Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-04-08

According 70 announcement, Df. u. ".
WAbss delivered an address before our Lit.
srary Association, on the subject Free.
dom of Trade the best Protection for Home
Industries" Wednesday, night, Goth ult.
The following is condensed summary
Of some of the points made by DR.. WILDER
In his speech:
Freedom of trade he defined to be the ex-
srcise of the,God given right to buy anc sell
whenever, wherever, and to or from whom
soever we may choose, without let or him
drance, wholly untrammeled by all ressric.
tons, save and except such tax as gov
eminent may legitimately impose to raise
the necessary revenues for carrying on sall
its various machinery.
By the term home industries, he desig-
mated all the industrial interests Of the lh,e
country, including commerce and trade,
agriculture, manufactures, and the me-
chanic arts. and all kinds of production.
Protection, as understood and practiced
10 .lhis country, he argued, does not mean
what the term seems to imply; for while
the essential idea Of ,protesetion. implies
that somebody strong renders aid, or
stands tready to help the weak, the Pre-
tice ia just the reverse-instead of prctec
ing the weak, the poor laborers If the
coaatry-our SO called protective tariff
ievies tax on them, just in proportion to
the extent Of their consumption, the prin-
cipal portion of which goes to the rich cap
italists of the country, to enable them to
make big profits, and amass colossal for
tunes, under the pretence Of enabling said
capitalists to compete with foreign manu-.
features while only moity OF the tax
goes to the government. Furthesmere he
argued that If one class ef persons be en-
titled to protection, that IS, to the forced
contributions and charities, provided for
~ our tariff, NO satisfactory reason can be
assigned xhy all persons should not be
equally protected; and if all classes and
persons be equally protected, then the
principle Of protection would defeat itself,
and no relative advantage of one class over
another be secured. BUT equal protection
to all, is just what the ,nonopolists do not
want; for they seek and obtain, through
the tariff, unjust advantages over others,
to enable them to increase their profits and
amplify their fortune, which IS done by
robbing the laboripg classes Of a portion
of their hard earnings in obliging them to
pay, not only the legitimate price of the
protected goods in the worlds market, but
also an exorbitant tax in the way of an in
creased price on the cost, which tax goes
from the consumer to the producer with
put any consideration. This is the gross.
est injustice; and although done under the
aretsnce Of protecting home industries,
proves at once injurious to most, sud ulti-
mately destructive to all.
The speaker denied the right Of any gov.
eminent to tax its subjects for any purpose
beyond its own maintenance, OF to take the
fruits Of one mans ipdyg.stry tn reward an.
other mans industry. This being the
manner that the so called. protection" OPP
crates, it follows that it's neithsr good NOR
oils, nor sound policy to adopt the principle
in government. However, the right Of
government to tax its subjects, for raising
such revenues as may be necessary to. pay
its debts and maintain its existence, being
conceded, it becomes purely a matter ef,
policy, as to the most economical and de-
sirable manner of collecting the taxes.
whether by direct or indirect taxation, or
BY both methods. On the whole it seems
probable that indirect taxation affords the
most convenient, economical and equitable
mode Of raising the re- venue. But it should
be particularly noted, that free trade nei-
Aher means or implies, as many persons err
,roneously think, total immunity from tax
.&tion. on the contrary, no persons submit
% al legitimate taxation moro cheerfully
thans free trade men.
The speaker went on to show that the
tendency Of our present laws is to make
thexic RICHER, aad the POOR poorer; for
while Sac pysaass Of capital havs been inor-
dinately increased. the rewards Of labor
have greatly decreased; so that to-day, .
iaboriag mas, although tsominatly getting
tride higher wages. is really getting only
about half as mach ~ hs received ten
years ago. estimated in tbs. aecessaries Of
,Ef. aud other articles Of consumption. Ia
short, the whole pith of pnssection" may
bsIhgs briefly stated: Let the govern
saeu4 take cece Of the rich, and the Sich
viii take cayaof the pecy.
Commerce and trade consists essentially
in the mutual exchange Of commodities.
or Of reciprocal services; and we necessa-
eyily sell when we buy and buy when We
cd. If two persons have each, something
to part with that the other wants, by max.
ing a mutual exchange both are beneftted
and each article exchanged becomes the
measure Of value of the other; for the true
value cf. anything does not lie in its ut'ii'
Is, bu: in it's purchasing power; and this
truth is Of universal application. II we
Il L. AIya r.