New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-02-10
THE PRAYER OF LABOR.

cur in its general line of argument ana puFpoH'
Those who do 80 will please append sheet OF
white paper, and procure signatures 70 De ior-
warded to Congress:
PROTECTION vs.. FREE TRADE.
To n. Senate and House Of RePrs'sHtai7s' IN congress
| AysmJed.
The petition of the undersigned citizens OF the Oned
States, respectfully represent
That in view Of our immense national DEBT ana tue
heavy duties imposed our home manufactures IN
many cases exceeding those assessed Oh the Jor'S"
rival fabrics resulting in excessive mporations oil Tor
eicp good, and the expectation Of gold and Govern.
meut bonds to pay for them which it is to be feared
will end in bankruptcy national aud individual, unless
peedy prevented By the passage OF aaw repeating the
duties On our home manufactures imposing on foreign
goods Lgh pro,ec,ire understanding everything that
we can make for ourselves diyefsifying the employ
ments of labor creating home markets for farmers
and securing Gist rags h97, thereby drawing labor
and cana from abroad TO aid in the development -four
vast national resoDrce-
We would further beg leave to suggest in the fewest
words possible OF the facts and general principles
which should Influence legislation on this subject
Frs: That as proi1cr; tG55r is the great source OF
all national wealth should be cherished and projected
against injurious foreign competition in all its depart
ments mechanical. manufacturing and agricultural,
amounting 10 the aggregate 70 more than i've thousand
millions annually. Wien the whole mass OF working
men OF our country thus unite in humby praying your
honorable bodies to protect them against the over
wheming competition OF the low.priced aud "pauper'
labor of Europe can the demand be disrcgarded
S,.3ud: That although the ,nmsiiGs effect of Ligh
duty NAV enhance the price Of the Manufactured article
yet this very enhancement Of price making tie bust
ness prof1th will at,tJc. additional capital and
labor into It. ultimately reducing ne price by increased
sEiA competition and sl27y Of manufactured goods.
TO ls end duties for protection should he P1cft never
dd r1i0r-r-.
Third: That Pro',,)g is the trac policy Of all com
tries WIre the wages OF labor are high-aud Free
Trade is the true polio! OF all countries where the
wages Of labor are ov. Hence Protection IS tie true
policy Of this country wleic wages are high AMI Free
Tads Tue policy OF England and other countries where
labor and ss productions are low because Free Trade
would open ports to the free importlions OF their
lowpficed goods thereby compelling our mechanics and
manufacturers TO give 70 the markets anl quit work
buy everything and sell nothing or bring down the
wages Of labor here to the low and degraded level Of
,1GlS abroad.
| FJl1h That our turner's and i1JJrirg men are much
more benefited than aye the Cc'wvs BY "a, exc.l
sion Of foreign goods from the fac, that a, least hre
osrFs Of TIE price OF foreign goods made up of fr
egr ae-fpl-1i produces and ia, wages OF forcga labor
combined Tor Instance WOO, constitutes bail the
value Of foreign c.ol and the wages Of labor makes
most Of the other hale I0r IL almost exclusively an
agrieu.-I' product, consisting Of tie RrlV and srGiH
consumed by tie animals and tAe Jrs1f and nsi' con.
sumeI by the mcn employed n iti miallciure. Any
practic4 furnace MAJ will testify tba, wGen We pgr
chase foreign pay OFT mJaey for fo-cisa ag5.
cultural produce worked up into iron by foreign labor
aal sent here Tor sale leaving farmers witAoc,
markets orr tijJ- without employment ani oar rich
miues Of coal ani ole uadeveloped barred ard useless
under thc ground.
Fihf Assuming that jgiy ia'f the value % f,r's7
Imports is made up OF agricultural pFoduots mate
rails and tho subsistence Of labor employed 10 their
manufacture then It is automatically true proved b.
the Official reports % the Treasury Department that We
iupor, annually fonr dollars worth o. foreign agrcutu
RAJ produce worked u2 into goods FOR every doiLdr'
worth Of agricultural produce save cotton We export
20 all the world This calculation /, based on tie eK
ports and imports for ten years before he var from
1880 % IsGO What representative Of American farmers
can advocate such policy
sinh The Free Trade theory that the duties are
added 20 tic price aai paid By tie consumer nav be
generally tr1s rs % articles 10, prodacsl manu-
that We can successfully manufacture a, home, the
effect OF high protective dute, being % stimulate com
petition add produc.oo faay rsdatI7s tue price By
increasing tie ,lpg'y-as oil experience has proved
For Instance coarse co;lons nails glass. chemicals
Sc were as everybody knows made a, home for less
than half the price paid formerly when Imported frOm
abroad aud are now exported 10 foreign countries
Sereah Another theory OF the Free Trade advo.
Gates that the larger the balance OF trade against
country ue better is just as absurd say that the
larger the balance OF trade against individual the
better or 70 say that ortraylgant family that bought
and con,med $500 year more than they sold get
ting rich and an economical family that sold 800
year more than they bought were getting Poorna,ions
| being but families on large scale.
Eight. The most convincing proof OF the immense
value Of home markets aud the productions Of Ameri
can labor when stimulated by home Competition and
demand il furnished by the late War which enabled
farmers and manufacturers to loan to the Government
from their surplus earnings hundreds OF millions Of dol
lars annually TO repensh the Treasury and save the
Union by furnishing money the Sinews Of war.
\ Ninth The importers and vendors OF foreign goods
are in fact money collectors and Gtsrtr' for foreign
countries therefore By Hcrcl5iHg tdriJ but in.
paid by foreigners aud their patrons
the privilege Of vending their goods in markets.
thereby tightening TO that extent the taxes and burdens
| imposed on our own people
! Tenth; That thousand dollars kept 10 active crcu.
lation from hand 20 hand At home does TO make
money plenty and our people prosperous than millions
sent abroad to purchase what and ought TO mako
at home and that the erection OF furnaces and factories
10 mineral regions. like an oil STRIKE" often adds
hundred fold to the value Of mineral lands well as
millions 10 the general wealth. and thousands to our