, 1869-05-03

A meeting WAS held In Philadelphia on
Thursday last. bs the Peaasylvauia protec-
t;onists. ct wlicha long series Of resolutions
was passed, The Grst Of which reads thus:
.Ees-lreJ, ThaI tile following staicncn: be pre-
ssEteI 10 the satd csa,nitte tot Ways and Meaas},
..s cCltss .n tie Views Ut the rrailciee interests
OF the cta1atf!."
We think we can show that the nsc OF the
Word productive in the above resolution
WIS unwar1anted ty the facts, and calcu-
lated to u.i>lead TIE pablic.
The sole object of E. protective tariff is to
rtu1crsa branch Of industry productive
which would otherwise be unproductive.
al Arguments fer protection art based
1s,nn the alteration that without its mid the
particular branch Of business which it is
p.upused 10 p-utect xonld be carried On at
a loss-thht a gwen amount Of capital in
vested in j. would in short time be COZ
su1netl and swallowed up unless its losses
vere u.nde good by q certain act of
Congress called Il tariff. But
inas1nrch as capital cannot be created by
act Of Congress, it is manifest that the loss
must 60 on after the tariff is enacted Just
the salnc rs befo1e, with merely the differ
ence that it falls upon Other parties. A, for
instance, warts to boil salt, but he cannot
do 50 except at heavy loss, BE calls upon
Congress to pass law to prevent the people
from getting any salt but his Having
pot his law passed he sets up the salt-boiling
business. Ihe loss continues the same as
It would tase been without the law, but it
islls upon D, G and D, Who are compelled
to pay double or treble prices for salt. The
salt-boiling industry is just as unpro,luctiEe
as il Was before. Hence, We say that the
resolution Of the Philadelphia meeting was
mis1,se Of language. It should have been
worded thus;
Ee%lrrtt, That the following statement he pre-
sented to the Committee Of Ways and Means as
embods3ug The views Of the unJnpducttre interests
p1thf country.
Perhaps the most distressing develop
ment made by the Philadelphia meeting was
the discovery announced by Morton Nc
Michael, Esq, that nea1ly all american col
leges, including those Of Pennsylvania, use
Naslands Political Economy as text book,
which teaches that protection is bluude1.
It Was even stated by Mr.. MeMichael thai
some gentleman, who WAS ardently devoted
to protection, had founded college, and
to bis ereat grief and modification, hai
learned that the faculty had commenced
corxupting the minds Of the ingenious
youth Of Pennsylvania with the doc
trines Of Wayland's Political Econ.
omy. It WIS actually used IS The
te1t book in Girara College! A gentleman
present at the meeting said TINT he knew o!
one exception TO the rule stated by Mr.
McAiichaeI He knew Of one institution OF
1earning wheze Wnyland's book was not
nsed- He referred to the University Of
Pennsylvania, which had nob1y adopted
Carey as the standard treatise on Political
Economy. ct is TO be supposed that he re.
fe1red to tho Inter works Of Mr.. Carey, N
his earlier writings were all in favor Of fire.,
t1ade.)
Well, it is too bad TINT the human intel
iect, in its higher stages Of civilization AM
advancement, discovers that protection is
deiusion and humhug, md forthwith
adopts and teaches the opposite principle.
is pity that capitalists who cndow college
cannot own the professors and compel ther
to teach doctrines which they do not be
heve. The times ate evidently cut Of joir
in this regard. We can conceive Of nothin
more worthy the attention and efforts {
The high tas:H gentry than the obstinacy {
The college professors Of the United State
who insist Upon teaching political ccoaom
according 10 WAylund.