
school. So long as the people of the world shall
continue to be unable to obtain much food cotton
wool, cloth, fuel, and iron is required for the
satisfaction of their utmost and most unreasonable de-
which results from inability. on the part Of those
who desire to consume, to produce commodities to
be given in exchange. The farmer desires to ex-
change his food for cloth, fuel, iron, books news
papers, but the market ia gutted with food and he
is compelled to dispense with much of the cloth or
iran he would have desired to purchase We're he
to inquire into the cause Of this "glut" of food,
he would find it to result from diminished demand
for labor, to be applied to the production of cloth
and iron. The labor of the class Of artisans, miners
and furnace men had become less productive, and
therefore they were compelled to become poorer Gus
toners to the farmer. The planter desires to OBJ
tain food, cloth, or iron>for his cotton, but the
market s "glutted,'' and he is compelled to di-
minish his purchases. He becomes poorer Gus
toner to the mechanic because the mechanic is
poorer customer to him. Increase the demand for
food and the farmer will become better customer
to the planter, the mechanic, and the miner. In
the demand for cotton, and the planter will
become a better customer to the farmer and the me-
chanic. Increase the demand for iron, and the fur
paeem will become a better customer to the
planter and the farmer. The existence of "guts" is
evidence ogreat error in the system under which
they are produced Their absence ID evidence Of
soundness of the commercial system under which
they are not produced In the year lS45 and 1916
there was no glut of cloth or Of iron. Consumption
was immense, because of the vast increase in the
power to produce food to be given in exchange;
and there other glut of food Of cotton than
that which resulted from the fact that the then
pidly growing consumption, checked during the
previous perid of "frce trade" had not yet over.
taken the supply. There 10 now '.glutp of cloth
and of iron, and of a thousand other commodities,
because the qbi,ty to produce food, cotton, topac-
co, rice, and other products of the earth is now less
than Il was four years since, and there is conse.
quently less to be exchanged against cloth and
iron, as shall now have occasion to show.
In lS42 the domestic production OF iron was but
little more than 200 600 TONS In lS47 il was S00,
600. similar rate of growth would give for the
present year, at least million and half of TONS
II has, however. fallen to less than half Million
and there is reasop to believe that it does not ex-
coed 100000, Ii so, production has diminished
40O, 900 tons in three years, whereas it increased
almost 600 900 in five years; and Notwithstanding
this wonderfully diminished production, the mar
ket is egnttcd,p while every farmer and planter
in the nation 10 anxious for more iron roads, and
labosers everywhere idle for want of ma
chinery.
Has the deficiency been made up by importa-
ton? In reply, i will be sufficient to state that
fko; INN of oIad hat nf1 hu Ot,lx
100000 tons, and that of 1850 by only 80 900 tons
the total import having been only 1852 900; and
that, while every ton produced and imported in
1886 found immediate demand, hecause lnsp wegs
change, in fS49 and 1850 the market was every
where "guttcd,'' because of an inability to pro-
duce things which the producers iron were will
ing TO receive In exchange for IL So far ns re-
CARDS igon, then. the nntcipalions Of the trainers
Of the tariff of 1916 have failed Instead OF more
rapid increase of the power Of consumption, it has
greatly diminished, and "glut' has been created
where none before existed, the consequence Of
which is, that miners and furnace men are unable
to obtain the necessary supply of food and cloth
ing. Had the tariff Of 1912 remained unchanged,
should be consuming million and hall OF tons,
without any suggestion of 'over production" As
il is from day to day we learn OF the stoPpage Of
further FURNACES, and with each such stoppagc the
gIu increases, and must continue 10 fneregse, be-
cause the power to produce commodities to be
given in exchange for iron must decrease merc
rapidly
WEI have now before US the astounding fact that
while we straining all energies to purchase
iron credit and going in debt at the rate Of
almost a million Of dollars per week, the actual
consumption OF this important commodity, with
population of probably f,cenfyJor millions is less
than 1t was with population OF f,cenfy millions
and that the difference is not lees than twenty
per cent. Under four years OF protection consump-
tian trebled. and toe paid Of much debt. Under
four years Of "free trade it has diminished one
fourth and going in debt at a rate that must
speedily make us bankrupt IL would be difficult
to find in these facts any evidence of the truth of
the positions of the opponents of the tariff of 1872
Whenever and wherever the consumption of iron
increases the power OF production increases, and
the condition Of man tends to improve. Whenever
and wherever the consumption of iron dirninishcs,
the power Of production dmnishes, and the condi-
ton of man tends towards deterioration. Iron is
the great instrument of civilization.
In lS42 the domestic production of anthracite
coal was l,l0s 900 tons, being little more than il
had been several years before. In lsi7 it
030 600 TONS having almost treblcd in five wears