The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-04
AN ENGLISH CONDENSATION or
THE AMERICAN ARG UIMENT FOR
pPOTHNTION

PROTECTION.
WHILE the old feeling in favor of protection
Is being revived among the aristocratic classes
of Great Britain, it is q noticeable fact that
the workingmen of that country are also be-
coming impressed with doubts of the free
trade system. At all events, in learning the
'ounds upon which protection is advocated
in other countries, they are at the same time
taught the peculiarities and disadvantages of
their own position. A series of interesting
papers on ''the working classes in the United
States, published in the London Spectator,
contains an admirable resume of the reasons
why almost all skilled American worl1ingmen
advocate protection, as the writer heard them
in this country. He condenses the American
argument as follows
''Flrst, protection is the poor mans friend as it
prevents the laborer in Europe from competing with
the better-paid workman In America. America Is
young country, and manufactures, like children,
must be everywhere protected during their infancy.
''The policy of protection keeps wages high, and
so draws labor to America. Nothing induces the
poor of Europe to flock to America 80 much as the
prospect Of higher wages Even he is no better off
when he arrives he thinks he will be- and that draws
him. 1t is more economical to induce the poor of
Europe to go to America to eat, than to remain at
home and manufacture while Americans grow the
food and send it, Much crossing of the ocean to and
fro and consequent enhancement OF price is saved by
s'Only thickiy populated countries are likely to
benefit by free trade, for in them, the Of the
people, not having land to go upon are compelled to
"England is only freetrading country far as it
suits her convenience; she is proteconist in deal
ings with America. In 1859 the amount of duty
levied in English ports on tobacco from the United
States was S19,924420, which sum exceeded by more
than half million dollars the whole of the duties on
English manufactures collected during That year in
the United States
"Protection is only another form of monopoly, and
"a
channels by the promise Of a monopoly than by
leaving every enterprise to stand or fall entirely
upon its own merits In England and everywhere
else this principle is acted upon. Railway gaswork
telegraph, and steamboat companies are all pro-
tected against other railway, gaswork, telegraph,
and steamboat companies which in most cases could
and would, II not prevented, undersell them. Then
why not the owners OF mills and factories (Which
are mostly companies in the United states)?
t'The protective policy has been tried in this re-
spect against the free trade, and found to answer
better. Numerous mills and factories have sprung
into existence after the passage of each restrictive
measure.
"Protection in the infancy OF an industry is no
than the restrictive measures of guilds and
apprenticeship. Its found to conduce to the pro-
tendency to drive bad and snowy goods out of the
market. This is nstanced in a variety of cases.
American rails have been better since they have
been made in the United States than when the
cheap Welsh rubbish could be imported at such low
rates that it did not pay TO make use OF the enormous
stores OF iron which nature has given to America.
The experience of Russia was the same as that OF
America in this respect. In 1924 Prince Nesselrode
date Belgian and English rails of vile quality have
been excluded from Russia
''The American cottOn-manufacturing industry
sprang entirely out of the adoption of the protective
policy Five millions of spindles are now busy where
the only occupation for the hands would have been
hard feld-work If the free-trade system had been
adhered to-"
The intrinsic force of these reasons is
strengthened by the statement that, to a
great extent, intelligent British workmen
understand and sympathize with them. The
correspondence carried on between the tens
of thousands of British artisans, now at work
in this country, and their friends at home, has
fully apprised them of the real condition of
affairs and they plainly see that it is in many
cases their true interest to emigrate to this
country instead of encouraging the exchange
of British goods for American food, after a
long and expensive voyage, for the benefit of
British capitalists