The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-02-20

most striking and comprehensive light will state il in
simple and practical form Certain persons wishing to 90
into manufacturing ask government to aid them in busi
naturally upproftabe by preventing the OF
the country from buying foreign goods cheap in order that
those consumers may bs compelled TO buy their goods dear
These are the three propositions necessarily involved in the
demand for protection. Let examine them. 1
AS regards the first proposition government is asked TO
aid men in embarkiDg In Improbable business think
that have stated this proposition correctly The pro-
posed business is either profitable il is Improbable If
1t were profitable, no appcaon would be made 10 gov
for aid The very fact OF the application gov
ernment necessarily implies that the business is unproa
bic This is logical conclusion OF absolute certainty
Assuming then that the proposed business is unproabe
what ought government TO take is il not plain
that If il did thing, instead Of aiding persons to go
into Improbable business 1t should rather discourage
them from it2 For il must be observed that
does not by its action increase the capital of country it
only give direction to it, The capital of
try, them remaining the same nsst il is unwise for gov
ernment mere question of political economy TO aid in
turning portion of the capital of country into an u
profitable channe because in the degrees that the rates Of
the average rate Of proSs Of the capital of the couy
generally to that extent there is absolute oss to the
productive energies Of the country Therefore it is unwse
in any country TO turn capital into any channel yielding
ess rate of profit than the average of profits of the coun
try But such policy is peculiarly unwise with us having
Ss aeS ~
grandest and most profitable results So much for this
first proposition.
AS regards the second proposition that the consumers
should not be allowed to buy foreign goods cheap. shall
dwell upon the injustice involved in this proposition
though il strikes direct attack upon the right OF
property and the right of labor to prohibit man from
buying selling to the best advantage To the extent
that he loses by your prohibition to that extent you have
conscated the fruits of his industry But what wisdom
is there in this proposition 1t is true we are often told
by the monoposts that it is runous to buy cheap foreign
goods. But can hardly conceive of more monstrous
alacy than this idea Test 1t BY every days experience
and common sense Suppose Mr.. Chairman, you should
go into talor shop to buy coat and the tailor should
say you "You may have this for thirty dollars it
made in the United States but you may have that
ofb app ygh
was made in Europe" What would you do2 Why, with
all your aversion to foreign influence you would mag
inc take two of the feendoar coats rather than of
the thrtydoar Everybody acts upon this princi
pe it is the wisdom of everyday life III wise in in
dviduas do hia why is it not wise in the country to-
do the To show the infinite absnrdy of this idea
let us suppose that foreign countries instead of selling US
their goods cheap should give them to US What would
be the consequence? Why our utter ruin for II IT 70 m
get for nothing Such lie the logical conclusion to which
this argument necessarily tendsa consequence SO absurd
shall not dwell longer upon it.
Now for the third. In order that these manufacturers
succeed they require make the consumers OF the
country purchase from them at price enhanced to the ex
tent Of the duty the foreign article What justice
there in that2 Why is it that portion of the people
should be compelled to buy from another portion and
smaller portions at higher ce than they could buy else
where? Why should the great body of the American peo-
pie be required pay in the enhanced price Of an indirect
the manufacturers? Is there any justice in it? In
reading the annals Of the middle ages are shocked
when informed that the fierce barons Of those times
to descend from their mountain Businesses aud
levy contributions from the people OF the valleys at the
point of the sword We considered they were bafbarans
Now, what difference is there in principle, whether J Gu
levy tribute Mt the point of the sword or by the iegerde
main OF legislation? Suppose direct aS was levied en-
the great body OF The American TO be PAID oer as
bonus to the manufacturer would the people stand II z
No. sir the very stones would rise in muiny against its
payment What is the difference in principle whether you
do it directly indirectly In one case you do 1t with
manlness in the other with concealment If You ask
what The profits of the msnuiactutersi the reply is
"hey do not make more than six or seven per cent AT
klo Ul,nIo
made his speech two weeks ago upon the subject OF
free wool asked him what the profits Of the wOoen
manufacturers He sad that the woollen manufacturers
losing money but that the cotton manufacturers said
they making six per cent What 10 the result, then
Why the great of the people have been made poorer
to assist these in making average profits AS the in
direct tribute levied from the by the mannfac
only raises their profits to the average profits Of the
country it follows then that this indirect tribute is total
loss the productive energies OF the country and the eff
feet is the thing to the country if under frees
trade policy, this had been thrown into the
have thus gone through with the three propositions
involved in the demand for protection; as they all
alaces it follows that the system resting upon them is
also falacy
taxes paid by the of the country to the manu-
cturers under this protective policy? 1t appears that
in the last fiscal year. there enough Of cotton and
wooen goods manufactures of ron and sugar. produced
in this country to make the indirect tax upon them amout
to $3ao75,9s5 is the price of these articles
HANGED that extent by the duty upon foreign articles of
similar kind. In other words, we paid $399T59S5 OF
indirect taxes To manufacturers during the last fiscal
But am disposed to be moderate will strike out the
nine and call it, in round numbers $4,000 900, though
the Secretary of the Treasury in S46 estimated these
indirect taxes mt $50 GOO put it at $30o00000 In
1882 it estimated that the indirect taxes paid up to
that time to the manufacturers $240O00o00 Sup
posing it to amount S30000000 annually from that
time the present. the total sum to the present time is
900 100000 in round numbers and that is the amount
which the people of the United States have paid manuac
/ turers in Indirect taxes Well that il a vast sum
Mr.. MILLSoN. AS understand the gentleman he null
tplies the domestic consumption by the foreign tax
i Mr.. BOYCE Certainly 8
Mr.. MlLLSON would suggest to the gentleman, then,
that upon his principle the of indirect taxation
upon wooen manufactures cotton manufactures and iron
manufactures, and sugar alone, would be upwards of
i $50 100000 tH.ga
i Mr. DoxnE, thank my friend from Virginia for the
suggestion which maue. therefore accord
i ing the suggestion of my friend from Virgne
have uuderated the indirect taxation paid to the manuac
/ turers put II at only S30,ooo,o 900 annually.
i Mr.. STANTON. Do understand the gentlemans prn-
cpe be- that the domestic produce enhanced in price
i the amount of the duty r@
i Mr.. B0YCE Precisely
/ Mr.. STANTON And that all fabrics of cotton manu-
acure enhanced in price the amount of duty above
whether any commodity of the same kind imported
Il or not
i Mr.. BOYCE Home products naturally cheaper than
similar foreign products of in affected
by customs duties but the foreign product is cheaper
than the home product is enhanced in price TO the
affect the price of cotton but duties cotton goods
would do The imposition of duties foreign prod
implies the belief that the foreign product cheaper
the fact of any such mporatons paying duties demon
strates the correctness of that belief and involves the
hancenent OF price rival home products rest sci
upon this simple idea, that there be two prices
the same commodity in the market and If it were
d fnrsipn would