Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-04-26

years which mark the eras of 1887
aud 1885,. under rule which brought
low prices, little demand for labor,
financial commissions, and bankruptcy
in our country.
Free-trade maxims and theories may
be politically sound as between States
under one Government with joint liza
bilities and common interests and mo-
tives of expansion T; but can we put
them in practice? l answer, no (; in
volving-
l. A breach of faith to the employ
ers of eight hundred millions of capt.
tai which has been invested under the
implied pledge of protection such as
tariff affords against the inundation
of the country with foreign goods. 1t
is the policy inaugurated in the pream-
bic to the second act passed by the
First Congress, that
"whereas It is necessary for the support of
Government, for the discharge of the. debts
of the United States, and for the encourage
meut and protection of manufactures, that
taxes be laid on goods, wares, and nerchan-
dise imported"
Washington, in his homespun, signed
the protective law and the nation has
never had free-trade President, but
rather received those moulding inlu-
ences by the authority of the great
names pledged to manufacturing inter-
ests, leading to a development that
for the last fifty years their growth has
been double that of our population.
2. A change of our long-approved
policy would involve reducing of our
operatives, the workers in iron, leath-
er, and in the cotton and woollen mills,
proximately to the standards Of for
eign labor. That plan Of the opera
tivcs Of the Old World which repre-.
resents q hundred million people is far
below ours in the diffusion of intelli-
gence and the promotion of comfort and
morality. Our ten millions would have
no adequate power to draw up to US a
hundred millions wanting in the versa
tility of our people too poor to emf
CRATE and the alternative would be
presented in. demand memorable as
death to sink to poverty and discom-
fort or seek another employment. Mer-
camille or professional life would fur
nish but few openings, and skilled la
Dor could only betake itself to agricul-
turaf pursuits. What arithmetic could
then compute the years of apprentice
ship and dear experience wasted by
millions as novices? Where the scope
for mechanical skill and inventive ge-
MUS so necessary to develop and en-
ploy the varied gifts of the race? The
delicate artisan, with unstrained mus
Gle, then comes into competition with
brawny workmen in the field, and
transferred from profitable consumer
to q producer, there follows over-pro
duction and a glutted, worthless mar
ket.
3. 1t would deprive the nation Of tina
cheap method of collecting revenue
which, by the concurrent judgment o.
the wisest Governments, is the least
oppressive and offensive to the people
1t would destroy, by safe judgment,
two-thirds Of the product of our manu-
featuring industry, amounting to
$4,000, 100000 annually, and deprive
the Government of not less than fifty
millions now collected by excise duty
leaving no alternative but Reputation
or q direct taxation on real estate
more oppressive than has ever beer
borne by any nation in modern times
4. This dispersion of skilled labor
n,,ro e., f,,lIoxy ,nc,ccoccfrl cnmnot;
ton with cheap capital and poor pait
labor abroad, and the closing of manu-
featuring establishments, would pre-
sent to powerful nations salient points
of attack, and greatly lessen our secu
rity.
With small army, and facilities
furnished by furnace in full blast, manu-
factories in good order, and abundant
workmen, we established our prompt
tude and ability to build navies, molc
and mount guns, equip and clothe regi
meDts with SUCH facility that our sue
cess in the rebellion was early as
srred and the failure of the rebels a
plainly foreshadowed in their want o
furnaces and factories. on the closing
Of their ports to unfriendly nations.
In foreign war, without that prop
er national independence which is GU
birthright, commerce vexed, skilled
labor dispersed, great establishment
required to be built, and capital timid
our ruin would be effected. Therefore
hold prospered, diversified industry
as placing proud and unfriendly ma
tions under q cheaper and not less salu
txry restraint than the presence of a
mighty army and navy. The historian
Of Napoleon illustrated this philosophy
thus Protection, the industrial Gre.
alton of Napoleon, was the most pre-
cious and principal cause of his con
quests" policy which is now appro'
we'd by the Emperor of Russia. .
s. Free trade renders the agricul-
turalist dependent on an uncertain, f1uc-
tuating, and distant market uncer-
tain and fuctuating for the reason that
the costs of carriage are subject to
slight variations, while surplus of
heavy products near the consumer
renders those distant of no value. In
illustration of this position the maker
Of cutlery at Shef6eldor French shoe
maker cannot afford to accept the gift
of q cargo of corn at Chicago or a
load of wheat fifty miles from rail
road in Iowa. A dependence on this
distant market would add to the disa-
bility of farmers by exchanging gross
products at a heavy cost of transpor-
tation with the producer Of concentra.
ted values in skilled labor costing but
o small per cent. of the value to reach
a market. Hence, ia all the northern
States good land beyond the suburbs
Of cities is valued according to its
proximity to high market, and save
for grazing, that market is only attrac-
tive where there is dense popu-
lation. condition which is not posi-
BILE where agriculture is the chief occu.
patton.
6. 1t would arrest immigration
N Al \