Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-03-18

AAss NSAAouu AOA pIVuuCt1 Cu Will
produce it either with or without
protection. Protection may change
the place of production, and in do
ing SO may seriously affect the pur-
chasing power Of the commodity to
be exchanged for or used in pay
ment of the product of artistic skill,
Cor, by too rigid enforcement ofits
unnatural principle we may shut out
and turn away our former patrons,
we must invite customers in some
way, to call and see our wares,if we
wish to sell them. Few,inded, would
a merchan: have il he charged a
dime to every one who calls to see
his goods. No merchant wonld be
SO foolish as to adopt that rule, and
yet, for protection to American
industry the protectionists charges
exorbant rates to people of other
counties before they can think Of
looking at the products of the Amer
ican farmer or mechanic.
The markets of the world must
be depended upon in which to dis
pose of the surplus products of the
American farmer, for, beyond the
consumptive demand of our own
country, without such markets, who
would want their products In
closed markets they must lie dead
in his hands. Such being the fact
is it not more than astonishing that
any farmer should cling to an idea
like that of protection, when its ef-
feet is to close the markets or the
world against him, virtually, thereby
reducing his chances for demand
and good prices, and at the same
time compelling him to pay greatly
advanced prices for many articles
demanded in his business.
Let us for a moment see what
there is in what is new, and long
has been, one Of the illustrative ar
guments ofall earnest protection!sts
viz: The material necessary for
pocket knife costs but very little, the
labor costs nearly its whole value
Yes sir. "Well now suppose that
labor is worth inEngland fifty cents
and in America one dollar Yes sir.
Now don't you see that America
could never make any knives at all 2
Yes, sir, I see. Well then let US add
the fifty cents, difference in labor to
make the labor equal and then we
"protect American lahorp Yes sir.
Then we can make knives Yes, l
see that. By that process England
takes her knives to another market,
exchanges there for other country's
produce, and the Scot. knife stands
at ST., because protected Now
what is gained? Every man in
America pays double price for his
knife, Yes, every man but the knife
maker, though he tolls from rising
to setting sun, pays double price,
and is that protection to American
labor?' II it right to charge man
double price for thing because he
labors +? But that is not all. The
farmer wants two knives for his
boys. All right, sir, here they
are Price sir 2 only one dollar.
American made, sir!' What! last
year 1 bought two, just like this, for
one bushel of wheat, now they cost
me two bushels of wheat, but it is
all right, as I am for protection.
Yes, it is all right but be pays
double price for his knife, he has
lost one mouth out of two to feed,
and has one half the demand for his
produce. Without the protection
be would have had half hfs wheat
left and two to buy it instead of one
That we suppose is true economy !!
our plan would be to let that man
make the knife in England taking
it for granted thatMr. Protectionist's
argument above is correct, but which
we do not accept) for fifty cents in
stead of bringing him here and Civ
ing him one dollar. We would send
the bread to him, as it's cost, ON the
water, is but little, and we would get
more for our grain than now and
the knife at half price! But such
is about what protection means!
One man will make 1000 knives
on which protection gives him five
hundred dollars profit, because
his labor must be protected. One
shousand men buy those knives to
cut OK gads with, for they, too, arc
the 'sons of toll, and are made to
pay double price for them because
American labor must be protected !!
! 1000 men must suffer in pocket to
add to the wealth of one man!
Will the reader remember now
that this is the exact result Of pro-
tecJion wherever any article, of any
kind, is taxed for protection to
American or European industry.
Now, in all candor, we ask would
it not be better for all, to keep open
the markets of the world, by as near
Free Trade as we can, even if no
knives were ever made in America ?
Let the knife maker if he could not
live at that business turn his hand
to something at which he could liven
and let the farmers produce and
mechanics dollars have double the
purchasing power they now have.
What is the use to add one half
to the price ofthe farmers products,
he must pay double for what he
buys? BY doing this you only
charge the advance back upon the
mechanic and other consumers, who
produce nothing weakening them,
but adding still to the pockets of
the protected There it ends every
time. But we do not believe that
American labor would suffer at all
from free trade nor tho price of pro
duce be reduced.
In expressing these views we do