Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-12-21
RUTLAND HERALD.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER IA, 1885.
A Protective Tariff.

The American System, Of which Henry
olsy used TO be called the Father, had for
It's object the development of home re-
sources, and the protection Of home In
dustry. In times of peace, and In the
absence of a National Debt of anything
more than nominal amount the rev.
enue Cor the support OF government was
raised nom duties on imports, and the
sales of public lands.
There were no direct taxes, no excuses,
and no government licenses. The great
mass OF the people were scarcely aware
of the fact that they were paying any
thing TO the General Government. In
fact II was demonstrably shown by the
friends of a discriminating tariff, that
while the first effect Of protective
duty was TO enhance the price OF artl-
cles upon which 1t was laid, the ulti-
mate effect was to reduce the price.
It not unfrequently happened that the
price OF glass nails, cotton cloth and
other things was less than the amount
OF the specific duty thai was levied
thereon. This resulted from the encour-
agement given to Americans to invest
capital, and employ labor in these
branches of business. As they acquired
experience and confidence, introduced
improved machinery, entered into com
petition with each other, and increased
the amount Of supplies relatively to that
OF demand, prices fell.
But supposlng the effect Of 4 protec-
tive duty should be to enhance the
price of the article upon which it is
levied. The free trade man says chat
Is oppressive. You ought not to make
q man pay one hundred dollars ton for
iron for Instance, when without duty he
could get 1t for seventy-five." But sup
pose he could pay for the iron in this
country with wheat at two dollars q
bushel, while he could get no more than
a dollar and quarter for the same
wheat, if it were to be exported to pay
for foreign iron. Where would be the
gain or loss then? Every new branch
of business that springs up under the
fostering care of a good government
furnishes convenient and desirable
home market for the surplus products
of other branches and this cOnsidera
ton, in the aggregate, will far Outweigh
the advantage Of cheapness I'M specific
article.
The opposition TO protective duties
has always come from the slave-hOlding
interest. When Cotton was King, it,
producers flattered themselves that they
could compete with the whole world
and what they wanted was free trade
an unrestricted privilege ofselling where
they pleased, and Of supplying their owr
wants at as cheap n rate as possible
For the last four years the war. to adopt
the forcible language of q contemporary
'has muzzled the two bloodhounds that
always hunt in couples, Slavery ant
Free Trade-Slavery ever crying fol
free foreign trade, and Free Trade mean
ing nothing but slave men. But tn
moment the war closed, the British
Free-Traders of New York cried out tina
'lprotection to the labor OF the produce
is robbery of the consumer; and tn
British Free Traders of the Cotton plan
tations cry out; "If we can establis
Free Trade, 1t will insure the America
market to foreign manufacturers
cure the foreign markets for our leadin
staple-repress Yankee home manufat
tures--force the larger number of nortf
ern men into Agriculture-multiply tt
growth and diminish the price of PR
yisions-feed and clothe our hired e.
slaves at lower rates-produce our co
ton for third or fourth Of former pFlc'
rival all other countries in its guilty.
tion-monopolize the trade in the artlc
throughout all Europe, and build up
southern commerce and navy that vi
make US rulers Of the sea.
But the labor hardened hands al
ropy arms that beat down the rebelliC
will crush as in vises the fingers tn
are working at the muzzles which t.
war strapped upon the two bloodhoun,
Free Trade and Slavery. America
labor supports, and is enriching, direc
ly and indirectly, one-third OF Il
American people. That interest Is poV
erful enough to dominate, in time, t
trade and commerce and manufactur
of the world. To honor it is nation
duty; to respect it is political wisdom
to dread it is partisan prudence"