American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-02-06
" SPECIAL INTERESTS"

NJ hOlhb LIN i hh6D lDst
1t may be regarded as another instance
of unintended confession, in addition to
many preceding ones, that the so>called
free traders of New York are now harp
ing on the inutility of extending aid to
especial interests" These agents of
Britain remind us that all branches of
business are suffering alike, and none are
entitled to legislative aid. The fact of
the general distress is indpbitable, and it
only proves what protectionists have al
ways maintained, ma mely, that when the
leading industrial works of the country
are expose to injury or destruction by
cont nations or conspiracies of foreign
capitalists, the evil spreads to all other
interests, and involves every class in stag
nation and distress. :
In protecting, therefore, these great
prepondcrating industries against over
throw by foreign enemies, all others also
are upheld and benefited. But If any of
these require similar assistance i. should
by all means be freely afforded A great
umber of handicraft employmehts are
not liable to foreign attack, being neces>
sarily local or otherFiss uRassaila le.--
Others can stand alone by reason of PEI
culiar skill, or some such favoring cir
cumstancc..' All such require no protee,
tion, and forbear to claim it. . >
Nor does the great agricultural inter
est stand much in need of protective du-
ties, but if it did, If foreign breadstuffs
could be imported with profit to ship
pers, then an indispensable duty would
arise to restri, the incoming supply, nd
enable our own farmers to goss ess the
domestic market. 1t would be most inn
polite for every other interest as well as
that, if we bought our food from foreign
ers, and allowed our own-producers to
pine in poverty. Their granaries might
be full to overfowing, and yet, for want
of market for the supply, they would
lack a hundred necessary articles almost
as essential to comfortable subsistence as
food itself Therefore should we secure
them in their natural right to the home
market. So should we benefit them and
ourselves as well, for the farmer could
then purchase fom his mechanical neigh
bors the products of their ingenuity and
skill, whilst both parties would be nutu-
ally advantaged.
1t is untrue, therefore, to allege that
the friends of domestic industry argue
only in behalf of especial interests p
They lay peculiar stress, indeed, upon the
Importance of those oyershadowing in
dustries whose aggregate swefls up to
hundreds of millions, and which, there's
fore, are prominent marks for foreign
hostility. But we want egislative pro-
tection for every domestic interest, wheth-
er agricultural, manufacturing or com,
mercial, where nothing iH'the soil, cli>
mate or other conditions preclpdes do
nestle production.
So far from laboring for Especial in
terests" in any obnoxious sense, the pol
icy inculcated by protectionists would
! raise up rivals to many of our large es-
adjustments, which are able to stand
alone under pi esent custom duties and in
ternal taxes. But it is not enough that
great factories or corporations may be
fourishiug and contented!" That 10 not
the mark we aim at, but such mu, tipli,
cation Of industrial w;rks, large and
sm all, as shall supply the home demand
more effectually, and thus enable us TO
escape that crying evil which is at the
root of all our present troubles, namely,
the weekly export of million dollars in
gold and an ihdefnits amount Of public
bonds or shares in addition, calling for a
further drain of gold to satisfy the inter-
est or dividends IF that unfavorable
balance oftrads (Which tn ; British agents
assure US is matter of no consequence
were once turned permanently in our ia,
vor, We should havsfno occasioh to'dlaim
any special congressional action, for sli
things would then adjust themselves har-
tnoniousiy aud satisfactorily.-N. Amer
ioon.