, 1870-11-16
THE TARIFF ILLUSTRATED,

The essential idea of what Is called
Protection, to American industry" is to
exclude foreign competition by excessive
taxation, with the productions Of particular
interests at home, aud thus enable them to
fix their own prices. These special inter-
ests happen to be those that require 4 large
combination of capital which viii be bene-
fited BY monopoly, and in which the labor
ofthe operative Isl mere incidental expense.
The interest Of the workman In the in
creased price Of the fabric he works upon,
is one of those nyaterses of the protective
system that eludes al Investigation.
Capital pockets the entire profit, and labor
gets the credit Of asking for It.
RsilroadahAve, within a few years, grown
to be an immense home interest, and if
the protectionists are honest, they ought
not to object to extending the benefits Of
their own system to so important an ele-
ment of national prosperity. What would
they say if one of these companies should
apply to State Legislature, or to Congress-,
and demand an increase Of passenger and
freight tariff for these reasous, which are all
the protected" interests claim for them
selves, It could allege, with entire truth,
that railroad interests are great and grow
ing, and employ as much capital as ali the
manufacturing interests of the country
combined:
First. That they create home labor,
and give employment to home industry.
Second. That they secure home mar
ket at the doors Of tho farmer, and bring
.hs factory and workshop alongside Of the
farm
Third That their building and exten-
sion has raised the value of all the real es-
tate In the country !. has built new villages
and cities, and brought remota wastes
within the reaeh of settlement.
l.: Fourth. That they have given diversity
to pursuits, and educated multitudes 10
new fmploymenta, taking them from ths
'heldf, and placing them. in the workshop !;
Ind shat the supply OF food to these work
men,, is vast item in the profits of agri-
| culture.
! Fifth, and generally That any policy
that would increase the profits OF the con,-
pany would enable 1t to push its lines for.
ward, to spend mora money, and extend
the great and benevolent system, 80 thai
every man in the community really has q
direct and Immediate interest in payint
such rates of freight as would ensnre tht
yreatest possible dividends, and, also, il
excluding competition by competing Inea
on the protective theory, such reaaonI
would be perfectly sound. Railroad com
panies can point 10 thousand direct bene
Cts they have conferred on the. peopl,
where any other interest can point to one
Then why object to their doubling tolls AMI
freigbts7 Why arc they not entitled to th'
benefits Of this System? And why com
plain if they ask it7 g
To this, some free trade farmer replies
"H: you increase frelghts, you diminisl
lhs yalue of my farm; because the increas
com Is out Of the price Of my grain" Yer
,rne. But, then, does not the Increases
price OF salt, iron, lumber, and manufac
tured goods Of ali kinds also come out o
the profits of your labor? Whatever |
taken from you without equivalent redueei
i not only the value OF the farm, but tn
profits of labor In all its forms. lit
wrong for I: railroad to
this! why is it right for any other spsci,
, interest to do the same thing7 The, Wet
, owes nearly every thing to its railroads. BIT
it owes little, or nothing, to any man
money invested in ! factory. Every dolls
: added to the cost Of such roads by tarif
: Is just 30 much extra charge on the publ
to meet both interest and principal II
public are in The habit Of cursing Il
company for high charges, instead of Il
4 wicked legislation of the country, tn
Z Fdoubles the cost OF their tracka and rolli1
!: stock. -
( This is fair illustration of the print
7 plo Of so-callcd 81 sproteotion-" Will son
. one tell us why double charges on zailroa
L. would not be public blessing, If douh
J. prices for iron aud aloth are benefit
The community, us il olaimedl The etfe
1 is the same in both cases-