The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-03-17
Protection of Home Labor.


The change in the Tariff and the consider
alton of its effects on home industry suggests
an incident to protection which is very impor-
tant to have in view in all social, municipal
and national economy. The peculiar inilu-
snce of money in stimulating labor is never
sufficiently considered even by writer's on po-
litical economy and its agency seems never
TO be properly understood. Money is one OF
the elements of wealth that is not consumed
in the use Of it. And it must employ labor
to pay interest or profit. 1t must he kept
active or it is worthless, or Improbable. Ofa
hundred thousand dollars in gold locked up
in sub.treasury pays no interest and does
no service to the community. Paid out and
put in circulation, it must set labor to
work; it is only by labor that money can Gre
ate any thing; no additional value can be Civ
en- to it by work on money ITSELF 1t is by
stimulating work on other substances capable
Of receiving additional value, by labor, that
money can earn any thing. Money goes into
labor, produces its own value in new pro-
duct, and comes up itself unconsumed and
unspent; the community it employs its
own labor-has the product Of the invest
ment, and the money itself still abides with
it; and is ready after the first operation to be
invested again, and again comes up with .
new value, and is still uncOnsumed; and thus
the process is constantly repeated: and the
money is creating its own sum in new wealth
to the community that retains it, every time
it is used. The power Of money to create
thus, is incalculable; and in this is the secret
magical influence of protecting our own in.
dustry; it is the philosophy of the theory
The keeping Of our money at home is thC
basis Of our prosperity. The moment w:
part with it we lose its peculiar creative pow
er; five take consumable products for it
those products disappear with the first use o
them. Suppose we have $4,000 which we
have been employing for many years in cree
ting buildings and factories, investing the
amount once in six months, and each time
that it was paid out and came back to the
DauN tiiaI ueIU il, lueIe udu Ceel Created Dy
its mission $4,000 of value in building; in
the course Of generation the sum, if KEEP
among us, and employed, would create hab
tations for city. But suppose we had beer
converted to the notion that it was wise t.
buy where We could buy the cheapest, anC
there were great many articles we could
buy in New York or Liverpool cheaper thar
we could produce OF buy at home. therefore j
was best to send our $4,000 in money away
for these cheap articles. We should get on
goods 10 per cent cheaper, but We would hav
lost our cash, which if used to set our idl
labor to work, would have created wealth
twice its own amount every year. The grea
loss to every community is its unemploye
labor; money is the chief and only agent t
set it in motion to produce surplus wealth
Barter trade never enriches a community. 70
men never labor for an article beyond thei
wants for consumption Of it; consequently n
surplus is produced. In these simple pro
positions is ths-secret Of the power Of none.
to create wealth and prosperity; and also tn
causes of the decline Of all communities tia
send away all their cash to purchase abroad
instead of supplying their wants at home
The principle is applicable to a village, city
state, or the country.