, 1866-03-23
THE FREE TRADE QUESTION,

country fetore, md eyen utter, his accident
election to the Presidency.
A. CLrDouRx.
THE FREE TRADE QUEsT1o,
Protcction's Reply to John Stua,
Mllps Letter.
lih1C Kong q Touug Nation Shou,
Practise: Protection Who Sha
Judge! - What Creates NasIon.
Wealth FAntcr than Mannfactusluc
| Why Great Britain. Advocates Ere
Trnde-LeSitImateK Barter, md RuIe
for Foreign Commerce.
Edltors Chicago Tribune:
| When appended few predatory remark
to some arguments Of Henry c. Carey in +
vor Of tie protective policy, three month
ago, and inserted them Ia the TRIBUNE, i
reply to Free Trade letter from John Brieh
Of England, I little imagined how far tho COZ
troScrsy would .xtcud, the interest It woul
attract, aud the number of opponents I woul
be Obliged to encounter.
Alter pause OF truce In the controversy c
| afortuight, find myself suddenly subjected /
a dEe-in.the-rear from three Britiah Free Tn
ders. one Of them no less parsonage tha
Hon. John stuart Mill, II, p, author Of "pc
1Nical Economy md champion Of FREQ Trad
as p1actised BY the British nation. Anothe
Of my RssaIants Is Gen. T. Perronc
Thompson, Of the royal red-coat nsny
author OF the t'Corn Law Catccbism,
and great Light among English Free Trader
! for the List forty ycars, and tho third nasai'
ant, John Bull, IT,, the able and astute Lon
| 5,t e1+ros,,opdnu4 oFf fho fyh{,arn rrn,r-,,,,
These three big guns were oil discharged hi
one hroadside, at the little monitor q Proiec
uon." But rs Yankee monitor has neys
yet struck her lag to foe, 60 these British
wooden fout-dcckers will bo astoni5hed X
perceive after the smoke of their broadsId,
clears up, that tho aag Of the Yankee Graf
still floats dctlantly, and that thelI
free trado SLOTS have made no imprcs
sion on her Unprotected" turret
Mr.. Mills article consists OF two parts.
The first Is an attempt to explain sway bis
indorsemcut of tho principles OF protection,
Is contained In his work on political econo.
my and the other is u long extract from new
chapter Just added to tho Forthcoming edition
Of his work, which, he says in his letter. will
reply 10 Protectionlst's arguments. Here Is
the extract from Nr. Milrs wor k, Vol. H.,
p. 5Jo, in which he conlesses that Protection Il
the true policy Of young md rising nation,
seeAipgto diversity iss industry aud natu1al-
lie manufactures
"sThe only case In which, On mete prlncintos Of
political economy, protecting duties can be lefensi-
bic, Is when they are imposed Temporarily {espeei-
ally IN yoang anI Fstnq naton,) III hope Of nssu-
1alidus foreign industry In il.elt perfectly sr.Is-
alk TO Me c4rrtnastGaees u gs eoz7lry. Tho
superiority ot one country orer another In branch
Of production, often aFisu only trosa Aap;na 6sg1u,
u soonkr. There may be no tnherknt advantage
dn one part or disadvantage the other. but only
nprese,3 4s.utsiorIty IF 1cgulrsi attA 0ad erpt-
szenek. 4 country which has this akil and e1pefi.
ence Jet to acquire may, In other ttspecte be b4l
Gttoptsd 10 The producuon than those which were
tarser in lhe hed; and, besides, 1t Ia jus. remark
o. Nj. Rae. that nothing has orsatr tendency to
prc7n6te improvement In any brunch Of production
than it, tr1al under new ret Of conditions. But
II onnno{ b. <1Ysc7e1 thst individuals ehou1d, at
their osc sfxt rather 10 their oan eertain losy
introduce new manufacture, aud beaf the burden
OF Carrying 1t On until The produce1z AaY6 tkea k-
uocttl tp to The ftr<i Of Hose tcikh Mhoua Me pro-
cesses oss fFadAtondI A protecting d1tJ, cont1u-
ued for q reasonable time, will Ronnettmes Ia the
most convenient mode IN which tho nation can tax
itscn tor the support Of such an experiment."
Mr.. Mill having read my comments on this
pa.aage OF his writings, and the application
made Of hts theorum In behalf OF the protec-
tIon policy In young and rising nation, now
undertakes to show that It Il inappllcable to
the United States, and that he did not mean
10 include this country when he laid down the
principle. But It makes no SORT Of ODDS
whether he a1]rma or denies. that the United
States como within the scope Of his PROPOSE
~ On. n's cl';"aon ~ tno ease Is nos authority.
II The general principle Is sound, Americans
are the propes parties to 3udec Of its ann1tca.
bllty to thcjr country. Tier ,nteresi. ~ 20
involved in the matter. They alone haEs fur-
,s,y5cfton over iha ann3;c.tton ,fthn ~u1. ,v-
.'u, ~ wv. NV u LUG folc+ NJ
N1tl never was IN this country, never saw 1t.
md has MANY INCORRECT fdeas nr its eon,h;1,'
A., ...a,,..s. - -. pa'tu
tns, 1esoutccs ana "ants. IL Is mol compo-
tent Tor lin 10 pronounce, as he does
rnttl he hos rjs,tad En,th An..,..
mud given 1t leisurely and careful tuspec-
'as,a.,,,1a T.. -. :. .1.r'. ~ Ios1sacs
p.m.sApie. 1L.s ~ ~ s!oset, Nltnont LOOKING out
OF Ills W1nIows but lie cannot select countries
nothing except by hcarsay. and tformatiraiiv
,asscst that they nre excluded from the par
view OF his rule. Ills sy1ogistio apburI5ms
may be incontrorertIbIe while his opinions In
relation 10 the nations to which they apply
may be wholly erroneous.
/: Aftcr denying that tho general prinelple
quoted "applies even TO Australia, whose CO.
"pabilitics for carrying on manufactures
J" cannot yet be said to have been tested,n ho
proceeds to remark:
"CEt the manufacturing parts OF the Culted
staea .neW Esciana and fennsJiTama Az no hnGef
n9 sn III. a Gaus r. eao, oa ~
teci,ns duties fos At lest III 1vo renerot5on: IT
..N'o!s =. - wv EeHe!duonsf lnele
fncturirs- Kin in h,rh tnose n ESasnd IL "a nn
c, ,dcd lien; there ha~ l.een ample eIreriencs To-
prove that he alleged inability ofthe'r manufac1ur
ers TO compete II Tho Ame:iesn market With
nnrn, %n. Tro,,, M ~, ~, ., nes etss9n-
md canitss cn in IN he nss<en9 efas aeof
'Amer5ca, be enp!o5ct With greater rsturu md
greater advantage to the na,,ona1 wealth The pro.
duction Of other articles. i have never for mo-
msnt men nson1.nended Or connsea.need any yproiect'n.
tsctei b,anch M n 1ndpstT II ~ ve1v mnas,,a e ,! Pr
10 hecoms inaepsnden, u Projection. I Fbat mo5, %
crate ume in The United Siates has been exceeded,
and II the cotton and izou Of Amenea still need
protection y assios' tho.e Of tho Other bsnlsphete,
ri "a = h.rs 81 thsI p.po' that 'ac5 on:at
H.. pr.n,er H.. snu.t,c ani 1he v.s,n ~ ,,.t,nns1
rsSouTccs mi he 'AA'A '''' "a''' VI na''on@l
So mucll of this Ms is mt DOWNRIGHT or,or ,s
mere assertion. Tbe n,ain .sscyi;nn iou !. ~ :,
true, viz; That the manufacturfnr n,rts "
the I,nitcd States hove had H. he1e8t a. + St,.h
fno ,snties Inr "t 1e.st to ~
Tfe snrnicctin~ dm,;es,s aT no
l,een Transient md % ineonstant ill., hags hars
hcrn firc mateTis1 .Ifernt1a,s ~ thc t.ssE
within he nTrscnt ccne,.1iau ord rina @ I'LL taa
in he ner,at1 no1a5 hv ~. XIII Iuo o Tha taT
no,irv ms hcsn n Saot:hoiI IL h,twn.n cns,tsaa ta
Inr par,its Kicked srorn one ertrerno ~ Nv
oiber--this var ii1h nrnteci;on' nert ~ rnas tn
tnw rprennc i. aHiv w. ae,o. nes yeaa
tHc wrr nf 1s1a ~ 1natr ~ s.nce
IN ths tariff: - 'A-o "p7 |'1e oo"ts
FIRST. nnrinp that var va ho5 a h,ch ~
tectiTe tarfif viii %rcat m rsnnf.tns u rn pro;
industrial prosveli,y7 'A 'aD ''s's ADtns a1o
posis werc 1et,,csd S eose ~ =. ~ a"s msr Inc IN
ard. and ~ cnntinurd for r;0t ~ Ellie , Seana
lurinr ,y1lirh was ,,ar;od - ..aa y. nre 5sais
istJsss-.tHa farmerI sniisr;nsr - haa1n naf1al
,riisans 'A 'ete s's''''' 'i's5 'ss oa"'y Us tne
Tn1nn. | mo1ara.c ,ro,o,,,r. ...,gu.