, 1866-02-06
THE FREE TRADE CONTROVERSY,
Shorter Casechfam on the Protective



Protection, seems to have cut some Of the
Protectiontsts =" on the raw" Atleast Judge
- from the tone OF their attempted answers.
feel somewhat cmboldened to try again. and
for the purpose Of simplifying the controver-
~, have put my argument in the form Of
questions and answers, and will call 1t q
"Catechism on the Protective Tariff
CHAPTER I.
r.2;ifs 2Hf1;'0'. What is meant by Protective
Ansntr. Laws which enact that men shall
pay dollar for something which can be got
Q. What becomes Of the extra h1ty cents.
:. Al a: Il goss s into the pocket Of the person
9. What is tho pretended Justification of
such law!
Il. It is commended that the protected per-
son cannot make fair profit for less than n
dollar, and therefore he must have law to
for ii. =
has msp in the United States
4. According to the census returns of 1850.
there were 146,4S3 manufacturing establish.
mcnts. Included in the list are bakers, brick
makers, coopera, painters, printing offices,
furniture makers, gold miners, ship builders,
saddleEs, wagon makers, and large number
suppose for convenience TINT there are 1O0,-
0o0, including the sugnr planters,
e. HoE many persons in the United States
ore required to pay bounties to tho protected
parsons for articles which might be had With
ont bountiesy
4. In round numbers thirty one millions. 4
z. But ought We not to protect American
4. Il, by projecting American industry, Is
meant protecting the thirty millions from be-
Ing robbed by the one hundred thousand, yes.
Q. Whist does the phrase protecting Amer
lean industry" meane
4. As used by the Protectionists II means
sand to deprive the thirty millions Of tho
fruits OF their industry.
Q. What is the effect Of thus "proteeting
American industryr'
a. It Is to gradually transfer the earnings
Of the thirty millions to the pockets Of tie
one hundred thousand. l
Q. Ought we not to be Satisfied when We
can get cloth and iron rs cheap as they can be
made By American labor?
4. Not five can get them cheaper elsewhere.
Oueht We to be satisfied when we can get tea
as cheaply as 1t can be produced by American
labor! Good tea can be produced IN this
country In hot houses for ten dollars per
pound. Ought not Horace Greeley to be sat-
lst1ed when he can get . pair Of tongs as
cheap1y as ii can be produced by his cum io-
berf Probably it would not cost him over
q. What is the meaning Of Free Trade?
4. Liberty to each citizen to buy what he
| and sell what he produces where he eau get
the most, giving to Government only 80 much
as Is necessary to meet its expenses aud pay
It's debts. Free trade means getting 100 per
cent retun for your labor instead Of 90 per
- Whdt l. 1ha a,fra,enre bat z.sa,, q rora.
| nue. tariff and q protective tariTs
| 4. A revenue thrift Is one where all the
| taxes paid by the people 70 into the 1latloual
treasury A protective thrill Is one where
only q portion Of the taxes go into the treas
ury. The remainder going to encourage the one
robbing the thirty lone million consumers.
Q. Does not every kind of tariff protect
the manufacturers to some extent?
4. No. a tariff may be levied upon
brandy, vine, silks, spices, tea, plate, and 3
thousand articles Of luxury not produced
where protection has been abandoned. Eng
land md Germany raise the largest part Of
their revenues from tariffs, yet EnGlanu and
Germany arc free trade countries.
q. Would 1t be wise to remodel our tariff 90
! as TO atMndon protection entirely?
4. It Is always wise to stop xobb!ng. but as
Government Is In some sense responsible for
having told the manufacturers that they. were
| to make their money BY means OF b0unties In
stead Of honest labor, there may be some
reason for making the change gradual
Q. Do not the manufacturers labor as hon.
= 4. Not when they demand bonnties 10 keep
them going. 4 man labors honestly when his
| labor does not infringe upon any other mans
right to labor and to receive the fruits Of hi
| 1Abor-not merely 90 per cent oft, or is per
cent, but 100 per cent,
! Q-Woula It be wise to break down our own
manufactures
A.-Certainly not nor would 1t be wise to
let them break down the farmers. Let each
tnb stand On its own bottom, and then they
falling. Manufactures spFang up in this couu.
| try before the Revolution, not only without
protective legislation, but In spite Of the ee-
verest penal legislation OF the mother coun-
Try. One Of the bills Of Indictment against
King George III. Was that he and his parlia-
ment wonld not keep their hauds OF our
growing manufactures
| Q.-N It right to put our own Labor On
level with the pauper labor Of Englands
! i. Our own labor tiiS;;c:ssists Of thlrtv-ops
millions Of people, who ere already; Ton a
level with the paupe1 labor Of England" 80
lar al the laws 60. II England has three or
u ut . chilling day, in heavens namo lct
| q. II We abandon the protective policy
shall we not all be compelled to go to farm
4. Out Of thirty-one millions Of ttunpro-
tccted" people we have a,42S sos farmers.
| Why arc not the odd twcnty-eigLt millions
compelled to 20 to farming2
Q. II we abandon the protective policy
will not the operatives In our factories be COM
| PEELED 10 find other occupatfonse
4. The operatives In our protected factories
number less than half million. Suppose
they were compelled to abandon an unprofita-
BILE business and 80 into some business that
cnu get On without bountfes-what thens In
the drst place they would cease being the In.
str1menfs for robblng thIrty-one millions Of
their felloW-cittzens, and In the second they
wonld be producing something, instead of be.
| Ing burden On the community.
o. is the manufacture Of cloth IN unprof-
table business In this copntryl
Il. No. The dividends Of the protected
manufacturers Of New Englnd arc so large
~ to warrant the belief that, With the protec-
Lion thrown of, they would each Of them
make annually more money than twenty aver
Q. Is The manufacture Of iron IN unprodta-
BILE business In this countrys
| 4. The last income rctufnB Of the leading
Pittsburgh manufacturers Nerc over one hun.
dred thousand dollars each
Q. If these branches of manufacture nrc &c
I profitable, have not other people an equal
| right to engage In thems
| A.: Certainly; but they have no right to rob
thirty -one millions Of people to make up theit
profits, under the prctense Of protecting Amer
tcan indnsfry.