, 1866-02-01
THE QUESTION OF PRICES AND
WAGES



Gabor-Two Kinda OF Prntectton-IRe-
ply To oAntS-N1onoroly's Moral Aspect,
Editors Chicago Tribune:
Driven from one position to another in the
tarif. controversy, the Free Traders have
finally made stand on the mora1 aspects Of
protection" 1am not surprised at this. In
deed, rather expected that the Leaguers
would try to come the "pious dodge,'' bo-
fore they wholly abandoned the contest. I
believe 1t was Dr. Johnson who said that
"patsiotizm WAS the Ia st resort Of scoun-
drel." Morality appears to be the Last resort
Of the free ttadc abstract,onists OF
Morse's Exchange. And with all their pre.
tended regard Tor morals, it Is more than
probable that they stand in as great need Of
the intercessious Of the noon-prayer meetings
rs do those "robhers" the Protectionists,
One Of the foreign free trade disciples.
calling himself "Anti.mouopoly," opens q
communication 10 the TRIBUNE in thta wise :
"A number Of writers haye ascued the Question
otfree trade and protection In your eolnuns in tts
sea e. e: Ia have
soneth:ng On this head. that protection ID 1p6-
bcr7 H. admitted On al' hshds, Though some
only tIdesenee be.Neen he tN protce,ioni.1s M
iosns~ eopt.sd Ss's isst The H. rebss, 5sat 'hs E.
willis the latter bei,eye that IL dtsady1ntaseoas
Now the robbery, whether, upou the whole, i'd.
xsntsgtogs q dissdy.n,.geon', is robbery this
won. tpecie Of robbeFJ. Looking upon It in It's
most favorable Light 1or the proteetiontsts. {beir
doctrine Is the doctrine that we may do evil That
school Of morals In ChIisnaudom e1cepl the Ro.
It Is astounding with what facility some
Instructors In the "mora1 aspects" of things,
can spin false assumptions and thetcfro,n
weave wehs Of policy md sophistry.
Who admits that "protection Is robbery ~
Certainly not protectionists. They brand the
charge as falsehood and slander. II Is
the coinage Of British frec-traders for Aucri-
can circulation, and was brought to Chicago
by "Wandcriug flew" named Sterne, who
is one Of the editors Of New York maya
zine called the 81 Social Science Rerie,o,"a Cop
perhead publication which advocates repudia-
tion Of the National debt. am thus particu-
lar to trace the assertion that !" protection is
robbery" to It's fountain, and to namo the
common carrier who imported 1t into Chicago
to be peddlel at retail by the Leaguers. It
Is due to the Hebrews Of Chicago to remark
that majority Of the more intelligent men
among them arc warmly for protection to
American industry, and have no relish for
Stcrue'a free-trade qnack nostrums.
T1kinE the free traders on their own ground
unless they arc opposed 70 nll duties on for.
clgn goods, they arc in flavor of doing evil
that good may conc" Any rate of dnty ley-
led on an imported product that Is produced
in this country, is protection to the maker OF
the homc article. unless the internal tax Is
equal to tie impost on the foreign article. It
does seem to me that even crazy free trade
abstractionists ought to have sense enough to
perceive thnt fact. If the duty on the foreign
articles Il one cent h1ghet than the tax on the :
home made article, that one cent Is pro-
lection as lar as 1t goes, to the domea-
tic manufacturer Il the duty be ten per cent
1t Is ten times more protection than one per
cent # the duty be twenty, thirty or Gfty
times as protective as ten pes cent. II n1ty
per cent is Is robbery of the poor for the bene-
fit OF the rich," any less rate Of duty Is also
" robbery" in The proportion of the impost.
The free traders advocate theory that can
only be adopted by introducing cheap labor
system. Low wages are the conelatlye Of
foreign free trade. Any candid man With five
grains OF comnon sense, cannot help admit
ting this 10 be 10.
The protective policy Is essential for the
Of high wages standard.
And be who Is in iaror Of continuing
high compensation for labor, is obliged
by the very nature Of the case, to sup
people ofthe United States have chosen the
high wares system. 1t has become the public
policy OF the country. All Americans are IN
The habit Of contrasting the scale Of wages In
The United States with the scale in Europe,
and boasttnE Of It, When an Immigrant
reaches our shores and gets Job Of work, he
stralshtway writes home 10 his friends, tell.
Ing them that working men are paid In this
country, twice, thrice or four times the com.
pensation they obtain In the country from
whence be came, and the next spring is sure
their faces set towards the lind of high
wages, white bread, and plenty OF work.
This Is the magnet TINT draws the 2O0, 900 an
11al emigration TO our shores
The free trader casts his eye over Euro
pean price current and sees suit OF clothes
put down at so, which cost so in America,
) ton Of iron ut $55, worth here t85, and so on
through the list and he says, with our
high wages sec how soon a man might earn
himself a suit Of clothes but for the tariff;
low cheap iron, woolen, silk and notions
would become If the confounded protection |
were abolished !" And he cxrlaims in the
,ant language of his tribe, 'tprotcction Is rob-
berry Of the consumer;;'' it has " an immoral
,spect, away with it."
Gnt the shoH-sighted driyclter over !
looks tho fact, plat. enough to other cyes, |
Lhst the reason those articles, on the Euro.
pean price current are quoted 80 low Ia, be-
.ause The laboring men, whose sweat created |
hem. received less than half the wages paid |
% American working men for producing sm-
Europe, with her: Three hundred millions of |
PEOPLE, and mostly poor people, grouud down |
~ nfistocraeiea, standtng armies and king