, 1866-02-09
Protection for Wntchmakerx.
W1NOyt Mimi Jan n 19HH


Protection for Igatchmakesx.
W1voxA. Minn, Jan. 81. 1856
Edilors Chicago Tribune:
4 few years since any person Who desired q
good watch was compelled 10 buy q foreign
| made article. The time when good watches
con1d be made In this country appeared 90
distant that even the most provoking protec.
tiouist did not propose 10 build up the bnsi
! ness by the patent process Of legislative pro
] lection. By the Tariff Of 1872 the duty OF
witches was twenty, by that Of 1876 ten, and
! by that Of 1862 twenty per cent. The amount
Of labor requisite 10 make u ton Of watches f
vastly In excess Of that requisite to make =
ton OF cotton, wool1en or iron fabrics. The
only reason given why manufacturers may not
prosper here on the same conditions that pre-.
! vail IN England, Is that the dnties and respon.
sibilitles of citizenship In this country REQUIRE
| for our citizen laborers 50, much higher rate
Of compensation for their labor than Do
! tho 1aborcrs Of England; and as large pro.
| portion Of the cost Of watch Is In the
amount Of labor required TO make it, It waa
deemed impossible s 70 compete susses;stai!y II
ing the nominal tariff Of 10 per cent levied on
watches from 1876 to 1SGe, the American
matchmaker ovcrcame during this period OF
twenty years, nil difficulties, and produced I
neat, portable, highly finished watch, that
can in every respect compete successfully
England. In fact, without any legislative
protection worthy the name, this branch OF
business, which requires moro l8bor In pro-
portion to the quantity ofnateria1 used, than
almost any other branch OF manufacture, has
aehievcd complete success. Nov, any per-
ply his wants, and indulge ID the most lis-
tidipps taste, by purchasing home made
article.
How hns this result been Achiered under
conditions, which 70 protectionist would hhys
pronounced impossible? Simply by the best
combined. 1.-THE theory Of protectionists be
correct, the only way to have built up the
Matchmaking business In this country, was to
| levy such q tariff that watches could be in-
ported only at cost 10 the consumer, which
would enable home manufacturers to make a
sInilar article under the same general condi-
ton that an English watch Is made. So far
Is know, the genuine protectionnt offers
other suggestion to help set men 10 work
producing any manufactured article thAu that
OF legislative aid. In the face OF snch
experience as that Of our matchmaking
Of cotton, woo1leu and iron goods In this
country, under what was denounced as the
free trade tariff Of 1e46, and OF the expert
ence of the free trade policy ina'Eurated in
England, In 1928, BY the removal OF the duty
on wool (undcr the protest of the Tory Pro-
tectiouistl which has been gradually extend
ing until the present, and destined get to
be further extended, they insist that the
onlv method Of settling men to work In this
frce-labor country is By giving direction 10
their energies by legislation. They insist that
the people will not pay direct tax, when
they are noW paying cheerfully the most ILL.,
dlgestcd and fncnnrenient direct tax ever en-
dured By q free people, and when every State
in the Union has Tor ycar1 been paying cur
rent expenses, and some Of them old debts,
By direct tax. How long will the people
submit to such pettifogging
The tariff Of 1s46 was denounced by the
proteciionists as free trade tariff, chow they
abused Geo. II. Dallas who gave the casting
vote'in the Scuatc In favor Of 1t y and one
which would ruin the country. They had 10
wait ten years before they had q chance to
howl oser Our financial troubles Of 1857,
yet declare they are now willing 10 take The
tariff Of 1916, other things being equal. It is
something 10 get this concession, bnt have We
learned nothing in political economy In
twenty yearsy Can we not hrnme better
free trade tariff than that crude affair of1846g
or, If the term free trade tariff provokes con-
uoycrsy, call II by any other name, only do
not, IN the name Of protection To industry,
TAX the consumer more than dollar for each
dollar Of revenue required, {say fe25 ,O00, ,000
Of tax to prodncc f125 000, 900 reyennel as
docs the present thrill, which By common
consent Is unsatisfactory both to manuisc-
same Kind OF protection the watchmakers
haye succeeded 80 well with, and We can
prosper ~ we'll as they have, II we but use
the same thrift, sEfu aud eCOuomy.